Have you had the sneaking suspicious recently that your iPad has quadrupled in size? Do you find yourself frustrated by a perpetually-frozen screen? Good news! It’s because you’re holding printer paper. But no need to be embarrassed; it happens to the best of us—just ask our avant-garde newscaster friend from the other side of the pond.
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BBC iPlayer viewers with Android devices have been left waiting for many features, and until today one of them was the ability to download shows for offline viewing. A fresh update is changing that, as the broadcaster is enabling it (as long as you’re on WiFi) on several devices running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean. A blog post claims it should cover about 70 percent of app users with compatible devices will be able to use the feature starting today, with more to be added in the future. Just like on iOS, users can download an episode and keep it for up to 30 days offline, with 7 days for viewing after they’ve pressed play.
A BBC blog post specifically lists 11 devices (included after the break) that will enjoy support once the update arrives on Google Play and the Amazon Appstore today. Unfortunately, two that aren’t on it for now are the Kindle Fire 7 and Kindle Fire HD 7. BBC says it’s working on those, and the FAQ claims if your device has ICS or higher there’s a “strong” chance support will arrive in the coming months. The update for iOS offline viewing launched just over a year ago, but the Android version will bring a trick it doesn’t have: background downloading without keeping the screen awake. Otherwise, the update adds support for Android 4.3, and “addresses some known issues.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Mobile
Source: BBC Internet Blog, iPlayer FAQ, Google Play
BBC iPlayer for iOS just got a big update that makes it easy to keep watching — even in less than ideal conditions. The app now supports AirPlay streaming for downloaded shows, letting users watch on the big screen when there’s no internet connection. Searching is also much improved; iPlayer now groups results by series, and iPad users get a dedicated search section. It’s easier to start watching recommended shows, too. The update is sadly limited to the UK version of iPlayer, but those fortunate Brits can grab the new app through the source link.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD
Via: iMore
Source: App Store
Wish the munchkins would be quiet while you read your favorite gadget website? The BBC feels your pain, and has released the CBeebies Playtime app to help keep ’em entertained and learning while you’re on the go. The app comprises of four mini games, which include coloring with Mr. Tumble, learning words with Alphablocks and a racing game with Tree fu Tom. Designed to work offline, the software comes with parental controls and is available for free on iOS and Android devices as well as the Kindle Fire — assuming, that is, you trust your little darling not to break a $200+ tablet.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Apple, Amazon
Source: CBeebies (iTunes), CBeebies (Google Play), CBeebies (Amazon)
iOS users already had access to the BBC Sport app’s customizable “quick links” feature, which provides more direct access to favorite sports, but an update has just taken the idea a bit further. Quick links now work across Android and the freshly-minted Kindle Fire version too, and they additionally allow you to filter news according to which football club(s) you want to follow and which bits of multi-million-pound transfer gossip you’d rather just ignore. Other, more general improvements include refreshed indexes for a total of 41 different sports and greater prominence given to major tournaments like Formula 1 and the Ashes. If you want to check out the app on a Kindle Fire or Fire HD, you’ll need to be in the UK — an international version is still in the works and will be “available soon.” There’s a hat-trick of relevant download links below.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Amazon
Source: Amazon Appstore, Google Play, iTunes
The BBC might be a stalwart bastion of television broadcasting, but that’s not stopping it from expanding its ventures into the wonderful world of online programming. Today, BBC Three announced that it would try its hand at digital-first content starting with the second series of Jack Whitehall’s Bad Education. As more and more viewers turn to the internet for their TV-watching needs, the BBC has proven itself eager to keep up with demand, first by unveiling its plan to debut certain programs online in addition to producing iPlayer-exclusive dramas. iPlayer has long been one of the best ways to catch up on your favorite shows when you miss them on the air, but with this new development, the BBC seems interested in shifting the paradigm — at least when it comes to a few select programs — to favor online viewership.
Via: The Next Web
Source: BBC
When the BBC asked “Where next?” most of us assumed that online-only programming and all-HD channels would be the extent of the broadcaster’s ambition. Not so, now that the corporation has signed a deal with six British universities to research new ways that TV can be created, distributed and navigated. Buzzwords like “content” and “audience focused innovation” seem to mask an initiative to develop a new IP broadcasting system, work on user interfaces beyond gestures and research into how elderly, young and disabled viewers can get around 999-channel TV guides. The project will initially last for four years, by which time we’re hoping that the BBC can just beam episodes of Doctor Who straight into our brains — that’s not too much to ask, is it?
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Science, HD, Alt
Source: BBC
Not that they weren’t pretty excellent already, but some major BBC channels are due to get 1080-line upgrades by early next year. UK viewers will get five new channels in total, with no need for any subscriptions (courtesy of Freeview HD, YouView and Freesat), including BBC News HD, BBC Three HD, BBC Four HD, CBeebies HD and CBBC HD (so long as Mr Tumble can fix his make-up). The programming will match the standard-def counterparts and contribute a promised 250 hours of extra HD content per week. There’s also talk of broadcasting regional programs and variants in HD, although that proposal still has to be approved by the BBC Trust and could be a bit further off.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Just how popular is 3D broadcast content? Not even a tiny bit, if the BBC’s latest decision is any indication. Following an announcement that Wimbledon matches would be available in 3D, Britain’s top broadcaster has vowed to take a three-year hiatus from producing 3D video. In an interview with Radio Times, Kim Shillinglaw, who heads up the British Broadcasting Corporation’s pilot program, cited the cumbersome process consumers face when gearing up to view three-dimensional footage. She’ll focus on her secondary position as head of science and natural history during the organization’s three-year embargo. A Doctor Who anniversary episode will be the BBC’s final 3D program for the year, giving early adopting Brits one last opportunity to slide on their glasses before retiring them to the “junk drawer” until 3D’s resounding resurgence.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Via: CNET
Source: Radio Times
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