BBci player on your Desire HTC!

kgt272

Is it possible?

It certainly is a lot of the time! Follow steps on below

Use Skyfire as your web browser. Go to BBC i player homepage, pick what program you want to watch , make sure the setting "load pages as " is on desktop, or default setting works as well.

When you click the program you want to watch you will get a green arrow icon, you need to click to download the content link, press this , then you will invariably get the message " not available in your region etc". At this point you press menu and the video icon will appear on bottom left of page (this is built in Skyfire controls) click the video button and hey presto it will load your content and you are up and running. The odd time it may time out or say media type not available but redo the steps and it will work.

I stress I am using a Desire HD and i cannot vouch for this working on any other handset! Also it will not play mature content as using the skyfire platform it prohibits you from pressing the "agree to mature content" button when prompted, as in built browser controls block it out. There may be a way around this also!

Idleater

kgt272 wrote: »

Is it possible?

If you know how to get it to work on a computer then it's at least as much effort as that.

robinph

iPlayer works fine on both my Android devices. You'll not be able to download the licenses to play the videos unless you are in the correct geographical location at the time, although you can then play them afterwards wherever you happen to go.

In better news, there was mention a while back on something I saw on beeb news that they are thinking of introducing a paid for option for foreigners. They just hadn't quite figured out what model to use such that it wouldn't be classed as making a profit or not spending the license fee correctly.

srsly78

I connect to my work VPN (london), and play through that.

kgt272

Idleater wrote: »

If you know how to get it to work on a computer then it's at least as much effort as that.

Actually got it to work on my HTC desire HD, location Cork city, no obtaining false IP addresses or anything like that or anything complicated or dodgy. Will play almost everything except something that has mature content i.e "come fly with me" but pretty much everything else, few things you have to do all right , nothing major , but everything else just works ok, for me anyway!:)

Saadyst

kgt272 wrote: »

Actually got it to work on my HTC desire HD, location Cork city, no obtaining false IP addresses or anything like that or anything complicated or dodgy. Will play almost everything except something that has mature content i.e "come fly with me" but pretty much everything else, few things you have to do all right , nothing major , but everything else just works ok, for me anyway!:)

...Don't suppose you'd like to share?

srsly78

He uses VPN, simple.

kgt272

srsly78 wrote: »

He uses VPN, simple.

No Actually I don't, and I just stumbled across it by chance, far from a whizz kid I am , think its just a bit of a loop hole, so would love to share.

Use Skyfire as your web browser. Go to BBC i player homepage, pick what program you want to watch , make sure the setting "load pages as " is on desktop, or default setting works as well.

When you click the program you want to watch you will get a green arrow icon, you need to click to download the content link, press this , then you will invariably get the message " not available in your region etc". At this point you press menu and the video icon will appear on bottom left of page (this is built in Skyfire controls) click the video button and hey presto it will load your content and you are up and running. The odd time it may time out or say media type not available but redo the steps and it will work.

I stress I am using a Desire HD and i cannot vouch for this working on any other handset! Also it will not play mature content as using the skyfire platform it prohibits you from pressing the "agree to mature content" button when prompted, as in built browser controls block it out. There may be a way around this also!

Idleater

kgt272 wrote: »

Actually got it to work on my HTC desire HD, location Cork city, no obtaining false IP addresses or anything like that or anything complicated or dodgy.

So I was correct then. It was exactly as difficult and as possible as if you were using a computer. :pac:

I hope you got it working after you posted the thread question, because if you asked a question knowing the answer and then provided the answer later to make you seem smart that'd be lame.

Not that I insinuate anything of the sort.

srsly78

Get yourself a VPN anyway, so you can torrent on Eircom

kgt272

Idleater wrote: »

So I was correct then. It was exactly as difficult and as possible as if you were using a computer. :pac:

I hope you got it working after you posted the thread question, because if you asked a question knowing the answer and then provided the answer later to make you seem smart that'd be lame.

Not that I insinuate anything of the sort.

