End of get_iplayer is nigh?

[fred.d]

The text as originally presented here reads more like this is being done 
as a cost saving exercise in terms of saving effort by reducing the 
amount of software dev and support required on their platform of 
programme delivery rather than something around control of who can 
access what.

That's not unreasonable if they think the user base is small. Whether 
one likes it or not (likely dictated by whether you are an individual 
that relies on one of these bits of tech to view programmes) one has to 
recognise that cost drives everything and as long as the govt continues 
to force the BBC to keep reducing cost, they will prioritise the budgets 
for content production as much as they can.

Who can access what - essentially Digital Rights Management - is in 
principle correct. How this is implemented is up to the provider. The 
BBC, appears relatively relaxed about access to their content compared 
to streaming vendors. Probably a result of their history and wide 
portfolio of activities in the broadcasting marketplace.

That said, MOST people just want to watch programmes on their biggest 
screen in armchair comfort. What it's attached to is their choice, but 
if they don't choose a mainstream product (TV, Set top box etc) you 
can't expect all providers to make it equally accessible across both 
these and e.g Xbox, Playstation, Windows PCs. There are plenty of 
supported options without doing that. An app on the TV or set top box 
provides all of that in a way that allows the provider to get some 
feedback not only about what is viewed but the sequence in which it's 
viewed and selected. Which hopefully helps them work out that we don't 
all want yet more mindless game shows (and that there's enough of us 
that we get some other stuff).

The fact that GiP works at all is great, for those like us that prefer 
to download and view on platform of choice and offline. It's wonderful 
if you have chosen not to have a mainstream device. If it ceases to 
function it will be a crying shame. However I don't yet see a mindset in 
the BBC that wants to shut off this type of access. Long may that be the 
case.

On 15/02/2024 12:27, Jim web wrote:
> In article <d4b32661-1d20-16d2-91b2-f2304ae234fb at macfh.co.uk>, MacFH - C
> E
> Macfarlane - News <news at macfh.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>>> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The BBC's iPlayer streaming service is to end
>>>> downloads for users who watch on desktop or laptop computers.
>>>>
>>>> Programmes will still be available to download on tablets and phones
>>>> via the mobile iPlayer app.
>
>> Reading what happens on 11th March more closely, I suppose it depends on
>> whether GiP uses the download information from the iPlayer site, or the
>> streaming information.  If the former, at best it will need updating to
>> use the latter instead, supposing that is possible, whereas if it
>> already uses the latter nothing will change.  Does anyone here happen to
>> know which type of data GiP scrapes?
> I'm puzzled by the idea that they will distinguish and provide shedule info
> as per their current daily webpages for each channel/station.
>
> Is the idea/aim that *only* a 'BBC app' will work? If so, why impose that
> on License Fee payers? Some of whom may simply not have a 'device'. (I
> don't.)
>
> JIm
>