Windows 7: No BBC iPlayer for Android.

johnwillyums · 16 Jul 2010

No iPlayer on Android: We call shenanigans over BBC blog post - Crave at CNET UK

This is outrageous in my opinion.
BBC is paid for from it's licence fee and from general taxation.
Everyone who has a device capable of receiving television signals of any kind has to have a licence by law. Effectively a tax.
There are steep fines for not having one and I understand you have to have one if you only have a pc. Even if it has no TV card/dongle! (I haven't checked that so it might be apocryphal)
The BBC is a state owned corporation paid for by the British public, it makes money by selling it's content overseas but in the UK I've already paid for it.

So how come they can tell me what kind of mobile 'phone I have to buy in order to access content I've paid for?

andyparks · 16 Jul 2010

i updated my galaxy spica so i could use iplayer then found out this

johnwillyums · 16 Jul 2010

I've noticed the BBC gives a lot of coverage to Apple. I've also seen iPads in two programmes. BBC stalwart Steven Fry is a National Treasure and an Apple Fanboy.
I can feel a conspiracy theory coming on:)

Kari · 17 Jul 2010

Quote:

Licence fee for 'wasteful' BBC will be cut

Television viewers can soon expect to pay less for their BBC licence fee as part of the austerity drive in public spending, Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, will signal on Saturday.

The broadcaster has been responsible for “extraordinary and outrageous” waste in recent years and needs to recognise the “very constrained financial situation” the country is now in, Mr Hunt says.

In an interview in today’s Daily Telegraph, Mr Hunt says the broadcaster needs to change “huge numbers” of things that it does, warning the management that they should not interpret his silence on the issue of the licence fee since the election as a sign that he is happy with it.

Licence fee for 'wasteful' BBC will be cut - Telegraph

mickey megabyte · 17 Jul 2010

Quote: Originally Posted by johnwillyums

...
I can feel a conspiracy theory coming on:)

johnwillyums · 17 Jul 2010

The whole point of funding the BBC in the way that it is is meant to ensure that it is independent of party political issues ie it should operate impartially no matter which party is in government.
Also it is independent of any pressure from big business. It can blow the whistle on bad practice in any industry without fear that they will pull their advertising and affect it's revenue.
For many years this stricture on impartiality meant that BBC dramas would not show the brand name on domestic products in case this might be interpreted as endorsement.
But now we find that it's content is available only on certain proprietary platforms.
I don't have an iPhone or an Android phone but if I could afford one I would plump for an Android device (more choice)
As such I would be p*****d off that I couldn't watch BBC news (that I've already paid for) when my friend with an iPhone could.
More importantly it undermines the whole notion of a broadcaster that is impartial and independent of outside influence.

severedsolo · 17 Jul 2010

Quote: Originally Posted by johnwillyums

There are steep fines for not having one and I understand you have to have one if you only have a pc. Even if it has no TV card/dongle! (I haven't checked that so it might be apocryphal)

This is correct. If you have a PC with Internet Access you need a TV License in case you use Iplayer

z3r010 · 17 Jul 2010

Quote: Originally Posted by johnwillyums

The whole point of funding the BBC in the way that it is is meant to ensure that it is independent of party political issues ie it should operate impartially no matter which party is in government.

the BBC is a completely bias left wing organisation and the sooner we scrap it the better.

smarteyeball · 17 Jul 2010

Quote: Originally Posted by johnwillyums

Steven Fry is a National Treasure and an Apple Fanboy.
I can feel a conspiracy theory coming on:)

Everyone has to have a flaw... and he is influential

mickey megabyte · 17 Jul 2010

it seems that it all depends on whether or not it's live tv...

Quote:

Do I need a TV licence to watch programmes on BBC iPlayer?

Catch-up

You do not need a television licence to catch-up on television programmes in BBC iPlayer, only when you watch or record at the same time (or virtually the same time) as it is being broadcast or otherwise distributed to the public. In BBC iPlayer, this is through the Watch Live simulcast option.

Anyone in the UK watching or recording television as it's being broadcast or simulcast on any device - including mobiles, laptops and PCs - must, by law, be covered by a valid TV licence.

source - BBC

and

Quote:

You don't need a TV licence to watch catch-up services, like BBC i-Player, that let you watch programmes after they have been broadcast.

source - citizens advice bureau

it seems that if you're not watching it 'live' as it's being broadcast, you're ok.

*edit*

and there's more

Quote:

Computers and laptops

Many TV channels are now available to watch over the internet. If you’re watching programmes on a computer or laptop as they're being shown on TV, then you need a TV Licence. However, you don’t need to be covered by a licence if you’re only using ‘on-demand’ services to watch programmes after they have been shown on TV. So, you need a licence to watch any channel live online, but you wouldn’t need one to use BBC iPlayer to catch up on an episode of a programme you missed, for example.

source - tvlicensing