No definitely not, not my style, at that stage I had went into BBC i player to load some content and it prohibited me from doing so , I just used the Skyfire web browser and it was pure chance after that post that i got it to work, exactly like I said in my posts - so how does something that you got by pure fluke make you look smart.

Anyway, just wanted to share my lucky findings!:) Also , when you said it was exactly as difficult and as possible as when you are on a PC I assumed you were talking about VPN and false IP address websites etc as you did not elaborate. There is nothing difficult about this method!

What method do you use on the PC like a web broswer or something?

PogMoThoin

srsly78 wrote: »

Get yourself a VPN anyway, so you can torrent on Eircom

Eircom don't block torrents, although The Pirate Bay site is blocked by Eircom, piratebay torrents work absolutely fine.

kgt272

Tried it again with Skyfire browser settings set to Desktop and has no problem with any of the shorter type shows like Eastenders, Ready Steady Cook, Top Gear, James May Toy etc etc but for any longer films i.e Narnia etc seems not to work. Just remember to press the green down arrow button , then the message of not available in your region will appear , then press the menu and the skyfire video button bottom left screen then it will load the video in skyfires separate window , then press play - sorted!

Idleater

kgt272 wrote: »

No definitely not, not my style,

No prob, I was just joking with you. I know a few people that like to show they "know things" by basically doing just that, asking you a question and just as you are about to answer they basically turn around and say "is it ....." and ream off a textbook answer - I consider this lame.

kgt272 wrote: »

What method do you use on the PC like a web broswer or something?

My initial post was as brief a response as allowed by your extremely brief OP. I could have yammered on and on about setting up xyz proxy/vpn etc but I had (have) no idea how technical you are so I basically left it open. If you knew what I was getting at (which you did) I would be pointing you in the right direction to a both solutions (which you did).

You also correctly determined the easiest option to try is to use a browser to test the connection to see how far you get without having to resort to proxy/vpn.

Credit where credit is due, you got it working. I also tried the skyfire browser (desire) and while it does load the iPlayer when I try to play the video (Zen as a test) it gives me back the "not accessible in your location" error. I am connecting over WiFi - eircom dsl. I was expecting this, as that is the same error I get using a web browser on windows.

srsly78

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Eircom don't block torrents, although The Pirate Bay site is blocked by Eircom, piratebay torrents work absolutely fine.

Yes but they snoop on you, and will cut you off if record companies complain.

Chet T16

Yeah but you'll get a warning first!

I set this up (proof of concept only, i don't use torrents)

nedd

I just tried the method with Skyfire on my regular Desire and it worked, just watched some Top Gear there.

nice one!

kgt272

Idleater wrote: »

No prob, I was just joking with you. I know a few people that like to show they "know things" by basically doing just that, asking you a question and just as you are about to answer they basically turn around and say "is it ....." and ream off a textbook answer - I consider this lame.


Credit where credit is due, you got it working. I also tried the skyfire browser (desire) and while it does load the iPlayer when I try to play the video (Zen as a test) it gives me back the "not accessible in your location" error. I am connecting over WiFi - eircom dsl. I was expecting this, as that is the same error I get using a web browser on windows.

Cheers! not a bother, i see what you were saying!

However I have success over eircom DSL using my method outlined. I also get yje not accessible in you location error! However the key is to open up the link in the skyfire stand alone video window after you get this not accessible error! Follow the steps I outlined and it should work no problem , people already reporting success on this thread already using that method!:)

Idleater

kgt272 wrote: »

However I have success over eircom DSL using my method outlined.

Cheers, will try again so...

PogMoThoin

srsly78 wrote: »

Yes but they snoop on you, and will cut you off if record companies complain.

Sorry, get Your facts straight.
No they don't snoop on You, they have your ip address as they provide it to You in the first place. The music mafia employ a third party to spy on You, the third party then join the torrent (legally, they have permission from the music mafia, the owners) and take note of all the ip addresses connected to that torrent. All Eircom do is accept that list, match it to their list and send warnings. Eircom are the only people who have a record of who was using that ip at the given time. The music mafia or the 3rd party don't get that information as its highly confidential, and its the reason why most cases brought against ISP's get thrown out.
Eircom just made this out of court deal to save them further expense in future, saves them a fortune in legal fees fighting off the mafia.

srsly78

Yeah yeah whatever, they still cut you off. Proper solution = don't use eircom.

