By Tim Ferguson, 17 April 2009 15:34
NEWS
Selected programmes will soon be available on the BBC's iPlayer online on-demand TV service in high-definition (HD) form.
Both streamed and downloaded content - such as Doctor Who and Dragons' Den - will get improved picture quality in the coming weeks.
The new HD format will initially appear on the online version of iPlayer but will soon be available to Virgin Media cable customers and on the PlayStation 3.
As well as the HD capability, iPlayer will also soon be able to work out what internet connection a user has and change the streaming options to provide the best quality image possible.
Other new features destined for iPlayer include a customisable viewing window size and the full version launch of iPlayer for Mac and Linux users.
There is likely to be more to come from iPlayer: the BBC's director of Future Media and Technology, Erik Huggers, said in a recent interview with silicon.com that he wants iPlayer to incorporate more social functionality.
iPlayer has come a long way since its initial launch as a Windows-only service in 2007.
Since then it has become available for Mac and Linux and, according to the BBC, has received more than 387 million requests to download or stream content since its official launch on Christmas Day 2007.
Such has been the impact of iPlayer since its release that the BBC's independent regulator, the BBC Trust, recently admitted it may require a rethink in how the TV licence is paid.
Comments
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1. Manoj Solanki
This is great news for consumers, but they need to be wary of the usage allowance on their current broadband package. Especially if it is below 5GB (Gigabytes) per month. The original iPlayer can take up significant amounts of a broadband usage allowance, but the High Definition content will increase that possibility. Those on unlimited usage packages may also need be wary if the ISP utilises traffic management on the network, which may slow down the Internet connection if they download a lot of programmes through the iPlayer. If you’re concerned you should contact the ISP’s technical support for advice.
Some ISPs offer a usage monitor that may alert users if they are getting close to their limits and help them keep a tab on their usage for the month. If your ISP doesn’t provide a way to check usage, some third party programs are also available that can be installed on the users computer.
2. karen challinor
an excellent example of what can be achieved when you don't have to worry about funding development via the popularity of the website because you have a large pocket full of license fees to draw on
or is this funded some other way ? in which case I'm all ears, because as a person who does not use the service I object to paying for it and funding it's development
and just as an aside why is peer to peer file sharing a good thing when done by the BBC and a bad thing when done by anybody else ?
we are rapidly approaching the ludicrous situation of having one player per channel
whats next, we go the whole hog and have one browser per website ?
we need a standard format for delivering IPTV not a multiplicity of iPlayer clones all using slightly different, and most likely incompatible, methods for content delivery