Digital TV News

BBC launches iPlayer

31 July, 2007

editorial@consumerchoices.co.uk

The long-awaited online TV service from the BBC has finally gone live, giving users access to 400 hours of programming.

The service is free but users must install the iPlayer software which was criticised this week because it cannot be switched off completely and continues to download and upload in the background.

Analysts from Jupiter Research said broadband connections would slow down and download allowances could be strained but users might not know this was because the iPlayer was still running.

On a positive note, the iPlayer allows users to store 60-70 per cent of BBC programmes for up to 30 days on their computers, releasing them from TV schedules and video recording.

The iPlayer is in its trial stage at the moment and Vista and Apple Mac users won’t be able to use the service until its full launch in autumn.

Chris Eagle, DigitalChoices.co.uk commercial manager, said: “Services like this, Channel 4’s 4oD, Sky Anytime and platforms like YouTube and Joost are revolutionising the way we watch TV content. These services offer freedom and choice where we were once constricted by TV scheduling and our own time constraints.

“If users are worried about their download limits, they can use our free broadband download monitor to keep an eye on usage. If they near their limit because of the iPlayer they can simply uninstall it,” he added.

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