PogMoThoin

srsly78 wrote: »

Yeah yeah whatever, they still cut you off. Proper solution = don't use eircom.

I have Eircom, They don't warn Me

There are many other ways to download, torrents are just one

kgt272

Idleater wrote: »

I also tried the skyfire browser (desire) and while it does load the iPlayer when I try to play the video (Zen as a test) it gives me back the "not accessible in your location" error. I am connecting over WiFi - eircom dsl. I was expecting this, as that is the same error I get using a web browser on windows.

Zen is one of the ones that will not work along with larger shows like Narnia etc , but Eastenders, top gear, Magicians etc seem to work no problem. So youre dead right there that show will not work

OREGATO

Thanks op, just tried it and works a treat! Perfect, just watched a bit of top gear there!

kgt272

kgt272 wrote: »

Zen is one of the ones that will not work along with larger shows like Narnia etc , but Eastenders, top gear, Magicians etc seem to work no problem. So youre dead right there that show will not work

***Correction*** everything seems to work now, I restarted my phone, maybe some other applications running interfere or something I dont know. Just got Narnia and magicians working after I did a restart, can be temperamental but definetely works!:)

Johnny Storm

kgt272 wrote: »

....! Also it will not play mature content as using the skyfire platform it prohibits you from pressing the "agree to mature content" button when prompted, as in built browser controls block it out. There may be a way around this also!

I'm getting stuck at this step specifically in the case of Zen. Any suggestions?

kgt272

Johnny Storm wrote: »

I'm getting stuck at this step specifically in the case of Zen. Any suggestions?

I'm afraid anything with mature content its impossible to get that box ticked, its so frustrating after actually getting that far!:mad:

pandabrian

Expat Shield is free software that gives a VPN and UK ip:

http://www.watch-bbc-iplayer.com/

PogMoThoin

pandabrian wrote: »

Expat Shield is free software that gives a VPN and UK ip:

http://www.watch-bbc-iplayer.com/

Thats a Windows executable, what good is that on Android?

Ron DMC

kgt272, you are a hero. I'd never have thought of using Skyfire's built in video player. Very handy indeed.

Have it working on my Galaxy S on o2 3G.

kgt272

Ron DMC wrote: »

kgt272, you are a hero. I'd never have thought of using Skyfire's built in video player. Very handy indeed.

Have it working on my Galaxy S on o2 3G.

Pure fluke to be honest in stumbling across it this way but am glad that people are enjoying it on their Android based phones!:)

manster

All I get is 'Your phone is not supported' on Samsung Galaxy S when i go on the bbc iplayer site. Running firmware 2.2.

Anyone else get the same error message?

kgt272

manster wrote: »

All I get is 'Your phone is not supported' on Samsung Galaxy S when i go on the bbc iplayer site. Running firmware 2.2.

Anyone else get the same error message?

Still working for me on Desire HD, just tried terry wogans ireland and watched it no prob, great picture quality and no buffering of any sort , works a treat! try restarting the phone and trying again!

d31b0y

Archos 101IT Android 2.2 - not working. Skyfire throws up an error "Media error : 1002 : 1003" or something similar.

I think I remember trying Skyfire on this device before and getting some similar error with different content. Shame... had my hopes up there. Maybe Skyfire will update for my device at some stage

kgt272

d31b0y wrote: »

Archos 101IT Android 2.2 - not working. Skyfire throws up an error "Media error : 1002 : 1003" or something similar.

I think I remember trying Skyfire on this device before and getting some similar error with different content. Shame... had my hopes up there. Maybe Skyfire will update for my device at some stage

I did get that error message a few times as well , but after a system restartand not opening anything else it worked ok , maybe other apps or devices running in the background interfere i dunno. I knows its inconsistent sometimes but over the last few days its been perfect for me, not ideal but better then nothing at all!

