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What does BBC iPlayer offer?

A laptop computer
  • Posted at 10:50am
  • 26 July 2008
  • by DoctorDigital-RT

Q I'm about to take the plunge and investigate watching TV online, armed with a new laptop. Can you run through the basics of iPlayer?
Margaret Stevens, Tonbridge, Kent

A Essentially, iPlayer performs a very simple function. It allows you to watch or listen to, via your home computer, most BBC TV or radio programmes broadcast over the last seven days. Simply visit www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer, type the name of the programme into the search box, and there it is. It's free, and you can revisit the programmes as many times as you like. You can access "streamed" content - ie you watch/listen there on the site rather than downloading a file - on Windows, Mac or Linux, assuming your computer is powerful enough (typically it will be, if it's less than four years old) and you have an internet connection of at least 512kps.

Of course, the reliability of your internet connection may affect streaming video - but if you have Windows XP (32-bit) or Vista, you can get round this by downloading the programmes and keeping them for up to 30 days. This also gives you more time to watch, as streamed content is removed exactly seven days after its original broadcast. But you can't burn downloaded files onto a DVD or share them with friends, for copyright reasons.

So what isn't available? This depends on the rights agreement struck between the BBC and whoever else made or was involved in the programme. Films are not available, and nor is a lot of sport (eg Match of the Day), most overseas programmes (eg Heroes) and some music programmes. Nearly all radio programmes are there, although not all - Desert Island Discs isn't, for example. And these rights agreements only allow iPlayer to show TV content in the UK - so if you're abroad (including countries that can receive BBC broadcasts), you can't catch up on TV programmes, although you can listen to most radio shows.

ITV and C4 also offer similar services. ITV's - at www.itv.com/catchup - offers a selection of programmes from the past 30 days, including Emmerdale and Coronation Street. C4 has the best of its programming from the past seven days at www.channel4.com/watchonline. Both services are free (but not currently to Mac users) - and both also carry a wide selection of archive content.

**

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