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blackic3 · 2007-10-16, 14:57

A bit early i know, but this is me requesting a script for the BBC's iPlayer. Looks like they are abandoning DRM for a flash based streaming service that will be platform neutral....

Woo Hoo!

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting...video.html

**jcwacky** · 2007-12-13, 17:03

Well that's the Flash version of iPlayer now available. Should be relatively easy to create an XBMC script?

TheBoxMan · 2007-12-16, 01:49

Sounds like it's got good potential. Wish I had the skills to build this Smile

Still it does now sound like it's within the abilities of the members of this community to do it now!

paperclipmonkey · 2007-12-17, 20:37

I had a look at trying to find the flash video embedded in pages but I can't see it.
They load an XML file and it has the address of a server that I guess would be the location of the stream but I can't seem to find the file on it. Maybe HTTP isn't the right way to access it, i'll try ethereal for more answers.
I guess that if we don't use their code there is a chance we will be able to get around their UK only restriction.
Well I can hope...

Gamester17 · 2007-12-17, 20:47

paperclipmonkey Wrote:I guess that if we don't use their code there is a chance we will be able to get around their UK only restriction

Should be possible to 'fool' or 'spoof' from which location in the world you are in using a proxy, checkout http://proxy.org

http://proxy.org/cgi_proxies.shtml
would make a nice re-usable module for any python script to use I would think Rolleyes

...though I'm not sure if the python-engine in XBMC uses the HTTP proxy set in XBMC via GUI settings?

Huh

weateallthepies · 2007-12-19, 09:52

paperclipmonkey Wrote:I had a look at trying to find the flash video embedded in pages but I can't see it.
They load an XML file and it has the address of a server that I guess would be the location of the stream but I can't seem to find the file on it. Maybe HTTP isn't the right way to access it, i'll try ethereal for more answers.
I guess that if we don't use their code there is a chance we will be able to get around their UK only restriction.
Well I can hope...

There is some info here http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/BBC_iPlayer on what the MythTV guys have done to get it working.

zezayer · 2007-12-19, 17:27

More info on the stream here:

You can use iplayer without a TV license, but you do have to live in the UK.

cubicgarden · 2007-12-20, 04:37

Phil's link has everything you guys need to make a xbox media centre script for a BBC streaming iplayer.

If anyone needs any help or encouragement, give me a shout.

I work for Backstage.bbc.co.uk and it would be great to show off the different ways people are viewing BBC content now we're streaming online.

ian dot forrester at the domain name of the bbc Smile

paperclipmonkey · 2007-12-20, 11:39

The MythTV hack looks ugly and cumbersome, it also wouldn't be possible to translate into xbmc code as we don't have a (full) web browser implemented.

I got about as far as the other sites like http://www.philwilson.org got, but without rtmp protocol were stuck. Anyone else got any ideas?
Java isn't usable on the xbox either, only python or C.

Nice to see we have the backing of the BBC to hack.. Big Grin

You couldn't implement something more open could you? Liking the XML, but all we need now is another non-proprietary format (or something that's already been reverse engineered), maybe normal FLV files (openable by most media players)
Paperclipmonkey

cubicgarden · 2007-12-20, 18:13

We're happy for people to hack around for non-commercial uses.

I'll look into the weird protocal issue but nothings happening before xmas now, specially with iplayer launching officially on 25th December.

Strawp · 2007-12-27, 03:29

cubicgarden Wrote:We're happy for people to hack around for non-commercial uses.

I love this Big Grin

If everyone at media companies were like you there would be no such thing as DRM.

I was looking into this too, I've not read that article above yet, but I grabbed the SWF, decompiled it with Flare and had a read. There's certainly no quick dirty hack to get the FLV URLs - there's all sorts of negotiation with token servers and encryption etc going on.

Really looking forward to getting a script running for this. I'd like to help although I've never written anything in Python before.

Strawp · 2007-12-27, 03:47

OK, I read those links. I take it from that that no one is attempting a non-flash client that can use the flash streams? It seems in MythTV they're just embedding the client and passing vars to it to load up programmes. I was hoping for something which could eventually be passing a URL to mplayer.

Is there a way to embed the actual client into XBMC though? I'm all for doing that if it's possible.

I'm not back to work until the 7th - I may just get bored enough to write up some notes on the player I've been reading.

Gamester17 · 2007-12-27, 16:18

Strawp Wrote:If everyone at media companies were like you there would be no such thing as DRM.

The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is a state-owned corporation (owned by the British goverment) so it should really be DRM free and support open standards.

We have the same here in Sweden with SVT and SR (Sveriges Television and Sveriges Radio) who broadcast the channels for free (well, free is relative since it is paid for by our taxes), and without commersials as a public service broadcaster.

The BBC is, per its charter, to be "free from both political and commercial influence and answers only to its viewers and listeners"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC

Quote:As part of the BBC Charter, the Corporation cannot show commercial advertising in any services in the United Kingdom (television, radio, or internet). Outside the United Kingdom the BBC broadcasts commercially funded channels such as BBC America, BBC Canada, and BBC World. In order to justify the licence fee, the BBC is expected to produce a number of high-rating shows in addition to programmes that commercial broadcasters would not normally broadcast.

PS! I am Swedish and live in Sweden now but I have lived and worked in the United Kingdom for 6-years before.

Gamester17 · 2007-12-27, 16:20

Strawp Wrote:I was hoping for something which could eventually be passing a URL to mplayer.

That is what we all hope for here.

Strawp Wrote:Is there a way to embed the actual client into XBMC though?

Not realisticly, no, (nothing is impossible but it has to be worth the time and effort, ...which this is clearly not).

Geeba · 2007-12-28, 11:40

Has anyone picked this up? Are we likely to see a BBC iPlayer on XBMC? I understand how Python works but its outa my league... whish I could help as this would be a pretty dam cool!