Why is the BBC iPlayer so slow?

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by Nimrod, Nov 23, 2008.

  1. Nimrod

    Nimrod Exotic Vendor

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    The BBC iPlayer, the sign of the BBC entering the digital arena yet it seems so slow...

    Top Gear aired today on BBC Two at 8pm and finished at 9pm.
    So I pop onto iPlayer and guess what, its not there.

    Yet I go on TorrentLeech and search, its up 14 minutes after it aired.

    Now why on earth are a bunch of pirates faster than the company that aired them? Why do I have to resort to using Bit Torrent to watch a tv show?

    God forbid if this was an episode of Eastenders it will be on iPlayer instantly, but no not top gear, not the show that's the most popular BBC show worldwide.

    /end of rant

    This is why I dont pay the license fee.
     
  2. Rustwick

    Rustwick Resident

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    Just because they don't put the latest episode of a TV show on the internet you don't want to pay your TV licence? You could have at least thought of a better excuse not to pay it, that’s just weak. It's called a TV license for a reason and doesn't extend to whatever content is on there website.

    Maybe it's not on the IPlayer so more people will watch it on TV and boost the ratings some more? Whatever the case, it'll be on Dave soon enough.
     
  3. Nimrod

    Nimrod Exotic Vendor

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    A few corrections:

    You do not need a TV License to watch shows after they have been aired, which is why I await it to come on iPlayer or "alternative" websites. If I was to pay my TV license it would be solely for there online content for which is poor and the privilage to watch top gear as it airs so I choose not to pay it. Its not a weak argument, its my argument for saving money, not supporting a useless organization that wastes money on Jonathan Ross and other retards. To say my reasoning is weak, is sillybecause it is my reason and my choice to make.

    And you can't watch it on TV "again" between the time it airs, and it coming onto iPlayer so it is not going to boost any ratings. It wont also be on Dave for another 6 months plus.

    So the logic behind while there so slow with shows like Top Gear, but must get Eastenders on iPlayer urgently is a mystery to me.
     
  4. Rustwick

    Rustwick Resident

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    Well if you're refusing to pay your license and watch it when it's aired you don't have the right to be moaning about it in the first place. They aren’t required to put it on there website so if they do be grateful and if not then it's your loss.

    I don't really care for Jonathan Ross or much of what the BBC has to offer to begin with but that still isn't an excuse if you're going to watch other shows they have. You won't support TV shows you like because there's another show that you don't like?

    If the BBC is so useless and you don't want to support them stop visiting there website, stop watching whatever TV show they're broadcasting and ignore it all together. No one is going to like everything on there so stop making half assed compromises to justify what you're doing like you did with Spore (you still wanted the game and I believe you said that you downloaded it to show your dislike for DRM, or something along those lines in another thread) but if you really cared at all you'd ignore the entire thing.

    What better way to show your dislike than to give absolutely no acknowledgement to a product?
     
  5. InsaneNutter

    InsaneNutter Resident Nutter Staff Member

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    I still don’t see how its possible to cap, encode and upload a TV show in less than 15 minutes after its aired. Even if you had access to an internet connection that could upload at 100mbit that would still take a minute or two to upload 700mb which barley leaves any time to encode it.

    Whatever “the scene” and torrent sites do I’m sure they could teach the BBC a thing or two about quick distribution of large files.

    My complaint about the iplayer is not the speed things are put on there (although that would be nice if it was improved) it’s the fact they constantly try to black 3rd party programs such as Xbox Media Centre from accessing it but keep letting devices like the Iphone and N95 few people care about access it without a problem.

    This means I have no choice but to download a BBC show from elsewhere, it’s strange how these downloads from elsewhere are higher quality too.
     
  6. Nimrod

    Nimrod Exotic Vendor

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    God forbid I have no right to make a comment in a public place? I'm sorry, I didnt know this is Nazi Germany.

    So If I don't pay for a service from a company denies me a right to comment on it?
    I haven't paid a penny to Sony yet I reserve the right to comment on there Playstation 3 because I can form an opinion on it if I wish.

    Pretty much. I wouldn't justify £140 or whatever a TV license costs to watch one show I like live. Would you?

    I fully intend to keep visiting a few BBC sites. They provide them worldwide to non-license fee payers and pay for it by adverts. What harm am I doing them?

    But it doesnt mean I cant comment on there entire operations. My view (not yours) which I am allowed to express is my right to say they waste so much money on rubbish. Whenever or not you agree with it, doesnt mean I cant express my view. Refer to my comment earlier about Nazi Germany.


    This was suppose to be a conversation starter as to how the BBC is slower than a bunch of pirates on the internet in placing there own content online. Not to start some argument over whenever or not I am allowed an opinion. Freedom of Speech, something we hold dear in modern Britain. If you have anger issue, take them elsewhere.
     
  7. CurlySteve

    CurlySteve Elite Member

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    Firstly i would like to point out that you don't need a TV license to watch the BBC iPlayer where as you do need one to watch Dave. I have no idea why you bought that up anyway as it would be far quicker on to the BBC iPlayer than Dave.

