bbc

Video: Cars that can avoid collisions

A BBC reporter gets a chance to test the collision avoidance and mitigation systems on a couple of cars in this video. We enjoyed the chance to see what would happen if you really put them to the test, something we are loathe to do with the review cars we get in at CNET Car Tech. Of course, in the BBC video they use a full-size car-shaped inflatable in lieu of an actual car, preventing any personal or property damage. The video shows how a Volvo can come to a complete stop before hitting an object without any driver intervention. … Read more

How to easily access BBC News from China

I mentioned this in my last post, but it deserves its own: there's an extraordinarily easy way to read BBC News from within China. All you need to do is use this URL: newsvote.bbc.co.uk.

As far as I can tell, this is the same site as news.bbc.co.uk, which is blocked in the mainland.

I don't know how long this has been around, but I caught it in the comments on The Peking Duck. Thanks, Liuzhou Laowai! Enjoy your pithy BBC write-ups, everyone!

BBC's iPlayer getting Mac version in 2008, Web version continues to dominate usage

If there are lessons to be learned about the need for big companies to create platform-agnostic services, the BBC's iPlayer project may be one of the most shining examples.

Since the launch of the iPlayer, the BBC has been under fire not only from its viewers, but also members of the British Parliament. Parliament members have come down on the broadcasting corporation for its lack of support for open standards, and soaring costs in the development of the Windows-only software whose cost is estimated to be close to ?6 million pounds (nearly $11 million dollars).

We've blogged about … Read more

BBC moving to Adobe Flash, iPlayer on the Web soon

Reviews of BBC's iPlayer program have been mixed. The service offers U.K. residents access to television programming through a downloadable player that can queue up shows, and grab entire seasons at a time. Most of the criticism has been toward its staunch DRM and lack of Mac and Linux compatibility, which will be changing shortly. Yesterday, the BBC announced it's chosen to move to Adobe's Flash platform to deliver its video content on the iPlayer, taking the service from Windows-only to a Web-based platform.

Windows XP users will still be able to use the iPlayer software … Read more

ISPs threaten new fees over BBC video service

The BBC's recently launched iPlayer, which allows eligible U.K. residents to download episodes of shows they missed on the telly, seems to be a magnet for complaints lately.

The Windows-XP only online service has already peeved Mac, Linux and Windows Vista users who can't, at least for the moment, get direct access (BBC has promised an upgrade this fall) and drawn protests over its use of Microsoft-produced digital-rights management technology.

The latest brouhaha is reminiscent of the Net neutrality debate that has raged here in the States. That controversy surrounds whether broadband operators ought to be able … Read more

Crave U.K.: Five things wrong with the BBC iPlayer

We want to love iPlayer, we really do. The BBC is always trying hard to make sure its content is available to as many people as possible on as many platforms, and we love Auntie for that. iPlayer, which we should point out is still in beta, goes far beyond the services from other broadcasters--the amount of programming on offer is vast, with something for everyone.

But as much as we love the concept, there are a few things we hate about iPlayer in practice. Here are the five key things we think need changing before the final iPlayer release. … Read more

BBC puts shows online

The British not only have superior television (in general) but now they can watch it online too.

The BBC launched a new on-demand service called iPlayer on Friday that lets people download from the Internet shows like "EastEnders" and "Planet Earth" that they may have missed on the telly that week. The shows represent as much as 70 percent of the BBC programming, about 400 hours of programs, according to Reuters.

Sounds great, huh?

Unfortunately, the free service is only available to people in Britain and on computers running Microsoft XP.

You would think that with … Read more

BBC's iPlayer: Public beta of IPTV app

On arriving in the office this morning, we were greeted with a pleasant surprise in our inbox: an invitation to join the BBC iPlayer open beta, which starts today. We didn't waste any time in getting stuck in. Although anyone can sign up, the number of people who will be allowed to join is being controlled by the Beeb to ensure the whole service doesn't collapse in on itself.

Getting into the system is reasonably easy, once you get your invitation. The first step involves accessing the password-protected beta area. Once in, you must register a username and … Read more

BBC's iPlayer to launch in late July, Mac and Vista support on the way

The BBC's iPlayer will be making it's official, public beta debut July 27 to U.K. residents who are legal TV license holders--a yearly taxation system that pays for TV ownership and usage. The small desktop software client allows users to download and view episodes or entire series of BBC television programming on their PCs.

In addition to launching the Windows client, the BBC will also be rolling out integration of the iPlayer to the BBC's U.K. site, and later to YouTube. The team behind it is also working on versions of the iPlayer client … Read more