Why no iPlayer on Android tablets?

Strider590

BBC are Apple fanboys, you only need read "tech" articles by Rory Cellan Jones (who is just clueless), to realise that, he practically advertises Apple in every single article he writes, whether it's a relevant to the subject or not.

So basically BBC don't care about Android and anything for Android takes them twice as long as for Apple, despite Android now having near 80% of the global smartphone market (probably 50/50 in the UK and US).

Anne_Marie_2

Jolly_Roger wrote: »

I currently have a visitor from Spain who is trying to download iPlayer onto her Android tablet to enable her to download programmes to view at a later date. I have a Windows tablet and this is possible, but when we try to download the player onto her tablet this is not possible. Why not?

Don't know if this will help at all, but perhaps adding another account to your friend's device whilst in the UK might work?
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/09/13/how-to-add-multiple-google-accounts-to-your-android-device-beginners-guide/

I live abroad and don't have access to BBC iplayer on Google Play. (I already have BBC iPlayer on my android device, was just checking for OP).
Just as an experiment, I did download it on to my Windows phone, but unable to watch anything. I tried going down the VPN route, but found that Windows phone doesn't support PPTP which I need to access my VPN. Haven't gone into this in any detail, just had a quick check this afternoon, so will look further at some point.

buglawton

!!!!!! wrote: »

Means that the UK can not stop Spanish (for example) transmissions to the UK. Nothing to do with the problem the OP is discussing.

Google, as a commercial organisation, decide what apps are available to a user based on their registration etc. As Google are not a broadcaster then the above directive has absolutely no bearing on this. You are confusing broadcasting TV with making programs available on the internet. The wording of the directive is clearly aimed at the broadcaster and OTA transmissions

The first of the 2 principles of the EU directive is "the free movement of European television programmes within the internal market". Which part of that was hard to understand?

But tricky to put into law, admitted.
You can freely and legally buy cultural content - paperback books for example - in one EU country and read them in an another. Because there's no practical technology to stop you.
With bits the content providers thought they had a way to stop you...
Back to those torrents and VPNs then.

System

It is only a directive. Can you point to the relavant national law that enacts or covers that directive?

if not then it has absolutely no effect whatsoever.

BTW it states in relation to TELEVISION BROADCASTING

The Directive establishes the principle that Member States must ensure freedom of reception and that they may not restrict retransmission on their territory of television programmes from other Member States.

As far as I know none of the UK TV broadcasting companies actively block or restrict any transmissions of foreign TV programs. The fact that with the exception of France and possibly Holland, nobody in Europe has a TV broadcast system capable of reaching the UK. UHF TV has a fairly short range. Programs are available without hindrance via the likes of Eutelsat, Astra and Atlantic

Programs available on the Internet by the wording in the directive are not even considered. This relates to transmission OTA of programs.

buglawton

As I said in post #13: "The principle exists but the laws don't yet".

AFAIK with EU legislation, directives come first and laws later.

And I'll requote: "the free movement of European television programmes within the internal market"

littlerock

Errmm - I have an android tablet. I don't bother with the iplayer app. I open google and access iplayer direct from there, same as if I was on my pc. (This does not work with itvplayer which uses flash) but have had no problems with using iplayer like this.

On a related topic however, BBC recently revised their transmission frequencies so that Spanish users can no longer pick up BBC programmes (=many thousand distraught expats....) Might this be part of the reason, it thinks she is an unlicensed Spanish resident trying to access iplayer, maybe based on country settings on her tablet?

Most programmes viewable on iplayer are accessible for a specific period. You cannot just download them to view later, at will. Depends on the access granted.

System

I think the change of frequency is due more to the closing down of standard UHF channels as UK TV finalises its move onto Freeview. Nothing to do with trying to cut off Spanish users.

paddyrg

Strider590 wrote: »

BBC are Apple fanboys, you only need read "tech" articles by Rory Cellan Jones (who is just clueless), to realise that, he practically advertises Apple in every single article he writes, whether it's a relevant to the subject or not.

So basically BBC don't care about Android and anything for Android takes them twice as long as for Apple, despite Android now having near 80% of the global smartphone market (probably 50/50 in the UK and US).

