The popular Sony PlayStation 3 video game console has debuted the new BBC iPlayer which has been redesigned to operate better on televisions. This is the first consumer electronics device to sport the latest iPlayer service from the Beeb, and may prove to be a welcome addition to the PS3 amongst UK consumers.
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| Sony PS3 debuts new BBC iPlayer with HTML5 |
The updated iPlayer uses HTML5 technology to serve videos, and boasts new features and functionality according to its developers. Some major improvements include a far more effective search function, as well as a “Favourite” feature to ensure that viewers do not miss out on their favourite shows when they come on.
BBC’s programmes-on-demand general manager Daniel Danker said that the BBC iPlayer has been extremely successful, and this move allows users to continue enjoying the simplicity and convenience offered by the video-on-demand (VoD) service. He added that the latest upgrade will ensure that on-demand television is brought to mainstream audiences across the country.
BBC officials said that they have tried to make the functionality and usability of the service as simple and quick as possible for consumers, with a range of improved features that make it easier for viewers to just click and watch their favourite programmes rather than having to scroll around looking for the content that they want to view.
The rollout of the TV-friendly version of BBC iPlayer begins initially on the Sony PS3, and the UK broadcaster said that the growth of platforms capable of playing HTML 5 media should make it easier for the VoD service to gain widespread market penetration in the near future. The new BBC iPlayer is expected to arrive on other devices such as internet-connected HDTV displays, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes over the coming months.
Great service wud recomend 3every 1
Just tried to use Iplayer… After a (new) short download, you are presented with ‘my first website’…
Seriously, the old Iplayer (which was essentially a modified web page) worked much better. The new one doesn’t animate, is unresponsive, has many ‘unavailable’ items, and when pressing the PS button tells you it cannot even exit the app!
Come on BBC / Sony… It’s great the Iplayer is on here, but seriously did anyone test this before release?
the new iPlayer is absolutely rubbish! the older version was ten times better, easier to navigate and the HD quality would stream a lot faster. Now it buffers very slow! pausing every 5 seconds on STANDARD QUALITY, and I cannot even exit the application on the PS3, its messy layout and I am not happy! I dont think they thoroughly checked to see any bugs before relasing it on the PS3, come on pull out your finger!
Just trying it for the first time and it’s taken me (so far) 45 minutes to watch a 30 minute show. I used to sing the praises of the iPlayer – and so the BBC – far and wide, but this version is absolutely horrible. Seems worse than 4OD on PS3 so far – which is saying a lot given home much of a POS that player is.
I know it’s a free feature, but it really is a such a sad step down from the previous version.
I can’t even get it to work at all! Starts loading, then bails out giving me an error saying: “Sorry there seems to be a problem. Please quit the application and try again”
I’ve retried 10 times, still same message.
what a farce … takes ages to load up the menu … takes ages for an episode to load … the search engine requires both lower n upper case yet only upper is provided
It works fine on my PS3.
I downloaded it last night, it took about 15 seconds to download and install for me, and it works better than the old one on my PS3. The old one, which was basically a web page, would freeze up a lot for me, and sometimes programs would say unavailable when they cleary were available, and i would have to turn the PS3 off and back on again and then it would work, sometimes programs froze at a certain point during the program and then you had to restart the system numerous times before it would work.
So far it seems better for me, but haveing said that, it still isnt great.
Because of my experience with the old Iplayer, this one works better so far, but i dont think its anything special, a little bit slow at loading and stuff like that.
Slight improvement i suppose, visually it looks better and is easier being able to favourite things, also is easier to find programs.
I dont have the problem with it saying buffering every 5 seconds though, i think good internet connection can play a part in that though.
I too experienced issues with the new iplayer being unresponsive after initial install. After updating the PS3 firmware I found that it worked okay, so not 100% sure if it was the update or a reboot after the update that fixed it. Initial impressions are that the HD content is very good quality, the iplayer navigation will take some getting used to. I also find that the subtitles don’t appear to be working, but that could just have been the programme I was viewing?
There was no point in changing it, now it is much worse
After downloading the new iplayer I prefer the old one – I much preferred having a pointer to navigate and the streaming seems far slower with programs pausing every few seconds to begin with (although this eventually stopped). I found that holding down the PS button on the controller allows exit from the application through trial and error – not much in the way of user instructions available.
