BBC iPlayer has become a great way to catch with programmes on the go. According to the Guardian, the iPlayer is set to become even more useful. The report states that, “from Tuesday, licence-fee payers will be able to download BBC programmes from the iPlayer video-on-demand service and watch them offline on Apple’s iPhone and iPad at no extra cost, including while abroad. The download function will launch on Google Android smartphones in the near future.”
This functionality will be very useful for those traveling abroad and wishes to watch their favourite programme. The download functionality appears to be restricted to smartphones and tablets at the moment.
According the article, Daniel Danker, the BBC’s general manager of on-demand programmes, had this to say:
This fundamentally changes one of the most annoying restrictions about viewing programmes. It means audiences are liberated from the constraints [of online-only viewing] and it fundamentally changes what it means to go on holiday.
With mobile downloads, you can now load up your mobile phone or tablet with hours and hours of BBC programmes, then watch them on the road, on the tube, on a plane, without worrying about having an internet connection or running up a mobile data bill.
Downloaded programmes will be available for 30 days, or within seven days of being watched. Up to 50 hours of TV will fit on a 16GB iPhone or iPad, or 25 hours of higher-definition content. Downloads will be restricted to wi-fi connection at launch with downloading over a 3G network coming later.
Source: Guardian
