Thu, Apr 10, 2008 | 07:21 BST
iPlayer on Wii is “ironic”, says BBC
The BBC has explained its decision to put iPlayer on Wii instead of PS3 or 360, calling the move “ironic” and saying the announcement makes a “mockery” of Microsoft and Sony’s multimedia aspirations.
“How ironic that it is the Nintendo Wii, and not the Playstation 3 nor Xbox 360, that becomes the first of the current generation of consoles to have a truly dynamic range of online video content,” said BBC journo Darren Waters on his blog.
“The BBC’s announcement of a deal with Nintendo to put the iPlayer’s streaming service on the console makes something of a mockery claims by Sony and Microsoft that their consoles are the true multimedia machines.”
The BBC announced yesterday that its iPlayer software – and the BBC programming that goes with it – is now available in early form on Wii.
There’s plenty more through the link.
19 comments
#1
morriss
10/04/08, 7:22 am
Is that the only reason they did it?
#2
Tonka
10/04/08, 7:41 am
So that’s what the i stands for.
Looks at iMac/iPod/iPhone
;_; ;_; ;_;
#3
Tonka
10/04/08, 7:53 am
Sounds like MS and Sony dind’t want it.
Ah, cool. Flash update on the way for the Wii.
“Xbox Live, its [MS] walled garden online service.”
IMO it’s MS fear of Flash that makes it a no go. Since the iPlayer is web based the PS3 will be able to access it once they update the Flashplayer.
#4
jetsetwilly
10/04/08, 7:54 am
The blog entry says “According to the Beeb’s Erik Huggers it’s because Sony and Microsoft wanted to “control” the iPlayer.” – which is unsurprising if true.
#5
patlike
10/04/08, 7:56 am
Not surprising at all, tbh.
#6
Tonka
10/04/08, 9:15 am
Fuck. I just had a look and it won’t let me access it from outside of UK. But you guys don’t have bands broad enough to use it either.
Talk about irony…
#7
kasai
10/04/08, 9:16 am
the BBC have nothing on there channel anyway so I doubt anyone is going to be missing anything. Unless you love Eastenders
#8
that_happy_cat
10/04/08, 9:19 am
I don’t think it’s ironic. Nintendo’s mass market audience is full of people wanting to watch BBC’s summer lineup. THe synergy between god awful programme making AND a never ending puke-duction line of unplayable mini-games is undeniable.
Also… can people please stop putting “i” in front of other words? It’s starting to rally get on my nerves.
#9
Random_H
10/04/08, 9:19 am
Keep your 480p Video.
And your irony.
Alex
#10
Tonka
10/04/08, 9:41 am
You tell them Alex. You tell them good.
#11
patlike
10/04/08, 9:43 am
@Alex:
#12
DizkoSkatinSuperstar
10/04/08, 9:43 am
A shining example of post-Hutton BBC editorial impartiality there.
#13
patlike
10/04/08, 9:44 am
Heh. He’s really not mincing his words, is he?
#14
bloke
10/04/08, 9:50 am
Blimey – I’m really looking forward to using this. In the absence of being arsed to remember to record stuff, the iPlayer works perfectly OK. And now it’s on my bedroom telly
What’s not to like?
/never take anyone called Darren seriously BTW.
#15
morriss
10/04/08, 9:51 am
Yeah because supporting iPlayer = True Multimedia Machine.
#16
Psychotext
10/04/08, 10:11 am
Hey BBC… we pay for you so I’d reconsider saying stupid stuff like that. I’ll have a couple of thousand people demanding you port it to the gamecube before you know it. =)
#17
Whizzo
10/04/08, 11:54 am
Considering how much the BBC repeat everything iPlayer is almost redundant on every platform.
#18
grandmaster
10/04/08, 12:39 pm
I think it’s more likely that Sony and MS don’t want to be involved because they can’t be seen to offer free media content when they want to sell/rent their own.
#19
elredeyegrande
10/04/08, 1:17 pm
You can get the iPlayer working through the Media Extender on the 360. It’s a less than ideal solution, but hey it works.