BBC iPlayer programme file sizes

In message
"DAB sounds worse than FM" [email protected] wrote:

Now that the BBC iPlayer has launched in beta, could some of you who're
already using the iPlayer say what the file sizes are of the TV programmes
you've downloaded so far please, and also say what the duration of the
programme is in minutes so that I can calculate what bit rate they're using
for the programmes?

Obligingly Windows Media Player shows the bit rate by hovering the
mouse over the file type icon near the bottom left of the WMA window,
to the left of the filename.

The Prom 22 download replays at 729kb/s, which is correct for the file
size and duration.

It looks and sounds every bit as poor as that bit rate would suggest.

--
David Pitt.

Computing with RISC OS.

David Pitt wrote:
In message
"DAB sounds worse than FM" [email protected] wrote:

Now that the BBC iPlayer has launched in beta, could some of you
who're already using the iPlayer say what the file sizes are of the
TV programmes you've downloaded so far please, and also say what the
duration of the programme is in minutes so that I can calculate what
bit rate they're using for the programmes?

Obligingly Windows Media Player shows the bit rate by hovering the
mouse over the file type icon near the bottom left of the WMA window,
to the left of the filename.

The Prom 22 download replays at 729kb/s, which is correct for the file
size and duration.

It looks and sounds every bit as poor as that bit rate would suggest.


If you play the file in Windows Media Player and go to File Properties,
what information does it have about the audio stream?


--
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - Digital Radio News & Info

Light of Aria wrote:
"DAB sounds worse than FM" [email protected] wrote in message
...
Now that the BBC iPlayer has launched in beta, could some of you
who're already using the iPlayer say what the file sizes are of the
TV programmes you've downloaded so far please, and also say what the
duration of the programme is in minutes so that I can calculate what
bit rate they're using for the programmes?

Also, are the files all using WMV for the video and WMA for the
audio? --
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - Digital Radio News & Info



Does it have [B[b][C] DOG **** on the picture and ****-voices?


No idea, cos the BBC is limiting the number of people that can use it - so
much for their much vaunted "launch" on 27th July...


--
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - Digital Radio News & Info

On Wed, 01 Aug 2007 16:43:47 GMT, "DAB sounds worse than FM"
[email protected] wrote:

David Pitt wrote:
In message
"DAB sounds worse than FM" [email protected] wrote:

Now that the BBC iPlayer has launched in beta, could some of you
who're already using the iPlayer say what the file sizes are of the
TV programmes you've downloaded so far please, and also say what the
duration of the programme is in minutes so that I can calculate what
bit rate they're using for the programmes?

Obligingly Windows Media Player shows the bit rate by hovering the
mouse over the file type icon near the bottom left of the WMA window,
to the left of the filename.

The Prom 22 download replays at 729kb/s, which is correct for the file
size and duration.

It looks and sounds every bit as poor as that bit rate would suggest.


If you play the file in Windows Media Player and go to File Properties,
what information does it have about the audio stream?

Or better still right-cick the file, then "Summary" That'll tell you
the audio and video rates.

In message
"DAB sounds worse than FM" [email protected] wrote:

David Pitt wrote:

[snip]

The Prom 22 download replays at 729kb/s, which is correct for the file
size and duration.

It looks and sounds every bit as poor as that bit rate would suggest.

If you play the file in Windows Media Player and go to File Properties,
what information does it have about the audio stream?

Good thinking, thanks.

Video size 672 x 384

Aspect ratio 7:4

Audio codec Windows Media Audio 9.1
128kb/s, 48kHz, stereo 1-pass CBR

--
David Pitt.

Computing with RISC OS.

David Pitt wrote:
In message
"DAB sounds worse than FM" [email protected] wrote:

David Pitt wrote:

[snip]

The Prom 22 download replays at 729kb/s, which is correct for the
file size and duration.

It looks and sounds every bit as poor as that bit rate would
suggest.

If you play the file in Windows Media Player and go to File
Properties, what information does it have about the audio stream?

Good thinking, thanks.

Video size 672 x 384

Aspect ratio 7:4

Audio codec Windows Media Audio 9.1
128kb/s, 48kHz, stereo 1-pass CBR


The audio quality shouldn't be too bad then, because 128 kbps WMA is capable
of providing good quality (miles better than typical DAB quality), so if the
file you've downloaded sounds crap then it's probably down to bad
engineering practice (they've probably decoded from the stream that would be
broadcast on digital TV then re-encoded to WMA, which is a big no-no, and I
wouldn't be surprised if they're doing this for the video stream as well,
which is also a big no-no, but the BBC is basically incompetent with regards
to engineering these days due to the BBC executives being about as clueless
as it is possible to be about everything technical).


--
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - Digital Radio News & Info

"DAB sounds worse than FM" [email protected]dead wrote in message
...
Now that the BBC iPlayer has launched in beta, could some of you who're
already using the iPlayer say what the file sizes are of the TV programmes
you've downloaded so far please, and also say what the duration of the
programme is in minutes so that I can calculate what bit rate they're
using for the programmes?

Also, are the files all using WMV for the video and WMA for the audio?


--
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - Digital Radio News & Info


I can't get anything to download - it keeps telling me to download the
iplayer - which I have done 10 times.

In article , [email protected] says...
Now that the BBC iPlayer has launched in beta, could some of you who're
already using the iPlayer say what the file sizes are of the TV programmes
you've downloaded so far please, and also say what the duration of the
programme is in minutes so that I can calculate what bit rate they're using
for the programmes?

Also, are the files all using WMV for the video and WMA for the audio?



Why would anyone download a programme from the BBC's system with it's own
software set-up, then do the same with C4, then Five and ITV (when they start
them), when there's the universal language of bittorrent?
--

Dom Robinson Gamertag: DVDfever email: dom at dvdfever dot co dot uk
/* http://DVDfever.co.uk (editor)
/* 1134 DVDs, 350 games, 338 CDs, 110 cinema films, 42 concerts, videos & news
/* alfie, flatout 3, last king of scotland, life & lyrics, activision psp
New music charts - http://dvdfever.co.uk/music.shtml
Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=DVDfeverDom

Dom Robinson wrote:
In article , [email protected]
says...
Now that the BBC iPlayer has launched in beta, could some of you
who're already using the iPlayer say what the file sizes are of the
TV programmes you've downloaded so far please, and also say what the
duration of the programme is in minutes so that I can calculate what
bit rate they're using for the programmes?

Also, are the files all using WMV for the video and WMA for the
audio?



Why would anyone download a programme from the BBC's system with it's
own software set-up, then do the same with C4, then Five and ITV
(when they start them), when there's the universal language of
bittorrent?


Maybe I'm trying the wrong bittorrent sites, but sometimes when I've tried
to download a BBC or whatever programme, it's not always available, whereas
with the BBC iPlayer and the other broadcasters applications they should at
least be available and should be relatively quick to download because there
should be a lot of people with the file on their PCs.

Which bittorrent sites would you recommend?


--
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - Digital Radio News & Info

Dom Robinson wrote:

Why would anyone download a programme from the BBC's system with it's own
software set-up, then do the same with C4, then Five and ITV (when they start
them), when there's the universal language of bittorrent?

Because it would be a lot harder for them to track who was downloading
what, and a lot slower for us punters (if every torrent experience I've
ever had is anything to go by)...?