BBC Mobile gets a Custom Refresh
Published by Steve Litchfield at 10:59 UTC, March 11th 2009
The BBC's 'Mobile' site has been given (at least, in beta form) a huge refresh, with the code required so that you can customise the stories and features you see. Don't like Sport? Get rid of it. Live in Coventry? Make it your location for weather reports. And so on. Cleverly, there's also an inline panel showing top iPlayer content when the new custom page is viewed on compatible devices. Read on for more.
You can go straight to the new (beta status) custom page by going to www.bbc.co.uk/mobile/betahome/ in Web (there's also a link at the bottom of the standard Mobile home page. Here are some screenshots to give you an idea of how it looks and works.
Here's an extract from the press release, from the BBC:
The BBC today unveils the beta version of its new mobile homepage, which for the first time lets users personalise the BBC content they view on their handsets.
The new mobile site adapts automatically to give the best viewing experience for different handsets and networks.
Mobile users can now choose their favourite parts of the BBC mobile site and arrange the homepage as they wish, expanding or shrinking sections to achieve their ideal mix of music, news, sport, TV and radio, or any other BBC mobile content.
And for the first time, mobile users can localise their preferences for BBC information such as weather forecasts, TV schedules or news stories.
The BBC’s award-winning iPlayer* service fits in neatly too, along with other live schedule information and AV content from across the BBC.
This breakthrough follows the successful revamp of the bbc.co.uk homepage last year and is more evidence of the BBC’s rapid progress in opening up its rich quality content to a fast-growing mobile audience."
Categories: Miscellaneous, Links of Interest
Platforms: General
News Discussion
Tzer2
I wish they'd do an international version of iPlayer. There's plenty of BBC content which they make specifically for non-UK users, but none of it is accessible through iPlayer, there's just the same blanket block on non-UK IP addresses.
For example, why isn't the BBC World Service available to non-UK listeners on iPlayer? The whole point of that radio station is to cater to people outside Britain, yet the iPlayer locks it so that only British people can hear it.
And why aren't the BBC radio stations in general available through iPlayer? The streams for all stations are all available internationally on the website and have been for many years now, why doesn't iPlayer offer these international streams too?
For example, why isn't the BBC World Service available to non-UK listeners on iPlayer? The whole point of that radio station is to cater to people outside Britain, yet the iPlayer locks it so that only British people can hear it.
And why aren't the BBC radio stations in general available through iPlayer? The streams for all stations are all available internationally on the website and have been for many years now, why doesn't iPlayer offer these international streams too?
Micky!
I echo that.!
Here in Finland, when I go to that Beta Address, its redirects me to the standard BBC browser, not the Beta one.
Here in Finland, when I go to that Beta Address, its redirects me to the standard BBC browser, not the Beta one.
chucky.egg
Speaking as a TV Licence Fee payer in the UK, I don't actually want to pay more so that Finns (amongst others, no offence meant) can watch BBC TV on iPlayer.
davidmaxwaterma
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Originally Posted by Micky!
I echo that.!
Here in Finland, when I go to that Beta Address, its redirects me to the standard BBC browser, not the Beta one. |
Is there really much of a need for specific mobile web sites any more? Their desktop site works ok on S60 - IINM.
dani2xll
Wouldnt using podcasts give you the bbc world service as i get that on mine.
davidmaxwaterma
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Originally Posted by dani2xll
Wouldnt using podcasts give you the bbc world service as i get that on mine.
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However, for S60, the iPlayer web page will tell you either to install real player (when it's already installed), or you need to enable javascript (when it's already enabled).
So, the only recourse I've found is to use the raw realplayer URLs. There's a list of them in the FAQ, but it takes a bit of finding.
If you can catch it in the middle of loading, when it tells you to enable javascript, there's also a link to the specific realaudio file, which will launch realplayer to play it just fine. If you miss this and let the page fully load, then you're out of luck and you'll have to clear your cache and try again.
The list of realplayer links is in the FAQ - I wasn't able to bookmark this page when I last tried it (I assumed due to frames), but it works now, so this'll now be my 'iplayer page' :)
Finally...doesn't look good, but it works.
Why they give all their attention to the iPhone and pretty much ignore S60, I will never understand.
Max.
Iain 117
"Why they give all their attention to the iPhone and pretty much ignore S60, I will never understand."
Because it's main use is a medai device?
Because every iPhone user has free and always on Data Connection?
Because the iPhone screen is a lot better than all S60 screens? (Maybe excluding the OLED ones?)
Because the BBC love the iPhone?
I dunno, I barely use iPlayer on my iPhone anyway...Screen's too small for long periods so dunno how you N95 owners can bother..
Because it's main use is a medai device?
Because every iPhone user has free and always on Data Connection?
Because the iPhone screen is a lot better than all S60 screens? (Maybe excluding the OLED ones?)
Because the BBC love the iPhone?
I dunno, I barely use iPlayer on my iPhone anyway...Screen's too small for long periods so dunno how you N95 owners can bother..
davidmaxwaterma
While I more or less accept your points...I still think the potential of making their service in general more s60 friendly is much bigger than that of the iphone. It's the short-sightedness I don't understand....it's almost like the US market where they think the iphone is the first and only phone capable of accessing their web site.
I suppose I don't know about the UK market, which I imagine is their primarly focus. Are iphone's really popular there? I hardly ever see them...
I suppose I don't know about the UK market, which I imagine is their primarly focus. Are iphone's really popular there? I hardly ever see them...
