iPlayer HD content on HDTVs through Virgin Media
Posts with tag iplayer
iPlayer HD now available
Missed the Dr. Who holiday special? It, and other BBC programmes will be available as previously rumoured in high definition via BBC's iPlayer, now featuring new adaptive bitrate technology plus a new BBC iPlayer Desktop and a cross platform download manager for access under Windows, OS X and Linux. The only bad news? All that HD doesn't seem to extend to set-top boxes or the PS3 just yet, you'll have to try it out for yourself under boxee to find out if that works.
iPlayer HD on the way
The BBC had big plans for its iPlayer immediately upon launch in 2007, and it may be ready for a resolution bump up to HD as soon as April. Director of BBC Vision Jana Bennett revealed that an HD edition is on the way during a panel discussion at the FT Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference. Of course, UK ISPs are apparently already unhappy with the squeeze iPlayer puts on their bandwidth, and HD will only make things worse. We don't know if a ZillionTV style deal is the answer, but here's hoping it gets by the bandwidth caps somehow.boxee announces widened availability, iPlayer / Joost support
Sky admits that HD Sky Player is coming, just not yet
BBC criticizes Sony, Microsoft's approach to streaming video on consoles
Why does the hardly-home-theater styled Wii have BBC's iPlayer, and not the much more media player-focused Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3? A note from a BBC employees blog details the troubles of getting things set up with Sony and Microsoft (although with a little tweaking, a PS3 owner has already set up PS3iPlayer.com to give the console iPlayer access) officially, since "they want control of the look, the feel and the experience". Sure BBC's iPlayer is Flash-based (and not the good 1080p Flash either) but their issues could indicate how difficult it will be for other interested parties like Netflix to gain access to the walled garden.[Via Joystiq]
Evesham releases iplayer IPTV set-top box
UK firm Evesham has released the iplayer high-definition media center for £299 (584 USD), which can tune in over the air HD signals as well as download podcasts, IPTV, and pay-per-view Top Up content from the internet. The 80GB hard drive provides PVR functionality with recording and playback for timeshifting your media, and Media Player Connect for streaming to any PCs on the network. It also upscales any standard-def content up to 1080i using the built-in HDMI port. The iplayer includes the usual audio and video media viewers, as well as an email client and web browser which you can use via the included remote or a USB keyboard. The Inquirer thinks that it's a capable alternative to Sky for viewing both Freeview TV and media online and offline, at just a bit of a price premium.[Via The Inquirer]
