BBC iPlayer's localization

[cguy]

Why does this exist? Do they want to share uber secret information to UK residents only? Don't they have capable enough servers for the entire world?

What's with this stupidity?

--

Not to mention that its name is terrible.
Someone (Apple) throws a rock in the river and a thousand idiots rush in to grab it. iRiver, iPlayer, iShit, etc. Simply horrible if you ask me.

[Swagman]

Simples.

We pay a hefty licence fee

you don't

[Old Marcus]

Pretty much what he said, although since analogue telly was cut off in Devon, and we barely watched it anyway, we don't need to pay a licence fee, as we are incapable of recieving transmissions. So far I don't believe it applies to computers yet.

[Lord Stig]

Simples.

We pay a hefty licence fee

you don't
Yes. No ads, no sponsors, £12/month TV licence. No way out of paying even if you only watch commercial stations. Although there is a small discount if you are blind.
Although BBC Worldwide is a commerical arm so I wonder if they would run ads for users outside the UK if they ever went global with iPlayer or a similar product.

[NoaHall]

Why does this exist? Do they want to share uber secret information to UK residents only? Don't they have capable enough servers for the entire world?

What's with this stupidity?

--

Not to mention that its name is terrible.
Someone (Apple) throws a rock in the river and a thousand idiots rush in to grab it. iRiver, iPlayer, iShit, etc. Simply horrible if you ask me.

.....
You really have no idea how things work, do you?

[samalex]

Simples.

We pay a hefty licence fee

you don't

I've seen lots of great things come out of the BBC, but given they're broadcasting on the global Internet I wonder why they don't offer global viewers the option to pay the licensing fee and get BBC online. It'd be another way to get revenue, and as long as it's not way up there I'd pay it. I already enjoy lots of UK radio stations, specifically LBC 97.3 from London... I'm addicted to their nightly call-in program as I drove home from work (I'm in Texas).

Sam

[nayab]

Is the BBC smart enough to recognise that you are using a proxy based in the UK? In the dim and distant past, I recall a huge list of open proxy servers based in just about every country.

[weichimaster]

I live and work in the UK. However, at work we go through a US server (foe reasons that I've forgotten.) So I can't get onto iplayer from work.

That may be no bad thing, though.

[speedwell68]

Pretty much what he said, although since analogue telly was cut off in Devon, and we barely watched it anyway, we don't need to pay a licence fee, as we are incapable of recieving transmissions. So far I don't believe it applies to computers yet.

You only need a licence if you are watching a broadcast online at the same time as it is being broadcast on TV. So you don't need one for recorded shows.

Does 'get iplayer' work outside the UK?

[ciborium]

It hasn't worked for me.

[Frak]

You aren't British, you didn't pay the Tele License, you spell it localization instead of localisation, iPlayer is not available to you.

[KiwiNZ]

I've seen lots of great things come out of the BBC, but given they're broadcasting on the global Internet I wonder why they don't offer global viewers the option to pay the licensing fee and get BBC online. It'd be another way to get revenue, and as long as it's not way up there I'd pay it. I already enjoy lots of UK radio stations, specifically LBC 97.3 from London... I'm addicted to their nightly call-in program as I drove home from work (I'm in Texas).

Sam

They dont offer fee based because this is the internet and people would cry "it should be free because this is the internet"

[Frak]

They dont offer fee based because this is the internet and people would cry "it should be free because this is the internet"
And it'd be a crapload of paperwork to wade through. BBC and the British Gov't have an agreement for iPlayer, and expanding regions would make it more difficult to keep good relations with the Gov't.

[samalex]

They dont offer fee based because this is the internet and people would cry "it should be free because this is the internet"

Couldn't they setup a paywall for people visiting the site from outside the UK? Give those people the option to pay for content.

As for 'it should be free because it's on the net', I don't see it that way. I'll pay for content that's worth paying for, and having said that Rupert Murdoch will never see a penny of my income :) I will say I like what BBC offers and I would pay for it if allowed to.