I cant use my keyboard no more and the button you select icons with also happens to be the same button you use to go to the previous page. I cant play any of the videos and it doesnt work. (I tried the webpage version, no installation)
I’m surprised about how many people are complaining about that it is harder to navigate around, just use the directional pad its quite simple really. I gave it to my little sister (who hardly uses the PS3) and she immediately picked it up when went straight to the CBBC channel. There are bound to be bugs in the new design that would be fixed, like exiting or freezing on videos. The HD looks great, but the BBC logo is annoying. All this would be solved.
So frustrating – I’ve really come to depend on and love the PS3 iPlayer over the last year, but to echo the comments above, what were they thinking? Did anyone test it? So much more clunky than the old one, hideous layout, badly thought through – there really was no need to change it.
Even things like having the time display in the left hand corner – just trying to watch a programme last night I found myself thinking it would be nice to know how far through I was. And the buffering is horrendous.
Please, please – Daniel Danker or whoever, sort this out – iPLayer on PS3 has become an essential for me and many others. Bring back the pointer!
What a load of rubish the new iplayer is and whats even worse its disabled the PS button on controler and I didn’t notice a close button on iplayers page so had to turn PS3 off at the machine which will not do the software any good.
Bring back the old iplayer it was so easy to use the new iplayer is worse than the rest of on demand channels on PS3
It is crap i thought the new update would not be as crap i loved Bbc Iplayer but now i hate it the web now turned into an app hate it the sizeing on my tv is wrong cant see the full description or the play button who designed this rubbish
The layout is bad, to muc going on all at once, freezes all the time.
BRING BACK THE OLD ONE!
guff.
I just watched Torchwood on this and like many before I prefer the older version, even if only for the fact that you could at least exit the old version back to the PS3 menus.
Now you appear to have to turn off the PS3 and restart to do this.
What appallingly bad user testing.
Surely something without such simple functionality should never have been released.
Just installed and at first I liked the look of it, but that’s all I can do, look at it.
I can move around but i can’t select anything at all. Not the programs, or the help or settings, I can’t even exit out of it. I’m going to have to turn the whole console off and start again.
Naughty people at iplayer. Make it work before you make people use it! I didn’t even have a choice, it said I had to upload new software
:(
Installed the new iplayer fine but trying to watch Holby City and it just freezes every few minutes. Trying a reboot as per a suggestion above so we’ll see. However I like the new interface, we have a BD remote control and on the old layout you couldn’t use it very well so we’d have to go back to using the standard PS3 controller, the new layout works fine with the remote moving about pad. As for quitting the application, hold down the PS button for a few secs and the option to quit comes up or to shutdown the system etc. Then you don’t have to turn off at the PS or anything bad like that!
This new iplayer seems a large step backwards. The old one was a touch ugly but perfectly usable (much more so than the other ps3 catch up services in my opinion). The new interface makes finding a programme very difficult. It also seems a little more prone to breaking down. Furthermore there is currently no easy ‘quit’ option. One point in the new iplayers favour is that it now allows programmes to be streamed in HD (where available)
Rebooted and successfully watching with no freezes! The pause is easier to use, I like the fact of being able to have favourites, its really good not having that annoying timer in the corner of the screen and I love watching in HD! I’m really pleased with this so far.
This is terrible the older version is much better and easier to use there is no quick exit button have to hold middle button on pad. im not being funny but if u think people who use a ps3 cannot navigate there way around the last version of the iplayer ur daft it is probably 99% gamers who use it and we manage to navigate our way around the many games we have to play. i see my tv licence has gone to good use again beeb!!!! first u take my F1 off free to air television and now u give me a useless iplayer on my ps3. wise up will u!!!!
Okaaay 95 % of us agree that the new iPlayer is bogus so just use the browser and visit:
http://bbc.co.uk/iplayer/bigscreen.
Hope that helped. =]
Big shame, was very excited to finally get an app version for the PS3, especially after using the iPad version which I thought was ace!
However, as pointed out, the lack of animation and painfully slow interaction times with the menu ruin the browsing experience and even with standard definition, I stil have freezing issues. It’ll play the first ten minutes of a program fine and then it’ll play 30 seconds, freeze for 30 seconds, play for 30 seconds… ad infinitum.
So, I switched back to the old version and no problems streaming – however the picture quality is noticeably poorer on the web based version.
Hopefully, the beeb will sort out the buffering issues and interface with the app soon as I’d rather be watching the better quality on the PS3 app. Until then, I’ll be sacrificing picture quality for lack of stuttering!
