In article , Chris J Dixon
wrote:
Jim Lesurf wrote:
Those who use the BBC Radio iPlayer may find a new page at
http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/BBC/Audio...ioFactory.html
of interest.
It is the result of recent discussions with some people at the BBC and
sheds some light on the current developments. Note that things are
still evolving and there are some outstanding areas that need
clarification. I'll update the page when things change or some matters
become clearer.
An impressive piece of work, much of which is rather outside my
understanding.
Does any of this explain why, whilst my Roku box will happily allow me
to view BBC programmes through iPlayer,
I assume you mean 'TV' above although you don't make that clear.
radio is no longer available in this way, but iPlayer Radio on my PC
continues to function.
Afraid I don't know anything about how the Roku works. Nor have I (as yet)
looked much at the TV side as my main interest is audio/radio. So I can't
comment specifically on the Roku or TV.
You'd need to specify what method you're using on your 'PC'. But as
explained on the page, the Flash plugin for a browser, for example, should
still work. But the Roku may simply use a different method, which has
changed beyond its current comprehension. In particular, it may use a
method that relies on a 'third party' who 'translates and retransmits' the
BBC material for a given make of consumer 'net radio/TV' as you listen or
watch.
Beyond that, changes to BBC radio and TV are being made at slightly
different times and in slightly different ways. As these are made it
becomes a question of if/how your chosen 'receiver' operates and what it
can accept.
Boxes sold as 'consumer devices' may be 'closed'. i.e. The owner has no
simply way to alter how they work for themselves. So you then have to rely
on the makers to 'upgrade' its internal firmware, and/or some 'third party'
to take in in the new info from the BBC and rearrange and re-send it to the
box. If the maker or third party fails to keep up with the changes, you may
lose access. I have no idea what Roku may do about this, I'm afraid.
The problem for consumers who treat these boxes as pressbutton systems is
that the they may not be able to tell who is responsible for their box
ceasing to work whilst other systems continue to function. Its a drawback
of regarding such closed consumer items as a 'smart' (i.e. 'magic') radio
or TV.
A complication for the BBC is that a fair amount of the requests for
material come from boxes that fail to identify the maker, model, etc. So
they haven't been able to tell in all cases just *what* equipment is making
the request. That made it harder for them to find the makers, etc, in
question to tell them about the approaching changes.
Personally, my approach is to avoid such consumer boxes. Just as night
follows day, at some point a change will occur that leaves them orphaned.
Whereas with a computer you are more likely to be able to get new software
that lets you go on accessing. The downside, of course, is that a general
purpose computer can be more complicated to use. Or physically less
convenient.
I'm afraid this is just an example of what has become a wider problem of
'home consumer items' that actually rely on some support from a company
without the buyer really being aware of the implications. When you buy such
a box in a shop - be it a 'net radio' or a 'smart TV' - your contract is
with the *shop* and it ends with the warranty, etc, as with other goods.
You have no contract with the maker or any 'third party' who initially was
supporting it working day-by-day. But day-to-day you may be relying on them
for the box to go on working...
Jim
--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics
http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio
http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc
http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html
Audio Factory info
Hybrid Mode
