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BBC Radio on iPhone?
- Thread starter applemax
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Eh?I mean if you don't touch the touchscreen for more than 10 seconds. It goes dark and then to black and the sound from FStream stutters to a halt. Do you mean that when trying to listen to the radio you would be constantly stroking your iPhone?
No, i mean my phone is set to never go to sleep. Ever. The screen only goes black when i press the lock button.
My latest missive - my response to the news that BBC iPlayer on-demand Radio is now 'supported' on iPhones, but only via wifi:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/09/listen_again_to_bbc_radio_show.html#dnaacs
A bit long I'm afraid, but then again I expect most of us now feel pretty strongly about this issue...
Sorry BBC, but I am very disappointed that this development does not cover 3G/EDGE streaming or indeed live radio.
It seems to miss the point that radio is the perfect MOBILE medium. I echo comments 8 and 14 that when out and about with a mobile phone, we're only very rarely going to have a constant wifi connection. I may have wifi at home and in the office, but there I also have a laptop, TV and a radio!
Sure, one day I might be STATIC - hanging about an airport departure lounge or station, suddenly able to watch the radio/TV that I have already paid for via my licence fee. Marvellous, but what about the everyday, when I nip out of my office for lunch, and am now denied access to Radio 4's The World at One?! (Which I used to enjoy via the the FM tuner on my old mobile phone.)
Wifi hotspots are frequently paid-for - and you're unlikely to want to pay for multiple hotspots while walking down the street.
The iPhone 3G from O2 requires a mandatory 'unlimited' data package, charged (within the overall contract) at £10 per month. I spoke to O2 and they said that there is a 'fair usage policy', but the theoretical limit is about 3.5GB and so very unlikely to be exceeded on a mobile phone. O2 no longer prohibits the use of streaming radio in its terms and conditions.
Several other UK and international stations stream fine over 3G on an iPhone - Capital Radio, Virgin, Classic, Choice, and indeed the BBC World Service. Some streams use dedicated iPhone applications, such as Tuner, FlyCast or AOL Radio, and others work via the Safari browser. It is a real shame that I now have to look to the competition for my radio fix.
The BBC News article referred to above, about the launch of iPlayer for the Nokia N96, talks about supporting 3G streaming AND downloads of TV/radio programmes.
Could we please have a clear explanation from the BBC about why 3G streaming is blocked on the iPhone, and an indication of its future development plans?
From various internet forums I have participated in, to talk of complicated 'workarounds' with very poor results, I know that there are a lot of disgruntled licence payers who are very disappointed at not being able to access BBC content - while mobile in the true sense - on their iPhones.
Maybe we should blame Steve Jobs for refusing to put an FM or better still DAB tuner in his magical new device. However, I would have hoped that some relatively simple adjustments from the BBC - or a proper iPlayer application available from the iTunes AppStore - could resolve this issue and end our collective frustration.
Many thanks for your attention.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/09/listen_again_to_bbc_radio_show.html#dnaacs
A bit long I'm afraid, but then again I expect most of us now feel pretty strongly about this issue...
Sorry BBC, but I am very disappointed that this development does not cover 3G/EDGE streaming or indeed live radio.
It seems to miss the point that radio is the perfect MOBILE medium. I echo comments 8 and 14 that when out and about with a mobile phone, we're only very rarely going to have a constant wifi connection. I may have wifi at home and in the office, but there I also have a laptop, TV and a radio!
Sure, one day I might be STATIC - hanging about an airport departure lounge or station, suddenly able to watch the radio/TV that I have already paid for via my licence fee. Marvellous, but what about the everyday, when I nip out of my office for lunch, and am now denied access to Radio 4's The World at One?! (Which I used to enjoy via the the FM tuner on my old mobile phone.)
Wifi hotspots are frequently paid-for - and you're unlikely to want to pay for multiple hotspots while walking down the street.
The iPhone 3G from O2 requires a mandatory 'unlimited' data package, charged (within the overall contract) at £10 per month. I spoke to O2 and they said that there is a 'fair usage policy', but the theoretical limit is about 3.5GB and so very unlikely to be exceeded on a mobile phone. O2 no longer prohibits the use of streaming radio in its terms and conditions.
