BBC iPlayer abroad (+ UK ITV, Channel 4 etc; US/Canadian TV)

[e-richard]

I posted before reading LV's interesting link.

Please note that Bandwidth is not the same as download limit. Confusingly they use the same measures, but what this means is the following:

Put very simply, bandwidth is the thickness of the pipe down which the digital bitsandbobs thingies that I discussed above come winging onto to your computer. The thicker the pipe, the more digital thingies you get per second of elapsed time. But regardless of bandwidth, it still takes the same number of thingies to display this page or video or whatever.

[Mountain Goat]

I need to digest that article, LV, it needs several passes to absorb.

Are we quite clear ('cos I'm not) on speed requirements for a broadband connection, speed requirement for the download or streaming of a film, and total usage over an hour's prog. (which is what I assume ticks over the meter with our ISPs and therefore our monthly bill)? Ah, thanks, eRichard - just seen your post. Um, posts. The plot thickens.

Our neighbour's going on a long hol. and I'm wondering, hooves crossed, if he's going to flip his WiFi switch.

Moral Maze
You buy a shiny new bit of software, say M'soft Office, all shrink-wrapped and legal. You have 3 - 4 PCs in your home. Do you feel guilty loading it onto each one? Is this any different from shoplifting? How do you instruct teenagers (say) on the difference if any? Is this a dilemma? How do you spell dilemma?

MG

[e-richard]

Easy answer to your moral maze:

When I rent Chalet Chimere in Leysin, I pay you the agreed fee, and I sign your contract in exactly the same way you pay Microsoft and click the "I agree to the terms" button when installing their software.

So, is it OK for me to bring my 26 friends to join me ?

I won't feel guilty cos they are all good friends, and we'll have a ball enjoying ourselves.

So why should you feel guilty about abusing Microsoft's terms and conditions ?


p.s. This is not personally aimed at GG !

[Mountain Goat]

So why should you feel guilty about abusing Microsoft's terms and conditions ?

My feelings exactly! Made me feel a lot better, thanks. Saves me buying x copies on eBay for a fiver each.

Er, maybe a poll would be of interest on this subject - are we all squeaky(sp?) clean?

Apologies for thread-creep.

MG

[Cassis]

Watching is not a problem - only if you are downloading and your package is limited.

Sorry, Cassis, I think you are mistaken there. Watching does seriously use up your gigabytes.

Sorry, my comment was misleading/wrong/cobblers. I was in too much of a rush as I was about to go out. What I should have said is that streaming is not nearly so hungry as downloading for those on limited download contracts, and you can watch more than twice as much by streaming as you can if you download; so if you're on a limited contract and want to use iplayer - or any similar service - you'll use a lot less of your allowance by streaming rather than downloading. PlusNet reckon you use 125MB if you stream a 1/2 hour BBC prog, compared to 300MB if you download it.

As a comparison, an average one-hour session on Facebook uses around 80MB, according to Plus Net. Apparently using MySpace uses even more than streaming BBC progs as it uses about 400Mb per hour.

Hope that's clear!

[e-richard]

...streaming is not nearly so hungry as downloading for those on limited download contracts...Hope that's clear!

Very clear now

I must admit I didn't know that it was as markedly different as your examples above, so thanks for that.

[Rocket Rab]

Very clear now

Um, well. This thread has moved on to Australia since I last looked at it... I thought I had to use iPlayer to watch BBC on my PC? I'm totally confused I better go back and read all that again, but v - e - r - y slowly.

[e-richard]

Yes RR, I can see why you're confused. This topic has wandered into many different areas, and I for one don't think we've answered your question:

I thought I had to use iPlayer to watch BBC on my PC?

... and I don't know the answer to that one.

[Rocket Rab]

Well, you may not have answered my question, Richard, but you certainly made me feel a whole lot better !!

Even the gurus...etc., etc.,.....

[la vache!]

Just to sum up, then, when you use iPlayer (which you have to in order to watch BBC) as long as you watched it streamed, rather than downloading, you are highly unlikely to be in danger of breaching your download limit and having to pay extra to your ISP. Is that it?

[Mountain Goat]

I'm losing track here, but to watch UK BBC TV on your PC:

1) You can use iPlayer, and choose whether to download a prog. and store it for 30 days, or watch it live (streaming - to do this overseas you will need those proxy sites.). To download you will need the BBC download software, and whether that will behave using a proxy is not yet known on LMH (or is it?). Both options could tip you over your ISP's download limits or cost you.

2) You can use that website that LV found, which looks highly dodgy but I'm giving it a go, but I feel it has a short life. It's only free for a 24hrs trial and then looks expensive.

I've now forgotten what we need for ITV etc.

RR - do you really want to watch Australian TV?

And what on earth's watchtvnow.co.uk? Looks the simplest of the lot and 14 countries - Corrie in Russian as well.

MG

[e-richard]

you are highly unlikely to be in danger of breaching your download limit and having to pay extra to your ISP. Is that it?

If you had said "less likely to be in danger...", I'd agree.

Based on Cassis' figures above, with a 1gb download limit (thats a low example) you could watch 8 half hour shows per month before paying extra.

Your call: is that a lot of TV ? Do you have a bigger limit ?

.... and I've just checked my ISP rates and I have a 5gb limit, and would only pay an extra £3 per month for another 1gb, so this could be a storm in a teacup, or a nasty surprise if you watched Neighbours 5 days a week and all of Jeremy Kyle and live feed for Big Brother - and that would all be really nasty !

[la vache!]

And what on earth's watchtvnow.co.uk? Looks the simplest of the lot and 14 countries - Corrie in Russian as well.

MG

Ah, I can already watch the news on the bbc website without a proxy, it is free and there are no broadcast issues there. This site won't give you Gavin and Stacey, The Apprentice or even Basil Brush, but it is legal.

[Mountain Goat]

Well, my main concern is getting my regular dose of (a) Teletubbies and (b) Desperate Housewives.

To be perfectly honest, with all this research going on, I haven't actually watched anything.....

MG

[la vache!]

I can't find anything on my Orange contract that mentions download limit per month. But I suppose with only a 1MB bandwidth it would be difficult and extremely slow to get anywhere near exceeding 5GB.