My wife is at a friends house with her MacBook, they decided they wanted
to watch an episode of casualty on iPlayer. She has never tried iPlayer
before, she has just phoned me to say she is gettng "download not
available" obviously not with a Mac, but all she is trying to do is
watch it. Anyone have any ideas why this is happening ? A bit difficult
to sort out over the phone.

Phillip Walters <pjwalters> wrote:

> My wife is at a friends house with her MacBook, they decided they wanted
> to watch an episode of casualty on iPlayer. She has never tried iPlayer
> before, she has just phoned me to say she is gettng "download not
> available" obviously not with a Mac, but all she is trying to do is
> watch it. Anyone have any ideas why this is happening ? A bit difficult
> to sort out over the phone.

it doesn't work for the Mac. It says it somewhere.

Maire Black

Maire Black <mbnilspam> wrote:

> Phillip Walters <pjwalters> wrote:
>
> > My wife is at a friends house with her MacBook, they decided they wanted
> > to watch an episode of casualty on iPlayer. She has never tried iPlayer
> > before, she has just phoned me to say she is gettng "download not
> > available" obviously not with a Mac, but all she is trying to do is
> > watch it. Anyone have any ideas why this is happening ? A bit difficult
> > to sort out over the phone.
>
> it doesn't work for the Mac. It says it somewhere.
>
> Maire Black

Works fine on my MacBook has done for ages, I am not talking about
downloading, just streaming the video.

Phillip Walters wrote:
>
> Works fine on my MacBook has done for ages, I am not talking about
> downloading, just streaming the video.

Her MacBook's flash player not loaded or wrong version?

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:24:06 +0100, Phillip Walters wrote
> Maire Black <mbnilspam> wrote:
>> Works fine on my MacBook has done for ages, I am not talking about
> downloading, just streaming the video.

Yup, iPlayer has worked fine here for weeks

Adrian C <email> wrote:

> Phillip Walters wrote:
> >
> > Works fine on my MacBook has done for ages, I am not talking about
> > downloading, just streaming the video.
>
> Her MacBook's flash player not loaded or wrong version?

I think it might be a flash problem, will have to check and update when
she gets back home, thanks.

Phillip Walters <pjwalters> wrote:

> Adrian C <email> wrote:
>
> > Phillip Walters wrote:
> > >
> > > Works fine on my MacBook has done for ages, I am not talking about
> > > downloading, just streaming the video.
> >
> > Her MacBook's flash player not loaded or wrong version?
>
> I think it might be a flash problem, will have to check and update when
> she gets back home, thanks.

Just to point out that even if/when you have access to the download
version of iPlayer content it can often take many hours to download long
programmes(though, to be fair, it is very much better quality than the
streamed version). You would never visit a friend with your laptop and
then decide to download the programme before watching ... unless you
were staying til the next day! You would choose streaming, which as
others have said, works just fine on a Mac.

Adrian wrote:
> Just to point out that even if/when you have access to the download
> version of iPlayer content it can often take many hours to download long
> programmes

Depends on the internet connection. An hours program for me downloads in
just under 10 minutes.

(though, to be fair, it is very much better quality than the
> streamed version).

I wouldn't say very much better. I'm not fussed. Even though I can
download in 10 minutes I'm sometimes happy just to watch the streamed
version. Put the downloaded file on a decent monitor and you'd still be
wanting more ....

You would never visit a friend with your laptop and
> then decide to download the programme before watching ...

Depends on the ..... whether that person has other distractions for you

unless you
> were staying til the next day!

Ahem! Wa'hey! ;-)

You would choose streaming, which as
> others have said, works just fine on a Mac.

Swoon ...

Phillip Walters <pjwalters> wrote:

> My wife is at a friends house with her MacBook, they decided they wanted
> to watch an episode of casualty on iPlayer. She has never tried iPlayer
> before, she has just phoned me to say she is gettng "download not
> available" obviously not with a Mac, but all she is trying to do is
> watch it. Anyone have any ideas why this is happening ? A bit difficult
> to sort out over the phone.

Streaming works, downloading doesn't.

Stimpy wrote:
> On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:24:06 +0100, Phillip Walters wrote
>
> Yup, iPlayer has worked fine here for weeks
>
But how do you save the stream if you want to watch it later, or even
keep it. The BBC has bought into the Micro$oft digital rights monopoly.

Pete H

Simon Wolf <simon> wrote:

> Phillip Walters <pjwalters> wrote:
>
> > My wife is at a friends house with her MacBook, they decided they wanted
> > to watch an episode of casualty on iPlayer. She has never tried iPlayer
> > before, she has just phoned me to say she is gettng "download not
> > available" obviously not with a Mac, but all she is trying to do is
> > watch it. Anyone have any ideas why this is happening ? A bit difficult
> > to sort out over the phone.
>
> Streaming works, downloading doesn't.

Yes. I know.

Peter Hayes <sphnospam> wrote:

> Stimpy wrote:
> But how do you save the stream if you want to watch it later, or even
> keep it.

Precisely why you can't.

Peter Hayes <sphnospam> wrote:

> But how do you save the stream if you want to watch it later, or even
> keep it. The BBC has bought into the Micro$oft digital rights monopoly.

No it hasn't. The BBC's copyright holders are calling the shots here,
and M$ was the only company offering an acceptable DRM system.

Peter Ceresole <peter> wrote:

> Peter Hayes <sphnospam> wrote:
>
> > But how do you save the stream if you want to watch it later, or even
> > keep it. The BBC has bought into the Micro$oft digital rights monopoly.
>
> No it hasn't. The BBC's copyright holders are calling the shots here,
> and M$ was the only company offering an acceptable DRM system.

I get the idea that MS was the only outfit seriously considered by the
Beeb.

On the other hand, who else could they ask? The free software world
won't implement consumer rights denial (the honest name for what
copyright owners[1] refer to as `digital rights management' - newspeak
if ever I met it). Google's big enough and clever enough to do
something like this, but one feels that even if they'd take on a job
like that (and I can't see it myself), they'd create what they wanted
rather than what the Beeb wanted.

<shrug> So who else?

Hmm. I suppose they could have tried asking the RealPlayer people. And
there's always the iSteve (who must be mentioned if only for
completeness). Sun, maybe? And IBM will take on almost anything in the
computer line if you'll pay 'em.

Does anyone have a clue what *really* happened?

Rowland.

[1] Who are, in the case of commercial audio and video media, usually
*NOT* the artists who create the works. What with recent extensions to
copyright duration and the fact that copyright is so often owned by what
is in effect a holding corporation existing to exploit copyright works,
it seems to me that modern copyright exists to benefit these large firms
by enabling them to profit from the work of creators for an excessive
time - and if they can do that, they don't need new works. Therefore,
modern copyright exists to stifle creativity by reducing the ability of
creative artists to profit from new work.

I blame Mickey Mouse.

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:59:35 +0100, Peter Hayes wrote
>>>
>>> Works fine on my MacBook has done for ages, I am not talking about
>>> downloading, just streaming the video.
>>
>> Yup, iPlayer has worked fine here for weeks
>>
> But how do you save the stream if you want to watch it later, or even
> keep it.

I don't. I want to watch it now. If I want to keep it for later I *either*
download it from uknova *or* buy the DVD