PS. You can still access the old version at the following url on your PS3 – http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/bigscreen
It doesn’t work. The search function inputs “c” no matter what you tell it to input, and you cannot select the programmes for playback. The old one actually worked!
i am having serious buffering issues with the new version so bad that its unwatchable, for all who is asking for the old 1 back its available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/bigscreen/
when trying to watch the radio side of the iplayer, i search for what i want – thats good, but then when i try to click on it when i found it nothing happens, its soo bad
Today i was watching Top Gear on my PS3 but when i tried exiting i noticed i couldn’t. Them i pressed the o button as it was done on the old version but it did not work in the new version……i need help
The new format is so shit. I can’t watch anything without the screen freezing every fucking second, honestly which retard thinks that this is a bloody good idea!
Too buggy, can’t exit, streaming glitches……. What a pile of poo
It is fuking shit who ever allow this to go out is a fucking Morin should be hangEd the designer should be next in line pricks
Downloaded the new iplayer and it has not worked since. Absolute rubbish. I have given up watching it on the PS3 and use the laptop instead.
This new interface for the bbc iplayer is a bunch of absolute sh*t.it takes about an hour to load up one programme, it says programmes arent availavle when they should be and it comes up with errors that arent even there.Altogether bbciplayer has updated its features and not even tried it to see if it has worked or not – Disgracefull,hopefully they will switch it back to the old bbc i player and put all our minds at rest.
i dont watch terrestrial tv, i dont want to, it’s full of utter crap,i dont have a tv licence either, i only watch online players which now thanks to tight fists at the bbc are all now crap,,,,,,,,,,, from now on i’ll have to watch all the new pirate movies available on letmewatchthis.com,,,,,,,,,,,, bbc plz sort it out cos i miss watching jack harkness going down on some stranger he’s just met with my kids watching,,,,,,,,????????
Hoped the new PS3 Iplayer would be an improvement on the old one but keeps freezing, playing, freezing, playing every 20 seconds or so. Back to watching iPlayer on my Wii then which has no problems and uses the same WiFi Network. My iMacs use the same network as well and no problems with iPlayer using them. Installed latest software and rebooted and still no joy.
just in stalled the new i player in a word rubbish .Dont know why they thought they needed to change it havent they heard the saying if it aint broke dont fix it
The new player is terrible. It doesn’t fit my screen properly, it buffers all the time and is so hard to navigate. I’m unable to leave the app so I’m force to manually turn of my PS3 to get out of it. Just bring the old one back. Respect for Sony has dropped substantially this year from the loss of service alone, don’t let this become another problem too.
Since the launch we’ve been unable to access iPlayer at all. We get prompted to download the new software, which we do, and then we get an error message saying that there has been a problem. We’ve tried again each day to see if anything changes but it’s always the same. A call to the Sony PS3 helpline didn’t help at all so we just don’t have iPlayer any more. Really disappointing.
Mine’s rubbish too, for all the same reasons already mentioned. I watched most of my BBC content through the PS3 so I’m gutted it’s not usable now.
Who do we complain to? Shit…I hate having to do that.
I wish they’d test these things first. Did they ever think of adding an option to exit back to the PS3 dash! To exit it you have to hold down the PS3 power button on the console and then when you turn it back on you get a telling off for not turning it off properly!! The navigation isnt as good either. This is NOT an improvement.
The old iplayer was much better, Can’t even watch anything on this new 1 from it stopping every 3 mins. Had to come on laptop to watch programs tht i would normally watch on ps3.
Please get the loading sorted out or bring back a way to get back on the old 1.
Some things about the new iplayer are good like being able to stream HD broadcasts, but I agree with some people that have commented here…the streaming needs sorted out asap as even in standard definition it plays, freezes, plays, freezes non stop every minute or two. Fix it BBC/Sony!
this update is terrible the old 1 was amazin its even worse than 4od which i thought was impossible. please bring the old iplayer back
I’ve upgraded the firmware but still get an error saying: “Sorry there seems to be a problem. Please quit the application and try again”. keep doing this but it just does not work. FAIL!
Has anybody solved this problem????
I think its rather rubbish. one would expect a better service from the bbc. I will be complaining to my mp. Was much more pleasing prior to the update
Fine but how do you exit the programme? Surely this is standard practice or is it a ploy?
As a digital designer I’m appalled at the design of the new iPlayer app for PS3.
Not only does the user navigation suck, there is no quit button, no logical back navigation and to top the long list of usability ssues, the damn thing doesn’t actualy stream TV content ( in either SD or HD).
I’ve just spent the last 2 hours trying to watch the latest Horizon. Finally, on the advice of other posts here I accessed the old front-end via the web browser.
Success…. :)
BBC – was this app tested..? HTML 5 is still a new technology and will not be considered a stable ‘approved’ technology until at least 2015.
