The BBC’s iPlayer, which is available for a variety of devices, is formatted in about 14 different ways, including for cellular (see below), according CNET Crave UK’s interview with Anthony Rose, the BBC’s Controller of the Online and Media Group.
Rose says in the interview, “We create about 14 different formats, ranging from about 160Kbps for some mobile, over-the-air streaming, through to 1,500Kbps for our highest iPlayer SD quality stream, in H.264 played out as flash. We also create 3Mbps [for standard definition] on Virgin Media, and now for our HD content we create 3.2Mbps HD. So it's about 14 or 15 flavours.
“We typically make a 3GP format, which is really H.264. We make VP6, H.264, MPEG-2 and we make Windows Media Video….Our Flash player can play the H.264 or VP6 files, and the mobile formats might play out often in RealPlayer on a mobile device.”
Alas, poor Americans
Unfortunately, for Americans it doesn’t matter how many formats are available. The BBC iPlayer isn’t available for us (as in “U.S.”).
Comments