Tzer2
Quote:
| Speaking as a TV Licence Fee payer in the UK, I don't actually want to pay more so that Finns (amongst others, no offence meant) can watch BBC TV on iPlayer. |
The World Service is another matter though, it's funded directly by the UK government. It's supposed to promote Britain abroad by being broadcast to foreigners, yet it isn't available to foreigners on iPlayer. That's just bonkers... :-)
Quote:
| Because every iPhone user has free and always on Data Connection? |
But if we just look at the UK, most people are on networks which don't offer the iPhone, and the iPhone isn't available unlocked in the UK either. By concentrating on a network-exclusive device the BBC are excluding most of their audience.
Iain 117
Not really Tzer2. In fact what they've done is good - they've created the iPlayer for S60 for people that actually will use it (most people on Nokias will get them because it's a good phone, not a good media player even though some of them are). And then they focus on the iPhone which tbh most users bought because of it's Media abilities so the iPlayer will get more attention through it :-) They do support other phones - just not very well and I can see why they chose to concentrate on the iPhone (Plus the hype at the time ;-)
davidmaxwaterma
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Originally Posted by chucky.egg
Speaking as a TV Licence Fee payer in the UK, I don't actually want to pay more so that Finns (amongst others, no offence meant) can watch BBC TV on iPlayer.
|
The BBC aren't serving licence fee payers at all. No, they're targeting people currently in the UK, irrespective of if they pay any licence fee or nationality.
If you travel abroad, you won't be able to watch or listen either....apart from the radio, which is not straight forward with S60.
davidmaxwaterma
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Originally Posted by Tzer2
Good point on the UK channels, but I would be VERY willing to pay a subscription in order to cover any extra costs. The BBC could at least offer a commercial service of some kind for people outside the UK, and the money could also be used to subsidise the licence fee.
|
Quote:
| The World Service is another matter though, it's funded directly by the UK government. It's supposed to promote Britain abroad by being broadcast to foreigners, yet it isn't available to foreigners on iPlayer. That's just bonkers... :-) |
Quote:
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That's not true in every country, though of course the BBC will only care about the UK. But if we just look at the UK, most people are on networks which don't offer the iPhone, and the iPhone isn't available unlocked in the UK either. By concentrating on a network-exclusive device the BBC are excluding most of their audience. |
Tzer2
Quote:
| Are you sure it isn't? I can get all the other radio channels live, so I'm surprised not the world service. iplayer doesn't work on s60 and the live links are a trick to find, but that's a different issue. |
None of the BBC radio stations work on the 5800's iPlayer application if you are outside the UK, not even the World Service.
davidmaxwaterma
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Originally Posted by Tzer2
All the BBC radio stations work worldwide if you stream them from the website links.
None of the BBC radio stations work on the 5800's iPlayer application if you are outside the UK, not even the World Service. |
TomJ
I saw this link on an AAS thread a while back:
www.bbcradio.mobi
It has links to all the Realplayer streams for every BBC radio channel. You can then add them to Gallery's Streaming links section by selecting one of the station linkks, which will launch the stream. Once RealPlayer launches, hit cancel. This will bring up a dialogue '"filename" not saved. Save now?' Select yes, pick memory or card and give it a meaningful name. Next time you want that station you can select it straight from Gallery's Streaming Links section.
www.bbcradio.mobi
It has links to all the Realplayer streams for every BBC radio channel. You can then add them to Gallery's Streaming links section by selecting one of the station linkks, which will launch the stream. Once RealPlayer launches, hit cancel. This will bring up a dialogue '"filename" not saved. Save now?' Select yes, pick memory or card and give it a meaningful name. Next time you want that station you can select it straight from Gallery's Streaming Links section.
davidmaxwaterma
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Originally Posted by TomJ
I saw this link on an AAS thread a while back:
www.bbcradio.mobi It has links to all the Realplayer streams for every BBC radio channel. You can then add them to Gallery's Streaming links section by selecting one of the station linkks, which will launch the stream. Once RealPlayer launches, hit cancel. This will bring up a dialogue '"filename" not saved. Save now?' Select yes, pick memory or card and give it a meaningful name. Next time you want that station you can select it straight from Gallery's Streaming Links section. |
Having said that, I'm not 100% sure that I understand the problem so well. I found a way around what I saw as the problem, but I didn't really bother to look into the problem to properly understand it. So, if you know better what the problem is that I describe, please enlighten me as to a better way to work around it, or whatever.
Thanks,
Max.
ashu
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Originally Posted by chucky.egg
Speaking as a TV Licence Fee payer in the UK, I don't actually want to pay more so that Finns (amongst others, no offence meant) can watch BBC TV on iPlayer.
|
No one here (who are not british including me) wants to watch iPlayer programs on your money. If we can have pounds for our phones, we definitely have the penny to buy our programs.
@Micky! Same here. :( I am getting the same old mobile page on my opera mini 4.2 despite typing the beta page
davidmaxwaterma
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Originally Posted by ashu
No offences meant but still you managed to being so rude! Great...
No one here (who are not british including me) wants to watch iPlayer programs on your money. If we can have pounds for our phones, we definitely have the penny to buy our programs. |
If I were a Finn (or other non-UK citizen) and went to the UK on holday, I would be able to watch no problem.
If licence payers don't want to pay so we can watch it, then perhaps they should complain, and demand a login that is based on licence. As it is, the effort they go to to stop people viewing (licence payers too) is costing them money unnecessarily.
Of course, this restriction is just there to avoid them losing revenue from selling programs to broadcasters other countries.