Several other UK and international stations stream fine over 3G on an iPhone - Capital Radio, Virgin, Classic, Choice, and indeed the BBC World Service. Some streams use dedicated iPhone applications, such as Tuner, FlyCast or AOL Radio, and others work via the Safari browser. It is a real shame that I now have to look to the competition for my radio fix.
The BBC News article referred to above, about the launch of iPlayer for the Nokia N96, talks about supporting 3G streaming AND downloads of TV/radio programmes.
Could we please have a clear explanation from the BBC about why 3G streaming is blocked on the iPhone, and an indication of its future development plans?
From various internet forums I have participated in, to talk of complicated 'workarounds' with very poor results, I know that there are a lot of disgruntled licence payers who are very disappointed at not being able to access BBC content - while mobile in the true sense - on their iPhones.
Maybe we should blame Steve Jobs for refusing to put an FM or better still DAB tuner in his magical new device. However, I would have hoped that some relatively simple adjustments from the BBC - or a proper iPlayer application available from the iTunes AppStore - could resolve this issue and end our collective frustration.
Many thanks for your attention.
Where the heck did you get this from? O2 very much still prohibit the use of streaming audio/video in their terms and conditions. It's in black and white (Clause 4 of the data section) on their website.
Phazer
Yeah me too, but l did find that if you were on Wifi then go to the radio page you want. Then l turned off Wifi and went back to the page and clicked play and it worked. So worked fine over 3G with no buffering.
Good for if you just going to leave Wifi at work or home, set it up before you go out and you're good to go.
So how come the YouTube app works then?
That FStream thing does work, but it absolutely chews through battery power like there's no tomorrow. I mean my iPhone literally runs HOT and went from 100% to 20% in about half an hour. Clearly not a long-term solution.
Because O2 are ludcriously inconsistent?
I don't have a good answer for you there, other than I suspect they feel they can't get away with enforcing the contract against YouTube given it's built in to the phone.
I suspect they may have told the BBC that they would block iPlayer over 3G, so the BBC had better do it themselves and at least they wouldn't inadvertently block other sections of the site.
Phazer
They are buggers. What about video calling though? My old N95 did that and that can't have been in violation of any T&Cs can it? Never used it, but still...
I wouldn't have said that would count as streaming audio visual media in legal terms, given it's a call that you are participating in, and a judge would no doubt agree given there is a seperate section of the agreement dedicated to video.
You'd be paying more for voice calls - O2 don't mind you using more data when it's chargable by the minute/megabyte!
Phazer
I was able to listen to an iPlayer radio listen again on 3G coverage this morning with no problem .... here's how.
Before I left home for work I checked out the iPlayer on my 3G iPhone (over wi-fi) and found (to my delight) the Radio listen agains and so headed straight for Annie Macs Mashup on Radio 1. The iPlayer took me to the QT playing screen (in Safari) and started playing the show ... awesome! I paused it and locked the iPhone and got ready for work.
.... started the walk to work and unlocked the iPhone to listen to a Podcast via the iPod app. But ... there was the safari video play screen paused on the Listen again radio stream. Clicked play hopefully and yes! .... it played. Over 3G it played fine with no skips (but it may have downloaded/buffered the entire stream whilst I was at home over wifi).
Unfortunately I pushed my luck and tried opening up another listen again stream which it wouldn't let me do as I wasn't over wifi ...
So, after the shockingly long post, the conclusion is....
Start a listen again over Wifi ... pause it ... then play again under whatever connection medium you have available providing you don't need Safari for anything else! Not a huge win for everyone but hey some people might enjoy it.
Before I left home for work I checked out the iPlayer on my 3G iPhone (over wi-fi) and found (to my delight) the Radio listen agains and so headed straight for Annie Macs Mashup on Radio 1. The iPlayer took me to the QT playing screen (in Safari) and started playing the show ... awesome! I paused it and locked the iPhone and got ready for work.
.... started the walk to work and unlocked the iPhone to listen to a Podcast via the iPod app. But ... there was the safari video play screen paused on the Listen again radio stream. Clicked play hopefully and yes! .... it played. Over 3G it played fine with no skips (but it may have downloaded/buffered the entire stream whilst I was at home over wifi).
Unfortunately I pushed my luck and tried opening up another listen again stream which it wouldn't let me do as I wasn't over wifi ...
