BBC iplayer...what do you think?

[domtyler]

They couldnt enforce this like they do with tv's could they?I mean how would they,and would it end up being a licence for just haveing a pc,because it could be used to watch ?

Exactly, the BBC is much more than just television nowadays so we should all have to pay the license fee, it shouldn't just be people with a television.

 

[redfox]

Exactly, the BBC is much more than just television nowadays so we should all have to pay the license fee, it shouldn't just be people with a television.

Careful or we will have to move this to soapbox!

 

[alecstilleyedye]

Exactly, the BBC is much more than just television nowadays so we should all have to pay the license fee, it shouldn't just be people with a television.

don't tell simoncc

 

[domtyler]

I have it on good authority that Simon is now coming round to the idea that the beeb are generally a force for good in this country, Top Gear notwithstanding. would not be surprised to see him buying two TV Licenses this year. Let's face it, it would still be good value when you consider all the extra value added services that they are providing these days at no extra cost.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

I used it today to watch the last Robin Hood (a good day to die). Downloaded the file for more flexibility than streaming which can lead to some of the problems touched on above. Tried to burn it to DVD so that we could watch it on the TV downstairs but was foiled by the dreaded DRM which I could remove using Tunebite but the resulting file was hideously jumpy and unwatchable. So ended up watching alone on the main PC upstairs. Apart from that it is a pretty good service.

What I don't get though is that I couldn't find anything under that Ts and Cs that mentioned that you had to be a license payer to download!

i think that is why it is yet to support the mac. for all apple's love of drm on itunes, the mac is a fine piece of kit for getting around it on cds and dvds.
i once got a cd which had drm on it. it said it would work in windoze (on some bespoke player) but not on the mac. so i stuck it in the drive, opened itunes, ripped and burned it just because i could.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

i watched porridge last night on the pc...

 

[andyoxon]

It seems the "Peer to Peer" iplayer utility (rather than online streaming) has 'issues'...
http://idunno.org/archive/2007/08/06/the-bbc-iplayer-sucks.aspx

 

[theloafer]

a friend told me that it has some bad peer-to-peer things behind it

 

[campagman]

I have no TV or licence and think that the iplayer is good. When it was first introduced I did wonder about needing a licence but then I heard on a BBC radio show that you only need a licence for watching 'live' TV, i.e. as it is broadcast.

 

[simonali]

I'm with BT who frown upon PTP networks and (allegedly) have clever software that slows your connection down to a snail's pace when this type of thing is used, legitimate or not. Tried 4OD, which was terrible.

 

[redfox]

On the plus side, as I cant get any Freeview stuff where I live, it did mean I could watch the last series Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe. Which, on its own, "justifies the license fee!" (or not as in this case)