Sam

[qra0]

Couldn't they setup a paywall for people visiting the site from outside the UK? Give those people the option to pay for content.

As for 'it should be free because it's on the net', I don't see it that way. I'll pay for content that's worth paying for, and having said that Rupert Murdoch will never see a penny of my income :) I will say I like what BBC offers and I would pay for it if allowed to.

Sam

Use a SOCKS-5 proxy or find out the service port of a British ISP?

[Swagman]

Couldn't they setup a paywall for people visiting the site from outside the UK? Give those people the option to pay for content.

As for 'it should be free because it's on the net', I don't see it that way. I'll pay for content that's worth paying for, and having said that Rupert Murdoch will never see a penny of my income :) I will say I like what BBC offers and I would pay for it if allowed to.

Sam

Quite ironic seeing as people here whinge about the licence fee !!
I suppose you could send them an email detailing you idea. You never know, Money talks.

[speedwell68]

Quite ironic seeing as people here whinge about the licence fee !!
I suppose you could send them an email detailing you idea. You never know, Money talks.

I don't it is pretty damn good value for money, considering for what you can shell out to Sky for what is basically 200 channels of repeats and generic American programming. The BBC make some of the best programmes available anywhere in the world today.

[samalex]

Quite ironic seeing as people here whinge about the licence fee !!
I suppose you could send them an email detailing you idea. You never know, Money talks.

As I said before I will pay for content that's worth paying for. I grew-up watching the older BBC programs on PBS, and having watched some of the original BBC versions of 'Americanized' shows like The Office, Life On Mars, etc, I really like the BBC versions better.

Many of these shows I catch on BBC America, but it'd be awesome if people outside the UK could watch them live as they do in the UK.

Sam

[clanky]

Why does this exist? Do they want to share uber secret information to UK residents only?

^^^this

the Brits are planning to repeal independence and re-install the queen as head of state in the US, all their secret plans are on iPlayer.

Don't worry about it, it wouldn't work on Linux anyway.

[acapella_eunuch@]

Don't worry about it, it wouldn't work on Linux anyway.

iplayer has a linux client/viewer.

[clanky]

iplayer has a linux client/viewer.

Yeah, I know, I was joking.

[solitaire]

iplayer has a linux client/viewer.

Our Super Secret is "Irony"

opps! I've let the cat out of the bag!

[acapella_eunuch@]

Yeah, I know, I was joking.

you know? are you illegally watching something i dont pay for? if so, i will be forced to do nothing.

[acapella_eunuch@]

Our Super Secret is "Irony"

opps! I've let the cat out of the bag!

animal cruelty is not acceptable.

[NoaHall]

you know? are you illegally watching something i dont pay for? if so, i will be forced to do nothing.

Reading this hurts my head.

[t0p]

It's pretty trivial to fool iPlayer into thinking you're in the UK. You can do the same kind of thing to make hulu think you're in the US. Basically, you just use a proxy service or vpn.

Check out www.how-to-hide-ip.info (http://www.how-to-hide-ip.info/) to find lots of step-by-step instructions. Right now on the front page there's a post about how you can make the new UK-only online TV service SeeSaw think you're in the UK. Simples! :p

[acapella_eunuch@]

Reading this hurts my head.

recompense

http://www.12till12.co.uk/images/Paracetamol_Tablet.jpg

[Swagman]

recompense

http://www.12till12.co.uk/images/Paracetamol_Tablet.jpg

He'd probably do better with...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ukhwBuwuxhQ/StL0_tL7JUI/AAAAAAAACtY/o8OClbkeREs/s320/sudocrem.jpg

[clanky]

you know? are you illegally watching something i dont pay for? if so, i will be forced to do nothing.

I am watching it perfectly legally as I (unfortunately) live in the UK. Although as I don't have a TV I don't have to pay the ridiculous license fee and as such I am not paying for it either.

You may now continue to do nothing, but please do it quietly :p

[beetleman64]

It's simply because UK residents pay a substantial TV License to the BBC which avoids commercials. The BBC want to give us (some) value for money.