Introduction

This XBMC plugin enables (UK only) the playing of TV & Radio catchup content from the BBC IPlayer website. Live radio and TV feeds are also supported. It needs the latest versions of XBMC. For the XBOX you need at least XBMC4XBOX (http://www.xbmc4xbox.org) revision 30413, and for linux/windows/osx you will need the Dharma release.

TV streams available

• On Demand - 512x288 H.264@480Kbps, 640x360 H.264@800Kbs, 832x468 H.264@1500Kbs & 1280x720 H.264@3200Kbs
• Live - 512x288 H.264@480Kbps, 640x360 H.264@800Kbs, 832x468 H.264@1500Kbs

Radio streams available: Real, MP3 & AAC

Plugin Installation

• Download the IPlayer .zip file

For XBMC4XBOX

• Follow the XBMC4XBOX plugin installation instructions
• Or use the SVN Repo installer

For Linux/OSX/Windows XBMC (xbmc.org)

• Unpack the zip and copy to your XBMC addons folder. (On linux it is found in $HOME/.xbmc/addons/). Alternatively, you can install Hitcher's addon repo from http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Unofficial_Add-on_Repositories that should contain an up to date release.

Plugin Issues

If you are having a problem with the plugin or just have a query please have a look on the forums.

• For XBMC on Linux/Windows/OSX - http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?p=338821
• For XBMC4XBOX on the XBOX1 - http://www.xbmc4xbox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=630

If you believe you have found a bug or would like to request a feature then create a new issue.

Please make sure you post a Debug Log with your report

Plugin Limitations

• This plugin doesn't work outside of the UK. The BBC IPlayer website ensures that only UK IP addresses can access IPlayer content.

• This plugin requires an up to date version of XBMC with libRTMP support to work. For the XBOX (XBMC4XBOX) you need at least revision 30413 or later. For Linux/Windows/OSX you will need the Dharma release (or newer).

Credits

This project is based on a no longer maintained XBMC IPlayer project.

Thanks for all the hard work by the XBMC guys and to highlandsun for the new libRTMP functionality. Thanks to all those on the forums that have contributed patches, feedback and advice.

Historical note regarding SWF Verification

The old plugin stopped working due to the BBC adding SWF verification to their streams. See this XBMC Plugin forum thread for more details.

This issue has gotten coverage in Tech News World, The Guardian technology blog, the Linux Journal, The Register 2010-03-05, The Register 2010-03-01, The Register 2010-02-24, BBC Backstage Blog, The H, Ars Technica, AfterDawn.com, Mac World, The Inquirer and a Team-XBMC Communication article . There is also a BBC Message board thread with lots of user feedback.