BBC’s iPlayer has been Revamped: Enjoy the BBC TV Service in a better Way
The popular BBC iPlayer has been upgraded a week ago. The BBC has unveiled the new version of its iPlayer so that the users can experience the company’s online TV service in a better way. The main attraction of the new release is that apart from the Windows users, the users of Mac and Linux can also download it to integrate their computers with the online entertainment hub seamlessly. Earlier, the iPlayer was available for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems only.
The revamped iPlayer has been designed using Adobe’s AIR software. This is worth mentioning as the Adobe’s cross-platform software is the only key that has made the iPlayer compatible with multiple operating systems. The way the player gets initiated is also improved a lot. Earlier, the iPlayer used to load as a flash application in the web browser but now it loads in a very convenient way, just like any other executables. The new version of iPlayer is however is not completely free from limitations. The BBC itself has pointed out that the new iPlayer seriously affects the broadband networks, making it still not the best player for use with mobile phones like the Nokia N96. To rectify the broadband problems, the company is working with Velocix and creating cache servers that the ISPs can use to bolster the player’s operations without jamming the broadband networks.
The new iPlayer will be launched next month, i.e. February 2009. You can also test it for yourself before its official launch by signing up for an account as the iPlayer Labs Tester on the iPlayer website.
Since it’s launch on the Flash Platform, iPlayer has been available to Mac, Linux and Windows users (any platform for which a Flash browser plug-in is available). The player you speak of is a second player that allows users to download content to their computer, and watch offline for a limited amount of time.