And yet I've been using iPlayer on my android device for a couple of years now, perfectly happily. This is nothing to do with it being unsupported or weak journalism. And one fanboy journo doesn't speak for the strategic technical departments of the organisation.

There is a good reason why companies target apple products early though - the device base is less fragmented, so you get greater coverage with a single release than chasing down odd compatibility issues. There are still crappy tablets being pumped out with android 2.x with owners having a terrible experience compared with those who spent more on better systems, for instance. Targeting homogeneous apple devices is just better bang for buck. And I assure you I'm no apple apologist, I don't buy any of their kit or ecosystem as it's overpriced and I think their customer relationship is dysfunctional and gouging - however it is a popular and standardised platform.

Specifically, are there currently any features you feel you're not getting on your android device that are somehow better on the apple devices? There may be some decent workarounds for you.

System

buglawton wrote: »

With the EHIC system (was the E111 card) if you've paid/are eligible for access to healthcare in on EU country then you can access healthcare in any EU country you travel in.

The European Publishers Council wants EU TV without borders and has been lobbying MEPs.
http://epceurope.eu/epc-calls-on-meps-to-stop-members-states-interfering-in-free-circulation-of-media-content/

Until sensible laws arrive people will continue to use VPNs, SmartDNS and Torrents to get what they ought to have a right to anyway.

The principle exists but the laws don't yet.

http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/audiovisual_and_media/l24101_en.htm

DIRECTIVE 89/552/EEC - "TELEVISION WITHOUT FRONTIERS"
The Directive aims to ensure the free movement of broadcasting services within the internal market and at the same time to preserve certain public interest objectives, such as cultural diversity...

...Member States must ensure freedom of reception and that they may not restrict retransmission on their territory of television programmes from other Member States...

What you quote is the catchy headline not the guts

1. Member States shall ensure freedom of reception and shall not restrict retransmissions on their territory of audiovisual media services from other Member States for reasons which fall within the fields coordinated by this Directive.’;

That is the bit that counts. Nothing about consumers being able to get anything but about member states preventing the transmission/retransmission. They UK complies with that.

Try looking at http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32007L0065 which amends the original.

You appear to be struggling in understanding that and android app and a TV broadcast are 2 separate items. The developer of an app can put any limitations they like on it. There is nothing stopping the OPs friend getting an app by another developer that can access and display BBC content. The content is available, you just have to find a way to use it

Another thing you may want to look at is the new para inserted by the amendment which amply covers things

‘4. In respect of on-demand audiovisual media services, Member States may take measures to derogate from paragraph 1 in respect of a given service if the following conditions are fulfilled:
(a)
the measures are:
(i)
necessary for one of the following reasons:
—
public policy, in particular the prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of criminal offences, including the protection of minors and the fight against any incitement to hatred on grounds of race, sex, religion or nationality, and violations of human dignity concerning individual persons,
—
the protection of public health,
—
public security, including the safeguarding of national security and defence,
—
the protection of consumers, including investors;

littlerock

Expats who lost free access to BBC favourites such as EastEnders when a satellite beam was switched off were reported to be "distraught" and "running around like headless chickens".

The service was switched to a new satellite on Thursday, Feb 6, which will improve reception for the target audience and prevent the "overspill" beam from extending to southern Spain.

A BBC spokesman said they were never supposed to be able to watch the corporation’s domestic service, since it is only supposed to be available to licence payers in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

Expats in Spain who want to continue watching the BBC will have to pay for a satellite package such as BBC Worldwide instead, or find a way to stream programmes via the internet. The satellite switch means some may also have lost ITV reception.

A BBC spokesman said: “In the early hours of Thursday Feb 6, the BBC’s free to air satellite broadcast footprint was optimised – which has improved the signal strength for some UK audiences. This also means the overspill of the BBC's services has been reduced, so viewers outside the UK will find it even harder to receive them.

" This is appropriate because the BBC’s domestic services are for licence fee payers living in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man only."

An ITV spokesman said: "ITV is a UK-only broadcaster, and does not have a licence to transmit our domestic family of ITV channels outside the UK and we do not seek to promote these services elsewhere.

"If people could access our content outside the UK, this was by default and not by design. As part of the satellite operator's ongoing renewal programme, our services have recently transferred to new satellites with a tighter beam."

She said viewers outside the UK may lose channels received via satellite as a result.