[dink]

Intro

This plugin enables (UK only) the playing of TV & Radio catchup content from the BBC IPlayer website. Live radio and TV feeds are also supported.

This thread takes over from the original IPlayer development thread.

The Google Code page for this plugin is http://code.google.com/p/xbmc-iplayerv2/



TV streams supported*: 512x288 VP6@512Kbs, 640x360 H.264@800Kbs, 832x468 H.264@1500Kbs & 1280x720 H.264@3200Kbs

Radio streams support*: Real, MP3 & AAC
*Note - not all streams available for all episodes nor supported on all platforms

Plugin Installation

To install this plugin either

• Download the IPlayer .zip file and follow the XBMC plugin installation instructions
  
  
• Use the SVN Repo installer
  

Plugin Issues

• If you are having a problem with the plugin or just have a query please do read the documentation and do a search of this thread before posting.
  
• If you believe you have found a bug or would like to request a feature then create a new issue.
  

Plugin Limitations

• This plugin doesn't work outside of the UK. The BBC IPlayer service ensures that only UK IP addresses can access IPlayer content.
  
• For Live TV a Windows or Linux build of at least SVN:21747 (2009-07-18) is required. For XBox support use a build of at least SVN:21819 .
  
• For Windows and Linux users some of the Radio streams don't work. XBMC on Windows and Linux does not support the rtsp:// protocol which is needed by some of the catchup and live radio streams.
  
• This plugin supports the Flash H.264 HD streams but needs an XBMC build, Windows or Linux, SVN:20015 or later. Configure video streams via the plugins settings.
  
• This plugin supports Flash H.264 800Kb streams on the XBox but needs at least a build SVN:20810.
  
• This plugin supports the Flash AAC radio streams but needs an XBMC build, Windows or Linux, SVN:20015 or later. Configure audio streams via the plugins settings.
  

Plugin Tips

The original XBMC forum for this plugin contains a host of interesting bits of information on using this plugin. Please search there first before posting, your query may have already been answered.

• Answer for I have the latest version of XBMC 9.04 and it doesn't play H.264 streams correctly
  
• Answer for When I select iPlayer in the menu it just lists the contents of that folder] and install not working
  
• Answer for how do you use the Radio "Listen Live" feature on Windows or Linux
  
• Answer for Video streaming not working - What country does the BBC believe you are in and here
  
• Answer for Can I use this plugin to download rather than stream
  
• Answer for all the streams are constantly buffering. It will play sucessfully for 20 seconds or so and then buffer for 20 seconds
  
• Answer for Is the BBC application a xbmc plugin or script : - )
  
• Answer for - Does the plugin support subtitles. Yes just enable subtitles in the plugin settings.
  
• Answer for How do I speed up the buffering for Radio programmes or the cache size for radio is too large
  
• Answer for IPlayer listings are not being updated/go stale
  

Credits
This project is based on a no longer maintained XBMC Iplayer project.

Thanks for all the hard work by the XBMC guys and to Frosty and motd2k for the RTMP patches that enable this plugin.

[rudeboyx]

Hi Dink, Cheers for sorting out the onscreen episode info/thumb, however there is a way of telling xbmc to treat the info as Movie info or TV Show info. At the moment xbmc treats it as a movie so the thumb background is designed for a poster, if you were to tell xbmc to treat it as an episode, then the thumb would be displayed on the correct background and the plot box would fill the area from one side of the screen to the other.

hope you understand what i mean. if not try watching a tv show and Movie from your library and check out the onscreen info in PM3.HD and you should notice the difference.

Not really a bug but would definatley finish off the plugin.

PS Cheers for all the hard work, this has to be the best plugin ever made for xbmc

[dink]

Hi Dink, Cheers for sorting out the onscreen episode info/thumb, however there is a way of telling xbmc to treat the info as Movie info or TV Show info. At the moment xbmc treats it as a movie so the thumb background is designed for a poster, if you were to tell xbmc to treat it as an episode, then the thumb would be displayed on the correct background and the plot box would fill the area from one side of the screen to the other.

hope you understand what i mean. if not try watching a tv show and Movie from your library and check out the onscreen info in PM3.HD and you should notice the difference.

Not really a bug but would definatley finish off the plugin.

