I’ve had quite a few emails asking some common questions, so thought I’d post them here:
How do I install it?
You don’t need to install anything on your PS3. Just open the Internet Browser from the XMB and enter the URL www.ps3iplayer.com in the address bar.
Why not use the MP4 streams?
Two reasons: the PS3 can’t understand the QuickTime container used by the MP4 streams (despite the tiny differences between that and ISO MPEG4) and they would require all the video data to be proxied by this site (which would be hideously expensive).
Can you build a PSP version?
Afraid not, sorry! The PSP only supports Flash 6 whilst the BBC’s flash video player requires a minimum of Flash 7. The only way to view the iPlayer on the PSP is to use Remote Play to use the PS3’s web-browser remotely.
Can you build an [insert name of device] version?
It should be possible to build a version for any device that has a decent web browser and supports Flash 7. Whilst I don’t have the time to build such versions myself, if you’d like to have a stab at it yourself, I’m happy to offer any advice I can. Also, the bandwidth cost of running the PS3 version is quite high, so offering versions for users of other devices would likely break the bank!
Why have you blocked it to work only on the PS3?
See above and the PS3 version has some PS3 specific fixes hard-coded into the site that would need changed if other devices were to be supported.
I’m an Englishman in New York – why can’t I use it?
You probably know the answer to this; the license fee. Sorry. Nothing I can do about this. It is the BBC’s (and their providers’) content and this site would be shut down in a jiffy if it allowed people to access content in a way the official site didn’t.
Hey, have you seen the BBC are offering you a job?
Yep, thanks! I’ve been in touch with Anthony at the Beeb, and they are keen on adding official support for the PS3 to the iPlayer. This site is merely a quick-fix (e.g. it has poor full-screen support) but I’m talking to the BBC about how to do things properly for the official version.
