iPlayer streaming - what is the Freesat connection?
 

We have recently got a Freesat system, and I discovered that by
connecting the box to our broadband router, we can see iPlayer streams
on the television (which is rather better than viewing them on a laptop
screen). What I don't understand is what connection this has with
Freesat, can anyone explain?

It seems reasonable that it uses the Freesat decoder to decode the
stream sent over the internet (but why couldn't it use the Freeview
decoder instead, since these are surely more common). I wonder if the
on-screen programme guide is broadcast from the satellite. But surely
the programme stream itself is coming wholly from my internet
connection. But, when I am watching a programme streamed over the
internet, I find that if I unplug the satellite dish, the streaming
stops instantly. So what on Earth (or in space) is going on?

I wondered whether it was an attempt to restrict iPlayer streaming to
the UK, but since the footprint of Astra-2B covers much of Europe,
whereas an IP address can be much more securely located within the UK,
this didn't seem very likely.

--
Clive Page

iPlayer streaming - what is the Freesat connection?
 

On Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:33:28 +0000, Clive Page wrote:

We have recently got a Freesat system, and I discovered that by
connecting the box to our broadband router, we can see iPlayer streams
on the television (which is rather better than viewing them on a laptop
screen). What I don't understand is what connection this has with
Freesat, can anyone explain?

It was included in the Freesat specification presumably for the reason
you mention - convenience of viewing on a TV rather than a computer
screen.

Freeview boxes with iPlayer capabaility are becoming available.

It seems reasonable that it uses the Freesat decoder to decode the
stream sent over the internet (but why couldn't it use the Freeview
decoder instead, since these are surely more common). I wonder if the
on-screen programme guide is broadcast from the satellite. But surely
the programme stream itself is coming wholly from my internet
connection. But, when I am watching a programme streamed over the
internet, I find that if I unplug the satellite dish, the streaming
stops instantly. So what on Earth (or in space) is going on?

I wondered whether it was an attempt to restrict iPlayer streaming to
the UK, but since the footprint of Astra-2B covers much of Europe,
whereas an IP address can be much more securely located within the UK,
this didn't seem very likely.

--
Peter Duncanson
(in uk.tech.digital-tv)

iPlayer streaming - what is the Freesat connection?
 

"Peter Duncanson" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:33:28 +0000, Clive Page wrote:

We have recently got a Freesat system, and I discovered that by
connecting the box to our broadband router, we can see iPlayer streams
on the television (which is rather better than viewing them on a laptop
screen). What I don't understand is what connection this has with
Freesat, can anyone explain?

It was included in the Freesat specification presumably for the reason
you mention - convenience of viewing on a TV rather than a computer
screen.

Freeview boxes with iPlayer capabaility are becoming available.


I've had one getting on for a year now (Fox HD T2) and I'm still waiting for
a mention of when iPlayer is actually going to turn up on Freeview.

iPlayer streaming - what is the Freesat connection?
 

In article ,
Rick wrote:

Freeview boxes with iPlayer capabaility are becoming available.

I've had one getting on for a year now (Fox HD T2) and I'm still waiting for
a mention of when iPlayer is actually going to turn up on Freeview.

There's a difference between Freeview boxes with iPlayer and iPlayer "on"
Freeview. I don't think there is currently any plan for the latter.

-- Richard

iPlayer streaming - what is the Freesat connection?
 

Rick wrote:

I've had one getting on for a year now (Fox HD T2) and I'm still waiting
for a mention of when iPlayer is actually going to turn up on Freeview.

Another reason for getting Freesat?

--
David Kennedy

http://www.anindianinexile.com

iPlayer streaming - what is the Freesat connection?
 

"David Kennedy" wrote in message
o.uk...
Rick wrote:

I've had one getting on for a year now (Fox HD T2) and I'm still waiting
for a mention of when iPlayer is actually going to turn up on Freeview.

Another reason for getting Freesat?



I already have Freesat with iPlayer and was expecting it to turn up on
Freeview in exactly the same way as it did on Freesat.

iPlayer streaming - what is the Freesat connection?
 

On Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:27:06 -0000, "Rick" wrote:


"Peter Duncanson" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:33:28 +0000, Clive Page wrote:

We have recently got a Freesat system, and I discovered that by
connecting the box to our broadband router, we can see iPlayer streams
on the television (which is rather better than viewing them on a laptop
screen). What I don't understand is what connection this has with
Freesat, can anyone explain?

It was included in the Freesat specification presumably for the reason
you mention - convenience of viewing on a TV rather than a computer
screen.

Freeview boxes with iPlayer capabaility are becoming available.


I've had one getting on for a year now (Fox HD T2) and I'm still waiting for
a mention of when iPlayer is actually going to turn up on Freeview.

This may, or may not, help:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/3833...lands-hdrfoxt2

4 February 2011 14:36 GMT / By Paul Lamkin

Humax has confirmed that its TV Portal - an internet powered
gathering of widgets and the like - will hit its HDR-FOX T2 Freeview
boxes in the coming days.