Come on BBC. Like most on here I normally shout the achievements of the organization and quality of programming but this is a joke.
Echoing frustations of others.. Was this app even tested?
it dont work!! CHANGE IT BACK TO THE OLD 1 u TWATS!!
Took me a while to work out how to navigate. Main problem I have is when the program plays in full screen the black bars appear over it for a few seconds, reappear when paused and stay there for a few seconds after you resume play. This obscures the program you’re trying to watch and is most irritating!
New player is total garbage, what on earth where they thinking. Can’t of been tested. Sort it out Beeb!!
I echo most of the comments here, the new iPlayer is not as good as the previous version. My main gripe is when searching categories, there are no sub menus anymore which makes finding the stuff I like much more long winded. The overall feel is cheap and nasty, not what you’d expect from the Beeb. I’ll have to use the browser work-around in the future.
New front end is ok, not great. But main gripe is the constant buffering. completely unusable. Don’t think it is a connection speed issue, as have the the same issues on girlfriends 8mb line that i do on my 50mb cable line. Reverted back to http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/bigscreen/ for now.
it dont even work all i get is there has been a problem showing this programme ????? crap
New updated version is completely rubbish, try to watch something and it keeps freezing every 30 seconds. Even tried loading the program leaving it for 30 mins on pause in case buffering was needed – still no luck.
Had no problems with the version = should bring it back.
This new BBC I player is VERY DISAPPOINTING, You have to download it each time you use it and to log off it and get back to the PS3 Xbar menu you have to hold the PS3 button down and force the system to shut off the program, Please how do I get the old BBC i player back as it was far better
rubbish rubbish rubbish , it doesnt work! FOOLS youve messed up my iplayer , if its not broke DONT fix it!
The new BBC iPlayer for PS3 is utter rubbish.
Unresponsive, clunky, unintuitive – horrible to navigate, hard work to bloody even exit the thing.
Granted – the playback quality once you finally get what you want seems to be a wee bit better, but its such hard work getting there that you’ll have given up and thrown down the controller… then headed to watch your programme on the laptop or PC.
Awful.
Who tested it?!
Terrible – Terrible – Terrible
@@@ U HAVE TO RESTART PS3 TO EXIT @@@
Hope someone is listening….
The old iPlayer on the PS3 was brilliant, and was the best bit of my PS3. This new version is appalling. Was it even tested?
You can quit the app by simply holdin down the ps3 button and clicking quit. Hope this helps
does anyone know if rebooting the ps3 works and if so how do you do this?
anyone getting the message on the ps3 using bbc iplayer ‘there seems to be a problem please quit the aplication and try again’ you need to set your date and time correctly for some reason iplayer wont work if this isnt done.
what excatly should i do to get my new & IMPROVED lol iplayer workin???
this update is great! my wife cant watch eastenders any more on it, thanks sony :) good update
@ Willyekrslike – quality mate cant fault it….
anyone getting the message on the ps3 using bbc iplayer ‘there seems to be a problem please quit the aplication and try again’ you need to set your date and time correctly for some reason iplayer wont work if this isnt done. – fair point mate also…..
You will find if you delete it. then restart the system then re-install it. then restart the ps3 about 5 times before opening iplayer it it should boot up fine… That said once you get in there it says that every single program you want to watch is unavailable anyway but thats besides the point lol
its terrible you cannot seem to quit it or go back. why have they changed it
I just updated the bbc iplayer and the latest Sony playstation 3 and it IS not responding to pressing the O button or the PS button to exit ? Had to turn off manually ?
Why bother to update the iplayer and not sort out the PS as well ?
Piontless update to Play station 3 !
Come on Sony , sort it out !……………
The same problems occurred on the iplayer app for iPad 2. BBC have since updated and it now works flawlessly. Hopefully the app for PS3 will get updated soon. No such problems on Wii.
I miss the pointer, navigating around the new system is hard and takes longer, it was easier just to point and click! I also like being able to make an easy exit..took me ages to get out of the new i player the 1st time i used it. Me no likey
Just went to use iplayer for first time in a couple of months and the whole TV menu has gone from Xbar menu, Have they removed it all together or is it hidden under another menu I can’t find ?
I just tried to expand my mind with the latest iplayer and its just rubbish! I had so much hope invested in it that I feel sooooo betrayed. I’m probably going to drown my sorry self in the bath now.
Been using it on a 15Mbps connection and it didn’t work well at all initially. Stuttered on HD then still stuttered on SD! I read this was down to some high initial demand and the bandwidth issues are a lot better now.