PS Cheers for all the hard work, this has to be the best plugin ever made for xbmc

I've looked and I can't see the mechanism to do this.

When listing a set of tv episodes I can use

Code:

xbmcplugin.setContent(handle=handle, content='episodes')

but since the the streams are not kicked off directly from the directory listing I only have xbmcgui.ListItem and xbmc.PlayList object methods available. This comes down to using listitem.setInfo('video', .... setinfo only seems to understand video, music or pictures.

Is it possible for you to give me a specific example.

BTW this would have been a good item for http://code.google.com/p/xbmc-iplayerv2/issues/list

Cheers
Dink

[pajretX]

Hi dink,
I've just copied the newest version of your plugin to my XBMC-9.04-BABYLON-FINAL-T3CH.
Unfortunately, i have problems with video speed :/ it's like 3 times faster than sound
I tried changing video quality, switching subtitles on and off but still no joy :/

What could be the problem?

I just add that previous version I was using (iplayer-2009-03-06b) works just fine.

Regards,

[dink]

Hi dink,
I've just copied the newest version of your plugin to my XBMC-9.04-BABYLON-FINAL-T3CH.
Unfortunately, i have problems with video speed :/ it's like 3 times faster than sound
I tried changing video quality, switching subtitles on and off but still no joy :/

What could be the problem?

I just add that previous version I was using (iplayer-2009-03-06b) works just fine.

Regards,

You need to switch the video quality to Flash (512). From your description it sounds like a H.264 stream playing on a build which doesn't properly support it.

Cheers
Dink

[pajretX]

Thanks for that!
I'll try that later on

Regards,

[Kingsley]

You need to switch the video quality to Flash (512). From your description it sounds like a H.264 stream playing on a build which doesn't properly support it.

Cheers
Dink

I have the latest version for Windows (9.04) and the exact same thing is happening to me.
Latest version of flash also installed on PC just incase

[dink]

I have the latest version for Windows (9.04) and the exact same thing is happening to me.
Latest version of flash also installed on PC just incase

You need a build post SVN revision 20015. Have a look at http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid...+svn+build for a list of sources.

Cheers
Dink

[zag]

Excellent work, got it up and running fine here.

[Kingsley]

You need a build post SVN revision 20015. Have a look at http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid...+svn+build for a list of sources.

Cheers
Dink

Ah sorry, didn't know there were other released elsewhere. Just got the latest one from the xbmc homepage.

I'll download this and get back to you

[Kingsley]

Just got that latest update, all working.
Thanks very much for that, learn something new every day

[rudeboyx]

to be honest dink i havent seen it implimented in any other plugin as far as i can remember. just noticed it in Library / TV Shows OSD and asumed it would be a callable command in the plugin code. must just be a XBMC Library feature and not in the plugin engine. it will probably have to be requested as a new xbmc feature. il put a request in on the trac when i get a spare sec.

[mrtickle]

I'm having a lot of trouble in the Settings page. As soon as I go in there, it pops up another window on top "Loading directory: retrieved 0 items" with only a Cancel button. Pressing Cancel changes the title of that window to "canceling..." (sic) and then locks up the xbox.
Any ideas please?

I should add that the rest of the plugin seems to work fine. Using T3CH XBMC 2009-05-09 9.04-Babylon build.

[dink]

I'm having a lot of trouble in the Settings page. As soon as I go in there, it pops up another window on top "Loading directory: retrieved 0 items" with only a Cancel button. Pressing Cancel changes the title of that window to "canceling..." (sic) and then locks up the xbox.
Any ideas please?

I should add that the rest of the plugin seems to work fine. Using T3CH XBMC 2009-05-09 9.04-Babylon build.

I will have a look into this. For now to get to the settings when selecting a channel or series bring up the context menu, press the title button, and select plugin settings.

Anyone else have this issue?

Cheers
Dink

[nova77_]

You need a build post SVN revision 20015. Have a look at http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid...+svn+build for a list of sources.

I am running IPlayer-2009-05-14.zip with the latest release XBMC 9.04.1 (20542), but it still have the issue of the video playing faster than the audio.

My settings: WinXP, dual core athlon XP (cpu at 30% on load), 2gigs, nvidia 9600GT and 12Mb/s internet. The issue shows up on any H.264 stream, no matter what's the quality setting (auto works tho).