So, after the shockingly long post, the conclusion is....
Start a listen again over Wifi ... pause it ... then play again under whatever connection medium you have available providing you don't need Safari for anything else! Not a huge win for everyone but hey some people might enjoy it.
Re: New official response from BBC to 3G/wifi iPlayer issues
Hello all - there's a new and very helpful official response to all the 3G/wifi iPlayer from Mark Friend, BBC's Controller, BBC Audio & Music Interactive, at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinter...sage=The comment contains invalid xml.#dnaacs
I'm currently unable to post my comment to it on the BBC blog by way of response (perhaps too long?), but (breathe in), here it is in full :
Mark, thanks for coming back with these FAQ. Very helpful and clarifies much of the speculation!
I will do my bit and lobby O2 to liberalise its policy on streaming audio/media. I can certainly see O2's point-of-view that it needs to ensure its nascent 3G network isn't "swamped". So far, I have actually found the O2 3G network to be quite reliable around central London (by comparison with many of the complaints voiced about AT&T in the USA), and it must stay this way as usage expands and it further develops.
This all feeds into the debate about who should pay for the massive capacity demands that the BBC iPlayer places on ISPs and now mobile networks. I agree with the BBC's policy thus far of refusing to subsidise the costs incurred by ISPs/mobile networks - it is hardly the BBC's fault that it is leading the field in providing high-quality digital content, that challenges the networks to deliver on their promises of "unlimited access" (which they do indeed promise, whatever the small print of their terms & conditions. Come on O2, for £45 a month, is listening to Radio 1 or Radio 4 really “unfair” usage?)
The most frustrating thing really is that Apple has released what is overall the most innovative mobile phone available in the market (especially in terms of an entertainment experience for consumers), a ‘must-have’, which then penalises those early adopters (and the growing mass iPhone audience) of BBC and other radio content, through the lack of a simple and much less data/battery-hungry feature, i.e. an integrated FM or even DAB radio! Perhaps there will soon be a compatible third-party add-on device available (I understand that iPod FM radio tuners do not work with iPhones)...
My comments on your Mark’s earlier post noted what I think is in practice an increasingly liberal attitude to media streaming from O2. As others have pointed out, YouTube streaming is already possible via 3G on the iPhone, and, in my conversations with O2 Customer Services staff (not just sales staff, Phazer), I have been told that the theoretical “fair usage” limit to the unlimited data tariff is about 3.5GB (pretty generous), and that it is now OK by them to stream audio and video (perhaps they should read their own T’s & C’s ;-)
However, the BBC is a massive player, and it makes sense that, in order to ensure a reliable 3G experience for consumers, it work in cooperation with the mobile networks (in what are still early days of 3G catching on). No doubt the people reading this blog will continue to push at the boundaries, and rightly so if we are to move media convergence forward…
So, we are where are, and this (apologies) long-winded post would not be complete without a further wishlist (which takes account of the current situation re: 3G streaming!):
1) I echo Mark Friend’s suggestion that mobile, especially iPhone, listeners explore the growing range of BBC podcasts. However, what you don’t mention here Mark is the hidden gem that is the ‘BBC Podcasts for iPhone’ service, which, for those yet to discover it, streams like a dream via 3G/EDGE as well as wifi, and be accessed at the following URL in the iPhone Safari browser:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/ip/#_home
2) My personal experience of BBC podcasts is that Radio 4 podcasts are excellent, with decent length programmes and rich speech content. However, no doubt due to licensing reasons, the Radio 1 podcasts are far more limited, and contain hardly any music! For Radio 4, please could you look at adding The World at One and PM podcasts – this would alleviate my current deficiency of lunchtime/hometime breaking news and comment...
3) If there is one show that you are able to add to the Radio 1 podcast lineup, please make it a music rich version of Pete Tong’s Official Start to the Weekend (his Friday 7-9pm show). This would be essential gym workout listening – the Radio 1 Mini Mix podcast is great but short, and the Dance Weekly podcast is interesting, although bizarrely incomplete without the music.