Still can’t watch HD over my connection in the evening but I have to say I like the new interface and the PQ is a whole heap better than the previous Iplayer app on PS3.
I’ve been suffering from the “there has been a problem showing this programme” error ever since it was launched. I searched in vain for a fix but with an error like that what do I have to go on? Poor.
Anyway, one day I tried connecting to the internet via my friendly neighbour’s WiFi and iPlayer worked immediately. So, I looked at how my internet connection was set up and it turned out to be an anti-spyware detection system between my router and the PS3. This is likely to be a very rare set of circumstances for most people, but at least I’ve now found the cause, and fixed it. No thanks to the unhelpful error messages.
To exit this dreadful thing just hold down the ps button and press quit.
Hi all,
when watching a show on new iplayer if you pause it and leave for a while a message appears saying you have been disconnected from your network,please reconnect ! and the only way to reconnect is to quit iplayer and start it up again,does anybody else have this problem and is there a way to solve it?
Old player was far better that this crap. Everytime I exit bbc iplayer I must install it again over in over wtf?! Absolute rubbish!
If anyone is havng a message appearing when you are trying to access iplayer once you have installed it saying “sorry there seems to be a problem……. make sure your’re date and time is correct. I changed my date and time to the correct date and time and it worked straight away !
Very frustrated with the new iPlayer on the PS3. So many programmes marked as unavailable including the F1 which is what I mainly use it for. These programmes clearly are available though every other iPlayer variant including iphone, & pc. Tried everything I’ve picked up search the web – reinstalling, loging into PS network, checking date and time set correctly, rebooting……nothing works which renders the new iPlayer pretty useless.
Utter pants, what happened to fast forward or rewind? What happened to the great feature that allowed you to return to the programme you were watching if you had to switch off and wanted to go back to it? What happened to volume control so you could set it to your TVs level?
Seriously this really is a case of if it aint broke don’t fix it. The people who brought us this latest version should be kicked out of a job. …… just shocking.
I can’t even get it to work at all! Starts loading, then bails out giving me an error saying: “Sorry there seems to be a problem. Please quit the application and try again”
Wow!!!! Started amazing….top HD picture, brilliant sound for a 3 months or so. Then the buffering started. I am a Openreach engineer and have done test upon tests on my broadband. 36mbps download 15ms ping & 10mbps upload, nothing at all wrong with the broadband. It started so well this BBCi player. Now I can not even watch it at all ,buffer…….3 mins……buffer…….2mins….. Buffer. I think it could be some sort of bug/update as it did work perfect untill the last update. Please sort this out BBC/Sony this is very poor & annoying.
Utterly useless. Have to download the iplayer software every time and then will not play a single programme. Worked once when asked for age verification. Next day back to refusal to play anything. BBC and Sony – what a combination eh? If brains were dynamite, they wouldnt ruffle their hair!
why does the BBCi Player keep disconnecting on my PS3 when i pause any programmes that i’ve been watching? This is so bloody annoying, as i had no problems with the old version. Has anyone got any solutions to this?
i have exactly the same problem Keith,as i said in an earlier post,would like a solution to this.
bbc iplayer is not loadin at all. please could u sort it out as can’t watch repeats of james herriot, thanku
I am really disappointed. I have always been a PlayStation girl but I have had no end of problems with my PS3. BBC iplayer being the latest! Sort it out Sony I didn’t pay over £300 for a console that doesn’t even work properly :(.
I had the problem with the ps3 Iplayer where any programme I tried to watch just displayed
Sorry. There has been a problem showing this programme
What it should have said was
Sorry – please go to your internet browser and “allow” cookies.
because once i did this it worked fine. Good luck
p.s open internet brower – press triangle – go to tools – cookies – allow – exit browser – open iplayer – choose programme – oh look it works but i havent time to watch it – go to bed – get up go to work and avoid conversations about it all day :)
Constant play-buffer-play stuttering on either SD or HD, incredibly irritating and pretty much unwatchable now for iplayer via PS3. It wasn’t always so…
Nothing wrong with my internet connection or bandwidth, it’s obviously a supply side issue. BBC obviously can’t afford the hardware, £4 billion a year in licence fees isn’t much after all.
Shambolic.
same as above driving me nuts
yep being trying to use it and it is too slow to watch anything!
Can’t complain really.It’s an addition I didn’t expect to get with a PS3 (main use Blu-Ray).
Picture quality much better than Humax Foxsat HDR :(
minimal buffering (lucky me by the looks)
i-player HD not a patch on Blu-Ray for quality.
Tip for anyone using “wireless” and getting trouble as I did.Switch to cable so much better ;)