Miss last night's episode of the Apprentice? Want to watch Saturday's Doctor Who again? Let's hope you set the video recorder, or programmed the Sky+, or can work out where they're hiding the repeat showing on some digital channel later in the week. How much easier it is with BBC radio programmes, where you can "listen again" online, up to 7 days later, no matter where you are. If only there could be a way to do the same with BBC TV programmes. Well, there is...
The BBC's iPlayer will, one day, allow you to "watch again". It's been a long, long time in development, blighted by technological difficulties and high level red tape. But the BBC Trust recently gave the iPlayer project the go ahead, convinced that it delivers public value, and the full service will begin sometime later in the year. Just as soon as a trial of 1000 UK-based net users has proved that it actually works.
And, ooh, what do you know, I'm one of those lucky 1000! I expressed an interest in signing up months and months ago, so I was dead surprised to receive a recent email from the BBC's inner technological sanctum inviting me to take part. Yes please, let me in. It's UK residents with PCs only at the moment (sorry, no Macs yet), and I have to use Internet Explorer because the process relies on Microsoft's DRM systems (boo hiss). First I downloaded the basic iPlayer software, which'll sit on my computer until the trial ends, and then I was off.
What a lot of programmes there are to choose from. It's only BBC-generated shows (no Neighbours or Diagnosis Murder) and it's only stuff from the last 7 days (no Queen's Christmas Message or I Claudius). But that still leaves quite a bit. A week of Newsnights, for example, and Chucklevision, and Springwatch Nightshift, and Casualty, and even Welsh First Minister's Questions. I haven't sampled the latter, obviously. But I have caught up with the Doctor Who Confidential I missed while I was on the train coming back from Dungeness, and a couple of programmes I only realised were worth watching after I'd read the review in the following day's paper. iPlayer can really change your viewing habits.
I'm finding that each show is taking rather a long time to download, which may be because this isn't yet the final product or it may be the fault of my broadband connection. But I can store hours and hours of programmes in my online library, at least until each individual show expires. I'm allowed 7 days after first terrestrial broadcast to watch it, and then a further 7 days to watch it again (and again and again if I so desire). And then *pop* - the file vanishes. Damn, that's last Wednesday's Balamory I've just lost forever.
Programmes appear in little pop-up windows - nothing enormous, but perfectly big enough. But the killer feature is the option to view everything full screen, in really quite impressive picture quality. I don't even need to be connected to the internet. So if I want to watch last Sunday's episode of Coast full screen on my laptop whilst commuting underneath London on the Central line, then I can. Wow. It's an honour to be taking a sneak peek into the future of online public service broadcasting. And, so long as the final product can be made properly niggle-free, I think you're going to love it.