    Secondly he never once said he was watching as it is being aired he was just making the point of how the BBC is slower than people who record it and post it on certain websites. Also he was pointing out that the BBC was prioritizing certain TV shows over ones which get bigger audiences.
     
  8. Trebor

    Trebor Dolphin Fan

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    Whoa calm down dears it's only a BBC programme! Looks to me that Rustwick seems annoyed by the fact that Nimrod doesn't pay his license fee and so has no reason to attack BBC shows, no? It's called an opinion Rustwick, like Nimrod pointed out, he doesn't own a PS3 so that means he can't comment on it? Are you going to attack your brother as well seeing as you know what he thinks of the PS3? Or is it somehow different than owning a BBC licence? The discussion was about the failings of the BBC (of which there are many). Lets keep it at that can we?

    As for how they can't manage to put the programme up I don't know. Maybe a failure in their technical department? Maybe they don't put shows that are on BBC2 up as quickly as they do the shows that air on BBC1. If they keep failing you as a viewer maybe you should complain. That might be the reason Deadenders is put up straight away.
     
  9. MunkyMagikUK

    MunkyMagikUK Digiex Blogger

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    Just remember Nimrod, they know your not paying your license ;) Even though you probably don't watch TV on a TV :|

    As for the iplayer, I probably don't use it enough, but when I've been on to look for top gear sometimes it hasn't been on until the next day. It does seem strange how some pirates get it on quicker, but I'm guessing your not complaining that they do? If BBC really wanted people to watch their programs they'd get them on the iplayer quicker, they're obviously not bothered, shows just how bad the BBC is getting.
     
  10. Rustwick

    Rustwick Resident

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    "It's called a TV license for a reason and doesn't extend to whatever content is on there website." If you're going to argue against someones point atleast read what they say.

    I didn't say he can't have an opinion about the show anywhere, so like I said above, read the posts before responding. I said he didn't have the right to moan if its not uploaded to the IPlayer instantly. I think Top Gear is on from 8 - 9 so he waited a whole 40 minutes before posting this? Learn to be patient.
     
  11. Safinn

    Safinn Addict

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    Really It should be there straight away. If random people can do it why cant a multi-million pound company do it? Only take one of their people 10-20mins.
     
  12. CurlySteve

    CurlySteve Elite Member

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    Can I just say that you are a bit of a hypocrite for saying that as you obviously can't read full sentences, so you can't get the full point that I was saying. The point that i was making out is that you need a license for Dave and not for BBC iPlayer. Do not mis-quote me again. The full quote should have been this:
     
  13. Nimrod

    Nimrod Exotic Vendor

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    My whole point of this thread is about how a bunch of pirates recording a tv can put it on faster than the corporation that airs it. Yet shows like EastEnders which doesnt have many iPlayer viewers is uploaded instantly. Why must you make an argument out of this? I made a point, a discussion comment and so far everyone else has replied normally, you on the other hand are just making arguments with everyone.
     
  14. BSmith

    BSmith Elite Member

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    I agree with Rustwick. If you want to see it as soon as possible pay for a license. The BBC is worth every penny as far as I'm concerned.
     
  15. Nimrod

    Nimrod Exotic Vendor

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    Well done for missing the point. Clearly paying a TV license explains why the BBC is soo slow putting top gear up and get beaten by pirates in there rooms recording the show and putting it on the internet. It also is the clear reason why crap unpopular shows appear faster to.

    BBC should learn something from pirates, there pushing insane amounts of bandwidth out so fast yet the BBC with all the tax payers money cant beat them with there own content. As Insanenutter said:

     
  16. CurlySteve

    CurlySteve Elite Member

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    I think people are missing the point somewhat here. The point of this thread was not to argue about TV licenses but to discuss the fact that pirates are faster than the creators of television shows.
     
  17. InsaneNutter

    InsaneNutter Resident Nutter Staff Member

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    Indeed as we were discussing the modified time on the file is 23 ‎November ‎2008, ‏‎21:09:22 so that would mean it was encoded in around 9 mins and uploaded in less than 4 mins. Then somewhere in that 4 mins someone had to create a torrent for it.

    That must have been some beast of a machine to encode it that fast.
     
  18. BSmith

    BSmith Elite Member

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    Alternatively it could encode via hardware rather than software, devices which do that have been around yonks, and encode as they record rather than recording a big file and rencoding afterwards.

    And Nimrod, what do you think pays for BBC iPlayer? It's the tv license.
     
  19. DyNaMiiXx

    DyNaMiiXx Elite Member

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    I think it comes on at 10pm that is bad considering the programme is recorded like the week before it is aired
     
  20. BSmith

    BSmith Elite Member

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    Definately, and the Spooks are random too. They'll appear for a day, then disappear for several days before returning permanently. They also don't put the BBC Three episode on until it's on BBC One either.
     

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