BBC iPlayer etc playback on your telly?

Rather than watching programmes on the computer, is there any way of watching them on your telly? Is it possible to download them? I have a Apple TV so if I can get them onto iTunes, I can watch them on the telly. Any suggestions..?

some programmes can be downloaded from iPlayer rather than streamed.

My brother runs all his ents (TV, DVD etc) through a media PC to his flatscreen TV but that’s all managed by Vista Media I think. NO idea about fwapples.

Virgin Media’s Cable TV has the BBC iPlayer.

I’ve got virgin media so it’s on there. Picture quality is ‘variable’

As far as I know iPlayer uses streaming Flash video. Knowing Apple I would be surprised if this was something iTunes could play them, doesn’t it use only MP4 video?

I can watch iplayer on my TV through my Wii.

install boxee[/url] on your Apple TV and you’re good to go.

You install by sticking usb drive in it, and it’s completely reversible should you need to get rid of it (for warranty etc.)

I just play it through my laptop with an s-video output into the telly.

If you have a PS3 you can play it via the web browser apparently. I would assume the same will go for eXBox.

You can play it through a wii if you have one as well apparently – I havnt tried it myself yet!

PS3 route works quite well, picture quality not fantastic, but certainly watchable.

As above installing Boxee on the Apple TV is probably the best route.

The PS3 works well, for some reason the ITV Catch Up does not though?

You can use Wii, PS3, PC/laptop hooked up to telly, iPhone/iPod Touch hooked up to telly, Virgin Media.

I’ve used the Wii option a few times – it is watchable, but not great quality as they have to use the older version of Flash which doesn’t support the nicer video.

You get better quality streaming if you use a PC with the latest version of Flash installed and you get the best quality if you download the programme rather than streaming it (plus you get to keep it for 30 days that way).

The PS3 one is ok but a bit fiddly to fullscreen. If you have an Xbox and a PC with media centre, you are quids in. There’s an add-on called TunerFreeMCE which lets you watch all the BBC iplayer stuff AND the Channel4, 5 and ITV ones too inside media centre. Then you can just beam it to your Xbox and you’re away.

I’ve been trying to get this to work for a while but it won’t work with a PS3 and I don’t have an Xbox. Something to do with the PS3 not supporting streaming of the video format from TunerFreeMCE

I use an old XBox running Xbox Media Centre and the iPlayer application. Also got All of ITV on there, plus my DivXs mounted from my Mac Pro upstairs. Great solution for probably 20 quid to pick up a 2nd hand xbox. Needs a fair bit of work to get it set up though.

I use a cable from my serial out to the DVi in on the TV. Use it as I would a projector.

grumm – Member
I just play it through my laptop with an s-video output into the telly.

what is picture like then? i’m no home cinema buff – but recenty bought a flat screen tv that said it could be used as a monitor – not tried it yet

I use a cable from my serial out to the DVi in on the TV. Use it as I would a projector.

Pretty sure you mean a cable from your monitor/VGA out.

Please no one go forcing a VGA cable into the serial port:

It won’t like it!

I haven’t got a games console and the computer is nowhere near the telly. Sounds like a lap top and a cable would do it.

doenload it onto your pc,use something like sound taxi to remove the drm, then burn it to dvd as a div-x and watch. Bit heavy on the dvds and faff factor but works okay…

Thanks. yes, I meant a cable from my monitor/VGA out into the DVi on the TV. Which means it is effectively a monitor. You dont’ get as much visible display but it’s good enough for BBC iplaying.
cable : Plexus DVI-I Single Link To VGA Cable (Black) 3m from ebuyer.
Cost: £2.51, bargain.