Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re a fan of BBC‘s iPlayer, then you’ll be excited to hear that they’re working on a similar type of player, but this time it will focus solely on music. It’s said to be called Playlister and it will allow subscribers access to hundreds of thousands of songs without paying any additional fees.

Details are still yet to be figured out completely, but it’s said that the service will be similar to that of Spotify and Rdio, where users will be able to stream music online. The BBC has talked about the idea of creating their own streaming music service in the past, but they’ve had trouble getting the rights to do so from various labels. However, it’s said that the company will be talking with Spotify, Apple, and other music streaming service providers to see if they can avoid this problem.

While Playlister is still in the discussion stages, it’s scheduled to launch either later this year or early next year. And if everything goes smoothly, hopefully the new service will see the same success that iPlayer is currently earning. iPlayer has been a huge success for BBC, and it’s actually changed the way a lot of people watch television.

iPlayer was used more than 196 million times in a three-month period this year. The London Olympics alone accounted for as many as 51 million requests per week. Playlister could easily see the same success. However, just like with iPlayer, the upcoming music service will probably not be expanding outside the UK any time soon.

[via The Telegraph]

BBC currently working on their own music streaming player is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Remember how the BBC was asking Adobe to keep Flash for Android on life support for a short while? The broadcaster just removed any doubts as to why with the launch of BBC Media Player, its solution for that day when the mobile plugin is well and truly buried. Starting with iPlayer on the mobile web and moving on to both radio as well as an updated version of the Android app due next week, the BBC will be using close Flash cousin Adobe AIR for streaming playback on Android phones and tablets. It can’t quit Flash technology cold turkey given the sheer number of devices still running Gingerbread or earlier, which rules out HTTP Live Streaming for now. Media Player isn’t necessarily the most elegant solution — we’re seeing reports of sub-par video and other hiccups — but it will keep those episodes of Doctor Who rolling on most Android hardware and let the BBC push out updates that address as many of the Google-inclined as possible.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

BBC Media Player to give Android users their iPlayer fix in a mostly Flashless world originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re a fan of BBC programs like Doctor Who, Top Gear, and more and enjoy the iPlayer app, check this out. The app for iOS has got a lot more useful with the ability to download your favorite BBC TV shows directly to the smartphone or your tablet. That will let you watch your favorite programs even when a Wi-Fi network isn’t available.

The app has a couple caveats though. The app only allows you to keep shows you download and don’t start to watch for 30 days. Once you begin to watch the show, you have only seven days to finish. It’s unclear if you can download the same episodes again later if you want to watch second time. The other big caveat is that iPlayer still isn’t available in the US as of yet, though a global player may someday make its way stateside.

iPlayer now has a download icon on each program that you can tap to start the download and save the episode. If you’re not on a Wi-Fi network when you hit the download button, the next time you connect to a Wi-Fi network, the download will begin. This should be the perfect way to have shows with you when you’re traveling. Android users in the UK should also be getting the download capability soon.

The BBC has revealed that an update arriving Tuesday for its iPlayer app on iPhone and iPad will add the ability to download shows for viewing offline, instead of being streaming only. First reported by The Guardian, it will let those with paid up TV licenses load their phones and tablets with plenty of programming to view when and where (including abroad) they want, for up to 30 days or within 7 days of being watched. Those restriction will keep viewers from building up libraries they can truly keep with them indefinitely, and it should be noted that the app will only let users download shows over WiFi for now, not surprising when we remember how long it took to add 3G streaming. Also interesting is the Beeb’s decision not to charge extra for downloads, but we’ll have to wait and see if competitors like ITV follow suit. The app is not live in iTunes yet, but we’ll keep an eye out and let our UK based friends know when it’s available to download. That here in the US we’re (still) waiting for global iPlayer access hasn’t made us jealous at all.

Update: Version 2.0.0 is out, check the gallery for screenshots or the BBC’s blog post for a few more details and stats on how people are using iPlayer.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Mobile

BBC iPlayer for iOS update coming with downloads and offline viewing, on Android soon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 20:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, they certainly made you wait for it, but the BBC has finally delivered on its promise, bringing radio support to its Xbox 360 app. When iPlayer launched on the console in March, patient customers were initially left without access to the national network’s vast catalog of audio programming. With today’s 22MB update that changes, but only so long as you’re sticking with archived materials. You’ll have access to the catch up feature, but no live streaming (so don’t expect to get your breaking news through your Xbox). You’ll also be able to pick up where you left off with previously accessed programs. If you’ve got an urge to find out about all the work that went into the UI design, hit up the source.

Filed under: HD

BBC iPlayer adds radio support to Xbox app originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 09:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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