Ron DMC

Watching the new Top Gear on the college wifi as we speak. Flawless.

Johnny Storm

manster wrote: »

All I get is 'Your phone is not supported' on Samsung Galaxy S when i go on the bbc iplayer site. Running firmware 2.2.

Anyone else get the same error message?

BBC Iplayer worked well for me via SkyFire on my Galaxy S. Recently my wife also got a Galaxy S and she gets the same message as you. I cant figure out what the difference is.

kgt272

Johnny Storm wrote: »

BBC Iplayer worked well for me via SkyFire on my Galaxy S. Recently my wife also got a Galaxy S and she gets the same message as you. I cant figure out what the difference is.

Dont know to be honest , there is a setting "load pages as" on top of browser and if this is set as desktop as opposed to android i think it makes a difference! also try a fresh reboot and try the player in skyfire as maybe other apps running could interfere - worth a shot anyway!

wardie101

Excellent Thanks OP

Is there any way around this yet ??

kgt272 wrote: »

Also it will not play mature content as using the skyfire platform it prohibits you from pressing the "agree to mature content" button when prompted, as in built browser controls block it out. There may be a way around this also!

dastardly00

I'm having a few problems trying to get BBCi player to work on my Samsung Galaxy S.
I installed Skyfire, changed the "load page as" to "Desktop" but it didn't work. I got the same message as manster got below.

manster wrote: »

All I get is 'Your phone is not supported' on Samsung Galaxy S when i go on the bbc iplayer site. Running firmware 2.2.

Anyone else get the same error message?

I restarted my phone and tried it again to no avail.
So I set the "load page as" to "android", (it says the video is not available in your region etc.) and it allows me to click the video button on the Skyfire menu toolbar at the bottom-left of the screen. The video goes to fullscreen and buffers to 100% but for some reason it won't start playing then.
Anybody any ideas?

Luckycharm

I got it working through Skyfire- prob was when I tried to play Louis Thereaux it asked me to tick box that over 16 - this box was bottom of screen and each time went to push it the Play controls came up - and could not move it around to play it

groom

Anyone got a solution to the guidance warning not being accessible. Most of what id want to watch is blocked cos of this.

smackyB

I managed to get around that by changing the phone's orientation, can't remember if it was portrait->landscape or the other way around but it definitely became visible when I did that.

itsnotmyfault

I restarted my phone and tried it again to no avail.
So I set the "load page as" to "android", (it says the video is not available in your region etc.) and it allows me to click the video button on the Skyfire menu toolbar at the bottom-left of the screen. The video goes to fullscreen and buffers to 100% but for some reason it won't start playing then.
Anybody any ideas?

This is still as far as i got on my galaxy. Is it just random that it works on some phones(even same model phones) and not on others

seanybiker

Register and you have to put in your date of birth. That's all I done and then it seems grand with the whole age thing

Chelon

For those using a VPN to access iPlayer(on a pc I presume) do you use the browser on your pc or via an RDP session to a machine in the UK, or some other method?

groom

seanybiker wrote: »

Register and you have to put in your date of birth. That's all I done and then it seems grand with the whole age thing

I've tried registering. I've put in my ancient dob and its still asking me to confirm I'm over 16. Did you do anything else?

srsly78

Chelon wrote: »

For those using a VPN to access iPlayer(on a pc I presume) do you use the browser on your pc or via an RDP session to a machine in the UK, or some other method?

Just browser.

groom

smackyB wrote: »

I managed to get around that by changing the phone's orientation, can't remember if it was portrait->landscape or the other way around but it definitely became visible when I did that.

The Skyfire video player stays in landscape mode for me and I can't see a way of changing the orientation. How did you do it?

Chelon

srsly78 wrote: »

Just browser.

In that case does your VPN give you a UK IP address? Mine doesn't & I can't access iPlayer. As I understand it the iPlayer blocks non-UK IPs...?

Luckycharm

Anyone else had probs playing it the last while- I get to the play part after buffering etc but then nothing happens.