BBC iPlayer programme file sizes

"Adrian C" wrote in message
...
DVDfever Dom wrote:

Why does anyone download these things from TV companies? If they all
used the same software..... then I still wouldn't, but anyway.

Er, they do use the same software - BBC iplayer, 4oD and SkyAnytime all
basically use Kontiki. However, it's packaging where the flaws are... You
land up with an unstable Windows machine with repeated instances of the
same software if you want all services :-(

At the moment it takes technical workarounds, ISP co operation, messing
about and the realization that this is all still buggy "in beta" - and
won't be ready for the general public until someone defines some industry
standards or virtualisation OS technology becomes commonplace in consumer
PC hardware.

That's not going to happen anytime soon, and with the piracy problems I
sadly don't think UK broadcasters are going to be there for the distance
without burning a lot of money to protect their copyrights.

Doomed ;-(

(but me enjoying the Iplayer trial anyway :-)

--
Adrian C

I would like to be enjoying the iplayer trial but I cannot get it to work -
just keeps asking me to download software which is already, invisibly,
running.

On 4 Aug, 15:31, Adrian C wrote:
DVDfever Dom wrote:

Why does anyone download these things from TV companies? If they all
used the same software..... then I still wouldn't, but anyway.

Er, they do use the same software - BBC iplayer, 4oD and SkyAnytime all
basically use Kontiki. However, it's packaging where the flaws are...
You land up with an unstable Windows machine with repeated instances of
the same software if you want all services :-(

That's co-operation for you. It's worse than I thought - they're all
using the same software but one doesn't seem to, or want to, know
about the others so it all goes tits-up.

And surely if anyone really wanted an unstable Windows machine, they'd
just go back to Windows 98SE?

At the moment it takes technical workarounds, ISP co operation, messing
about and the realization that this is all still buggy "in beta" - and
won't be ready for the general public until someone defines some
industry standards or virtualisation OS technology becomes commonplace
in consumer PC hardware.

That's not going to happen anytime soon, and with the piracy problems I
sadly don't think UK broadcasters are going to be there for the distance
without burning a lot of money to protect their copyrights.

Doomed ;-(

Sounds a fair assessment, like they're all trying to be trendy ("Hey,
you can download our shows on the internet!") without realising it's
too much effort to make it work as well as bittorrent before they've
spent all that money.

Geoff Pearson wrote:
I would like to be enjoying the iplayer trial but I cannot get it to work -
just keeps asking me to download software which is already, invisibly,
running.

In Internet Explorer 7, do Tools - Internet Options - programs tab.
Click the manage programs button at the bottom, you should see an entry like

Secure Delivery - Kontiki, Inc khost.exe

If you don't or it's marked as disabled, then this may be your problem -
you've blocked it somehow from loading (as David T has already posted).

FYI The 'information bar' is a single pale yellow line of text which
descends below the top of the browser window below all other toolbars.
It should give you options to install and run named activeX controls.
You may have missed it, or you have software settings in force which
which disable that. When I installed Iplayer I had to allow it for
'Secure Delivery' and also allow (strangely) something from real networks...

Those of ye cynical types reading the word "real networks" may now start
another outpouring of scorn as ye see fit...

--
Adrian C

The message
from Adrian C contains these words:

Geoff Pearson wrote:
I would like to be enjoying the iplayer trial but I cannot get it to
work -
just keeps asking me to download software which is already, invisibly,
running.

In Internet Explorer 7, do Tools - Internet Options - programs tab.
Click the manage programs button at the bottom, you should see an entry like

Secure Delivery - Kontiki, Inc khost.exe

If you don't or it's marked as disabled, then this may be your problem -
you've blocked it somehow from loading (as David T has already posted).

FYI The 'information bar' is a single pale yellow line of text which
descends below the top of the browser window below all other toolbars.
It should give you options to install and run named activeX controls.
You may have missed it, or you have software settings in force which
which disable that. When I installed Iplayer I had to allow it for
'Secure Delivery' and also allow (strangely) something from real networks...

Those of ye cynical types reading the word "real networks" may now start
another outpouring of scorn as ye see fit...

You're most kind. :-)

--
Regards, John.

Please remove the "ohggcyht" before replying.
The address has been munged to reject Spam-bots.

On 4 Aug, 19:30, Adrian C wrote:
Geoff Pearson wrote:
I would like to be enjoying the iplayer trial but I cannot get it to work -
just keeps asking me to download software which is already, invisibly,
running.

In Internet Explorer 7, do Tools - Internet Options - programs tab.
Click the manage programs button at the bottom, you should see an entry like

Secure Delivery - Kontiki, Inc khost.exe

If you don't or it's marked as disabled, then this may be your problem -
you've blocked it somehow from loading (as David T has already posted).

FYI The 'information bar' is a single pale yellow line of text which
descends below the top of the browser window below all other toolbars.
It should give you options to install and run named activeX controls.
You may have missed it, or you have software settings in force which
which disable that. When I installed Iplayer I had to allow it for
'Secure Delivery' and also allow (strangely) something from real networks...

I haven't tried iPlayer, but when I read the BBC's intentions about
it, it wasn't half as technical, which leads me to believe that it's
just ever so slightly flawed in its programming?

In uk.media.tv.misc DVDfever Dom wrote:
I haven't tried iPlayer, but when I read the BBC's intentions about
it, it wasn't half as technical, which leads me to believe that it's
just ever so slightly flawed in its programming?

Yep. DRM is both hard and pointless.

--
Geoff Lane, Airstrip One

"Bother", said Pooh, as the pin fell out the grenade

DVDfever Dom wrote:

I haven't tried iPlayer, but when I read the BBC's intentions about
it, it wasn't half as technical, which leads me to believe that it's
just ever so slightly flawed in its programming?


Nope it's not technical to install if the install goes right for you. In
fact compared to installing and using torrent s/w the iplayer software
is very much simplified and dumbed down somewhat. For instance, no where
in the software can you monitor folks that are leeching from you.

All the mucking about I mentioned is part and parcel of installing
activex addins into the web browser. A security mess that is the doing
of Microsoft & IE7, not the BBC.

--
Adrian C

On 4 Aug, 23:26, Adrian C wrote:
DVDfever Dom wrote:
I haven't tried iPlayer, but when I read the BBC's intentions about
it, it wasn't half as technical, which leads me to believe that it's
just ever so slightly flawed in its programming?

Nope it's not technical to install if the install goes right for you. In
fact compared to installing and using torrent s/w the iplayer software
is very much simplified and dumbed down somewhat. For instance, no where
in the software can you monitor folks that are leeching from you.

That's something I would prefer to see, so if I've got a few torrents
going, I can balance out the max leech amount on each, so when I'm
downloading them they don't get swamped.

All the mucking about I mentioned is part and parcel of installing
activex addins into the web browser. A security mess that is the doing
of Microsoft & IE7, not the BBC.

ActiveX or DanceX - that's the choice I make on a Saturday night