Developer Challenge: BBC iplayer integration

[jamesdisco]

I know this is a UK specific request and so not much use to others around the world, but i imagine it would not be too difficult to do as youtube streaming is built into sage.

iplayer

This guy has developed a program for windows mobile to use the iphone video stream.
winmob iplayer
Even using this stream would be better than nothing.

Doing this would also give UK users acces to the BBC radio stations, as sage still cant do radio.

[Whitey]

Have you seen this?

http://www.milliesoft.co.uk/index.ph...id=9&Itemid=11

Looks like what we could do with for sage!

Whitey

[jamesdisco]

That would be fantastic. Lets buy the author a sage license and get him on board.

[willplaice]

just thought I'd bump this.... we should be able to get sage support for iplayer ?

[willplaice]

this is interesting.... i have used this to download stuff from iplayer..


http://beebhack.wikia.com/wiki/IPlayer_TV

[MHAD]

Just thought I'd bump again and ask if anyone has the skills or knowledge on how to integrate iPlayer into SageTV.

I've seen that it's possible from the Nintendo Wii using it's Opera browser, the experience and quality is great. Could this be a way in?

[michaeldjcox]

I really fancy having a crack at this after night of favourite shows being pixelated due to poor reception.

Going to start looking at over the next few weeks

Michael

[burtonpark]

did this ever get off the ground?

[michaeldjcox]

Not yet. But soon.

Michael

[jamesdisco]

Go Michael you'd make a lot of happy UK sage users if you cracked it. I'm sure there'd be plenty of willing beta testers too.

[taylormadearmy]

Hey Michael - did you ever get anywhere with this?

Thanks!
T

[michaeldjcox]

Originally Posted by taylormadearmy

Hey Michael - did you ever get anywhere with this?

Hi,

SageTV V7 and supporting that with WFE has soaked up a lot of my time. One feels the need to keep supporting whats been chucked out into the community before starting on new stuff.

I had a play here and there.

I sent an email to BBC Iplayer dev to see if we can get some support.

No reply beyond the "we got your email no plans at present" response.

I recently tried to view iplayer via tversity but could not get it to work. This could stand a bit more investigation. WFE and TVversity/PlayOn have some overlaps.

I really wanna get this working. Just got a load of grief from the missus because "Strickly come dancing" didn't get recorded by SageTV on Saturday and we cannot watch iplayer content on the TV.

I'm gradually putting in some building blocks that will might help me attack the iplayer issue. WFE now has a web server and can serve up podcasts. So now I could show iplayer content as online services and perhaps launch a download and transcode on request.

Big issue is that you can download iplayer content in WMV format for windows media center playback but you cannot play the content in any other media center like SageTV because of the DRM issues. Seems its a Microsoft/BBC stitch up.

Michael

[damian.flynn]

i know that feeling which such great shows dont get recorded.

Thankfully thats a memory of the past now since switching to DVBLogic support.

[footandmouth]

I wonder if you could access the BBC iplayer using a VPN router http://strongvpn.com/routers.shtml
I can stream iplayer from north america with the software, the router would make it even easier

[michaeldjcox]

I've been playing around with iplayer today.

I've managed to get iplayer content on my HD200 via the sageTV server.

Quality not always great but definitely watchable on 32" TV.

Bits needed are:

• TVVersity Media Server (Pro)
• Evilpenguins Playon plugin

Not sure of the coverage - and I have not met any DRM issues - so perhaps some content is not possible.

Little issues:

• It takes ages to descend into the folder structure using the UPnP browser
• You sometimes have to play it twice where SageTV plays it faster than it is downloading.

Anyone else tried this?

Is this what you're after Will?

Michael

[Nelbert]

Alternatively with an MHEG+ engine in Sage, UK Sat users should be able to use the iPlayer that is broadcast on the BBC Red Button stuff. The iPlayer interface on FreeSAT is an MHEG+ app which then uses the ethernet connection for pulling the streams from the BBC site. The ITV player will also be an MHEG+ based app.

The BBC have opensourced some MHEG+ tools and put them on sourceforge. A Java MHEG+ player for a start.

They've also talked about opening an api for 3rd party developers to access iplayer content properly and released iplayer bigscreen using the api.

[jaminben]

I asked Sage awhile ago if they had any plans to impliemnt MHEG/MHEG+ into Sage and they said....... no. So unless some clever boffin from outside of Sage can do it we wont be seeing it anytime soon if ever.

[Nelbert]

Originally Posted by michaeldjcox

You sometimes have to play it twice where SageTV plays it faster than it is downloading.

The joys of streaming. Still the biggest hurdle for moving to IPTV. Those who don't have broadband, and even when they do having it consistantly fast enough and not blowing data caps.

I have the same issue sometimes with the PS3, especially if the wife decides to open a image heavy website while I'm using iPlayer and slows the incoming stream down.

Not sure about the HD200/Playon/TVersity, but on the PS3 just hit pause and watch the progress bar go up. Then start playing again.

[Nelbert]

Originally Posted by jaminben

I asked Sage awhile ago if they had any plans to impliemnt MHEG/MHEG+ into Sage and they said....... no. So unless some clever boffin from outside of Sage can do it we wont be seeing it anytime soon if ever.

Or if the BBC follow through with the plans to provide an open api to the content data then maybe it'll be possible to stream directly from them. Would be more hopeful about the api becoming public if the backstage department that used to provide beta api's and access to program listing data wasn't being shut down at the end of the year.