The platform will arrive as an over-the-air download between 4
February and 6 February.

Pocket-lint has tested the platform via a pre-release beta and we
thought it was pretty nifty indeed. It offers Humax box owners (it's
coming to the HD-FOX T2 as well, in "a matter of weeks") an entrance
into the crazy world of web-based VOD and IPTV services from the
likes of Flickr, the BBC iPlayer, [email protected] as well as internet radio
stations too.

--
Peter Duncanson
(in uk.tech.digital-tv)

iPlayer streaming - what is the Freesat connection?
 

I just tried setting my TV to use a Squid proxy on my laptop to see what
it's doing when I use iPlayer via the red button on Freesat.

Unfortunately it uses the HTTP CONNECT method to tunnel through the
proxy, so it's not very enlightening. And it doesn't work - I can get
as far as selecting a program to watch, but it never appears.

If anyone else wants to experiment with this, the first thing you will
have to do is configure Squid to allow CONNECT to .bbc.co.uk and
..bbcimage.co.uk.

Alternatively it might work better to set up a transparent proxy
using your router.

-- Richard

iPlayer streaming - what is the Freesat connection?
 

"Peter Duncanson" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:27:06 -0000, "Rick" wrote:


"Peter Duncanson" wrote in message
. ..
On Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:33:28 +0000, Clive Page wrote:

We have recently got a Freesat system, and I discovered that by
connecting the box to our broadband router, we can see iPlayer streams
on the television (which is rather better than viewing them on a laptop
screen). What I don't understand is what connection this has with
Freesat, can anyone explain?

It was included in the Freesat specification presumably for the reason
you mention - convenience of viewing on a TV rather than a computer
screen.

Freeview boxes with iPlayer capabaility are becoming available.


I've had one getting on for a year now (Fox HD T2) and I'm still waiting
for
a mention of when iPlayer is actually going to turn up on Freeview.

This may, or may not, help:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/3833...lands-hdrfoxt2

4 February 2011 14:36 GMT / By Paul Lamkin

Humax has confirmed that its TV Portal - an internet powered
gathering of widgets and the like - will hit its HDR-FOX T2 Freeview
boxes in the coming days.

The platform will arrive as an over-the-air download between 4
February and 6 February.

Pocket-lint has tested the platform via a pre-release beta and we
thought it was pretty nifty indeed. It offers Humax box owners (it's
coming to the as well, in "a matter of weeks") an entrance
into the crazy world of web-based VOD and IPTV services from the
likes of Flickr, the BBC iPlayer, [email protected] as well as internet radio
stations too.



Thank you Peter that does sound interesting, I hadn't seen any mention of it
on the Humax website, however checking out upgrades for the HDR fox T2 it
looks like there was a download at the end of January, although not a peep
concerning the HD-FOX T2, but as the link said, it looks like I will have to
be patient for a few more weeks:(
http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/support/downloadcenter_model.aspx?category_seq=182

iPlayer streaming - what is the Freesat connection?
 

"Clive Page" wrote in message
...
We have recently got a Freesat system, and I discovered that by connecting
the box to our broadband router, we can see iPlayer streams on the
television (which is rather better than viewing them on a laptop screen).
What I don't understand is what connection this has with Freesat, can
anyone explain?

It seems reasonable that it uses the Freesat decoder to decode the stream
sent over the internet (but why couldn't it use the Freeview decoder
instead, since these are surely more common). I wonder if the on-screen
programme guide is broadcast from the satellite. But surely the
programme stream itself is coming wholly from my internet connection.
But, when I am watching a programme streamed over the internet, I find
that if I unplug the satellite dish, the streaming stops instantly. So
what on Earth (or in space) is going on?

I wondered whether it was an attempt to restrict iPlayer streaming to the
UK, but since the footprint of Astra-2B covers much of Europe, whereas an
IP address can be much more securely located within the UK, this didn't
seem very likely.

--
Clive Page

An interesting question but nobody seems to have answered it. I thought
Google would provide an instant solution but none of the FAQs, blogs, etc I
found ever address this question clearly. From what I can deduce the answer
seems to be as follows.

1. World wants to watch Internet iPlayer (etc) on its TV but PCs and their
iPlayer Internet feeds use HTML or Adobe Flash format for the data. TVs
suitable for this use MHEG5 for broadcast data.
2. To get a TV iPlayer service the BBC (etc) had to provide an MHEG5 stream
over the Internet, the box and TV manufacturers had to provide software to
use it.
3. Only works if your box/TV has a network connection for Internet access.
This is in the Freesat spec so they all have it, hence start with Freesat.
4. TV punters want a familar interface and everything like this needs to be
"branded". So provide the TVs with an iPlayer EPG over the air (ie initially
via Freesat).
5. What you select from the EPG is then streamed over the Internet as usual.

If any experts know some or all of this is wrong please enlighten us.