Methods for unrestricted BBC iPlayer programme downloading, so-far

This article outlines current methods for creating unrestricted copies of BBC iPlayer programs.

Here I aim to outline current solutions, allowing the relatively uninformed user get a grasp of the current situation and determine their best option


This area is subject to frequent cat-and-mouse games between the BBC and developers so these methods cannot be guaranteed to work in the future.
In order to follow the latest developments and methods for downloading unrestricted versions of BBC iPlayer programs visit the Beebhack Wiki.

http://beebhack.wikia.com/wiki/Beebhack

There are currently no methods for downloading videos played using the BBC iPlayer style player and hosted on Non-BBC iPlayer pages.

Outline of Techniques
There are currently two methods of obtaining unrestricted copies of programs from the BBC iPlayer,

• Method A; Using the 'BBC iPlayer Download Manager' to download the program from the BBC iPlayer site, and then using DRM removal tools on the downloaded files to create an unrestricted '.wmv' file.


• Method B; Using any of various scripts and programs to trick the BBC iPlayer website into believing the user is accessing the site with an Apple 'iPhone' or 'iPod Touch'. The BBC iPlayer site then passes the user a '.mov' file.

Comparison of techniques

	Resulting File Quality	Availablilty on iPlayer programs	Advantages	Disadvantages	OS
Method A	(High) 672×544 1300kbps to 2700kbps .wmv WMV3	Available on all programs with download option.	Available on the majority of programs. Good quality result.	OS specific (Windows)	Windows, possibly XP only. Requires Windows Media Player
Method B	(High) 480×272 1536 kbps .mov mp4a	Available on most programs, although usually not immediately after release	Fast, some versions are easy to use	Many updates due to alterations by BBC, so there can be periods without a working version	OS non-specific

Further Information on techniques

Method A - There is not currently a neat all-in-one user interface (GUI) available to do this simply. Though the following process is reliable and although contains many steps should require little expertise.
See http://clickdotshout.blogspot.com/...ded-bbc-iplayer.html for tutorial.

Method B - This method involves the BBC iPlayer website believing that the users computer is either an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch. The iPlayer site then sends a .mov file of the program to the user.
Visit Paul Battley's site and the Beebhack Wiki for the latest updates on this method.

http://po-ru.com		http://beebhack.wikia.com/wiki/Beebhack