Comments on: BBC iPlayer for Apple TV: An Update

By: New Apple TV, Y U No Realise Potential? « A://SteamingCupof.Blog

New Apple TV, Y U No Realise Potential? « A://SteamingCupof.Blog — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:20:18 +0000

[...] release, a weather app was developed for jailbroken Apple TV’s. Even (then) BBC employee Johnathan Tweed developed a method for playing BBC iPlayer on Apple TV. The BBC requested that he cease development due to legal reasons and he complied. Talk of the [...]

By: Jonathan Tweed

Jonathan Tweed — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:09:42 +0000

Hi Sam (and everyone else)

I’ve posted an update here:

http://jonathan.tweed.name/2011/02/10/iplayer-accessibility-and-apple-tv/

In the update I look at the importance of bringing iPlayer to the Apple TV and a way in which the BBC could do so (if you have an iPhone or an iPad).

By: Sam

Sam — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 18:54:04 +0000

I’ve recently bought myself an Apple TV, and saw this was dated February of 2010. I was just wondering if the problem has been rectified and if I can now get iPlayer on my Apple TV?

By: From goggle box to Google box | Caledonian Mercury - Business and Technology

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:54:22 +0000

[...] Google could succeed because it will be giving away its Android-based software and there won’t be restrictions on what viewers can watch. Apple TV, for instance, doesn’t allow streamed video from any source except iTunes and YouTube, and we’ll see how long the latter lasts. You can’t even watch the BBC iPlayer on Apple TV. The developer of a plug-in which would have made it possible was told to remove the program from his website in February. [...]

By: Jonathan Tweed

Jonathan Tweed — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:30:56 +0000

Hi Tom

The best way to raise this with the BBC is through the Feedback site:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/feedback/

You might also want to contribute to the thread on the iPlayer messageboards:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbiplayer/F7331806?thread=7320127

The contact form for iPlayer specific queries is here:

https://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/templates/bbciplayer/emailForms/emailPage

Cheers
Jonathan

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:51:36 +0000

I’ve been using XBMC on my computer, a HTPC (home theatre PC – note the PC). So you’ve blocked the iPlayer plugin because you think its a Set Top box when its a PC?

Can this be raised with the BBC?

By: Lens

Lens — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:57:40 +0000

Just stupid. A sky box is a set top box, a freeview box is a set top box, a wii is a set top box etc, etc. You can even record on many Sky and Freeview boxes, unlike projects such as this and xbmc. The content is licenced for these purposes so why not device XYZ. This kind of thing needs to stop. The BBC procures and provides content for UK licence holders. It does so on a massive scale, and as such presumably has some influence. Content providers need to stop trying to over-juice and the BBC needs to stand firm and not give in to this kind of posturing. “We’ll buy it, but on our terms – the terms which best serve the UK public”.

The only consequence of this kind of move is for people to use forked less-legal versions of the various software. The pirates will already be doing this, and will continue to – so don’t punish everyone else who wishes to watch content legitimately, albeit with a different device.

This same argument was played out with Hulu – rights holders didn’t like the idea that people were watching from the comfort of their sofa, because the advertising deals were different for broadcast and web. While there may be such a discussion for ad-supported networks, this does not apply to the BBC because they are, as we know, funded differently.

Ultimately anyone can plug a laptop into their TV and use iPlayer via a browser, even with a remote control. This cannot be controlled seperately from any other browser based usage. I just prefer to use an alternative device, and frankly, I don’t see why I shouldn’t.

I wonder when the Wii will be blocked based upon this logic…

By: Frankie Roberto

Frankie Roberto — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:55:34 +0000

What a great shame! Hope this convinces them to make iPlayer available on Apple TV officially! (or maybe Apple will enable an App store fir Apple TV one day?)

By: Duncan Robertson

Duncan Robertson — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:50:30 +0000

*sigh* This is really really disappointing. Thank goodness I got a copy before it was too late. Oh, and I do appreciate the work that goes into building these things, and in your own time, so thanks.

By: Dan Brickley

Dan Brickley — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:30:02 +0000

That’s a real shame, but the law’s the law, etc.

“The plugin was also playing content rights cleared for PC, but not set top box, usage. ”

This is intriguing. Any chance of details on this distinction between “PC” and “set top box”? I have left my laptop on top of the telly on many occasions, but I doubt that’s enough to cross the threshold into set-top-box-ness. And of course there are PC-derrived systems like Boxee’s box (http://www.dlink.com/boxeebox), or http://www.popbox.com/ or just cheap computers like Eeepc (http://eeepc.asus.com/) which plug nicely into TVs. Or for that matter, I have a more expensive computer here (IBM Thinkpad) which also plugs nicely into the TV. Which of those are considered ‘set top’ scenarios?

Does it become ‘set top’ by virtue of being plugged into a television? In which case would it be more prudent to use a large flat-screen PC monitor, or some kind of data projector?

Or perhaps ‘set top’ refers to the mode of operation; being based on desktop software rather than running in a browser? Although the rise of site-specific browsers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Site-specific_browser) blurs that distinction somewhat; and tools like Boxee are built in some part from Web technology anyway.

I’m not arguing the “PC” and “set top box” distinction is un-important. If it appears in contracts with content owners, it is clearly important. But it may be a hard distinction to sustain without some clear and widely understood definitions…