4) If you are able to reach a compromise with O2 over streaming audio/media, please could you prioritise live streaming for the five (or seven) main national BBC radio stations over 3G. I, and surely many others, would consider this to be a vital (and much desired) public service. I find it somewhat incongruous that I am able to listen to live streaming BBC World Service radio via 3G (not a public service for UK licence payers), but cannot listen to live UK national radio. The BBC supporting, say, O2 in enabling this service for iPhone customers, might also be the exception to the rule of the BBC not subsidising the delivery costs of the ISPs/mobile network providers…
To anyone who got to the end of this post, thanks for reading. I look forward to exploring the BBC content further via digital means, and hearing others’ views on the development of these innovative and exciting services!
Hello all - there's a new and very helpful official response to all the 3G/wifi iPlayer from Mark Friend, BBC's Controller, BBC Audio & Music Interactive, at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinter...sage=The comment contains invalid xml.#dnaacs
I'm currently unable to post my comment to it on the BBC blog by way of response (perhaps too long?), but (breathe in), here it is in full
:Mark, thanks for coming back with these FAQ. Very helpful and clarifies much of the speculation!
I will do my bit and lobby O2 to liberalise its policy on streaming audio/media. I can certainly see O2's point-of-view that it needs to ensure its nascent 3G network isn't "swamped". So far, I have actually found the O2 3G network to be quite reliable around central London (by comparison with many of the complaints voiced about AT&T in the USA), and it must stay this way as usage expands and it further develops.
This all feeds into the debate about who should pay for the massive capacity demands that the BBC iPlayer places on ISPs and now mobile networks. I agree with the BBC's policy thus far of refusing to subsidise the costs incurred by ISPs/mobile networks - it is hardly the BBC's fault that it is leading the field in providing high-quality digital content, that challenges the networks to deliver on their promises of "unlimited access" (which they do indeed promise, whatever the small print of their terms & conditions. Come on O2, for £45 a month, is listening to Radio 1 or Radio 4 really “unfair” usage?)
The most frustrating thing really is that Apple has released what is overall the most innovative mobile phone available in the market (especially in terms of an entertainment experience for consumers), a ‘must-have’, which then penalises those early adopters (and the growing mass iPhone audience) of BBC and other radio content, through the lack of a simple and much less data/battery-hungry feature, i.e. an integrated FM or even DAB radio! Perhaps there will soon be a compatible third-party add-on device available (I understand that iPod FM radio tuners do not work with iPhones)...
My comments on your Mark’s earlier post noted what I think is in practice an increasingly liberal attitude to media streaming from O2. As others have pointed out, YouTube streaming is already possible via 3G on the iPhone, and, in my conversations with O2 Customer Services staff (not just sales staff, Phazer), I have been told that the theoretical “fair usage” limit to the unlimited data tariff is about 3.5GB (pretty generous), and that it is now OK by them to stream audio and video (perhaps they should read their own T’s & C’s ;-)
However, the BBC is a massive player, and it makes sense that, in order to ensure a reliable 3G experience for consumers, it work in cooperation with the mobile networks (in what are still early days of 3G catching on). No doubt the people reading this blog will continue to push at the boundaries, and rightly so if we are to move media convergence forward…
So, we are where are, and this (apologies) long-winded post would not be complete without a further wishlist (which takes account of the current situation re: 3G streaming!):
1) I echo Mark Friend’s suggestion that mobile, especially iPhone, listeners explore the growing range of BBC podcasts. However, what you don’t mention here Mark is the hidden gem that is the ‘BBC Podcasts for iPhone’ service, which, for those yet to discover it, streams like a dream via 3G/EDGE as well as wifi, and be accessed at the following URL in the iPhone Safari browser:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/ip/#_home
2) My personal experience of BBC podcasts is that Radio 4 podcasts are excellent, with decent length programmes and rich speech content. However, no doubt due to licensing reasons, the Radio 1 podcasts are far more limited, and contain hardly any music! For Radio 4, please could you look at adding The World at One and PM podcasts – this would alleviate my current deficiency of lunchtime/hometime breaking news and comment...
3) If there is one show that you are able to add to the Radio 1 podcast lineup, please make it a music rich version of Pete Tong’s Official Start to the Weekend (his Friday 7-9pm show). This would be essential gym workout listening – the Radio 1 Mini Mix podcast is great but short, and the Dance Weekly podcast is interesting, although bizarrely incomplete without the music.
4) If you are able to reach a compromise with O2 over streaming audio/media, please could you prioritise live streaming for the five (or seven) main national BBC radio stations over 3G. I, and surely many others, would consider this to be a vital (and much desired) public service. I find it somewhat incongruous that I am able to listen to live streaming BBC World Service radio via 3G (not a public service for UK licence payers), but cannot listen to live UK national radio. The BBC supporting, say, O2 in enabling this service for iPhone customers, might also be the exception to the rule of the BBC not subsidising the delivery costs of the ISPs/mobile network providers…
To anyone who got to the end of this post, thanks for reading. I look forward to exploring the BBC content further via digital means, and hearing others’ views on the development of these innovative and exciting services!
BBC Radio is available on Fstream - easily
The BBC have a page containing the urls of lots of their stations, and a tutorial for Fstream.
Works great!
http://www.bbcstreams.com/
Tiptopp
The BBC have a page containing the urls of lots of their stations, and a tutorial for Fstream.
Works great!
http://www.bbcstreams.com/
Tiptopp
You the man.... lol....
I have been waiting for something like this for an age!!!
Spread the word.
Something is wrong here -- I can stream for 4-5 hours over wifi and 3-4 hours over 3G using fstream.
finally!
thanks for the link - works fine in the uk (radio 5 live) - well done fstream and bbc!
thanks for the link - works fine in the uk (radio 5 live) - well done fstream and bbc!
hi all,
i've just tried this bbcstreams.com - requires downloading an app called fstream. seems to work a treat on my home wireless network and over 3G (you have to enable cellular network for this to work).
cheers
stew
i've just tried this bbcstreams.com - requires downloading an app called fstream. seems to work a treat on my home wireless network and over 3G (you have to enable cellular network for this to work).
cheers
stew
I saw this and was excited. Can't seem to get it to connect on my WiFi. Guess I'll have to play with it a bit.
iPhone BBC Radio on new Wunder Radio app
Hello all,
Although BBC Radio does sort of work (at low 20kbps quality) on FStream, I've generally found this app to be a "bag of hurt", especially when streaming on EDGE/3G rather than on WiFi.
The good news is that - new to the iPhone AppStore - comes 'Wunder Radio'. This does cost £3.49, but is worth every penny.
All the BBC radio stations (Radios 1-7, World Service, Local Radio) are available. What's more, they are listed in the directory, so there's no need to enter fiddly URLs like for FStream.
Quality is also higher - generally 64Kbps - which is the equivalent of listening to BBC Radio via the RealPlayer.
Wunder Radio also seems to be good for accessing pretty much any UK radio station, plus hundreds of others around the globe.
Enjoy!
Thomas
Hello all,
Although BBC Radio does sort of work (at low 20kbps quality) on FStream, I've generally found this app to be a "bag of hurt", especially when streaming on EDGE/3G rather than on WiFi.
The good news is that - new to the iPhone AppStore - comes 'Wunder Radio'. This does cost £3.49, but is worth every penny.
All the BBC radio stations (Radios 1-7, World Service, Local Radio) are available. What's more, they are listed in the directory, so there's no need to enter fiddly URLs like for FStream.
Quality is also higher - generally 64Kbps - which is the equivalent of listening to BBC Radio via the RealPlayer.
Wunder Radio also seems to be good for accessing pretty much any UK radio station, plus hundreds of others around the globe.
Enjoy!
Thomas
+1 for wunderradio! I use this app too after coming across the same feature issue. It works really well and it picks up all my local radio stations too here in the UK which is a bonus. Works best over WiFI and 3G though will try over Edge, but of course does stutter a fair bit over this.
another vote for wunderradio... since i started using it at work for radio 1 and test match special, about 4 guys here have also bought it!!
1xtra ftw
1xtra ftw
Maybe I'm fortunate with reception (I do live in London after all) but I get between 64 and 128kbps using FStream with BBC radio - even walking around town.
RADIO 1 is AVAILABLE on iPhone
Check out the WunderRadio app for iPhone - you have to buy it but its worth it. Allows you to stream real time from countless radio stations and one of which includes Radio 1.
Check out the WunderRadio app for iPhone - you have to buy it but its worth it. Allows you to stream real time from countless radio stations and one of which includes Radio 1.