iPlayer version 3 and new custom portal

MontysEvilTwin

Well-Known Member
I have used the new iPlayer version (version 4) a bit more now. There are three things I don't like about it:
  1. The loss of iPlayer radio
  2. Slow menu navigation on the HDR-FOX (seems a bit better now than when I first tried it, but still poor compared to other devices running the same version, e.g. 2012 Samsung smart TV).
  3. No on screen indication of download progress.
At least the downloading still works and, as pointed out by Ezra Pound, the transport controls within iPlayer itself are much improved. I have also tried it on the HD-FOX in HDR mode and it runs just as quickly as on the HDR-FOX and downloading still works here too.

I mentioned this briefly in another thread, but could the link in new portal be diverted to the old V3 iPlayer? It may have gone from the Humax server, but V3 is still out there on other devices so it is still supported by the BBC.
 
I suppose it depends on how long Version 3 will be made available by the BBC, the September 2014 deadline is for the close down of Version 2 I think, (link HERE), But I'm not sure how much life is left in version 3
 
I would be very happy if a link was put into the V3 iPlayer if possible so one can continue to enjoy the radio functionality and get around the slow behaviour of V4 plus the download progress. I suspect the developers thought you didn't need to know about the download progress. The loss of the iPlayer radio is a design fault by those people who put their head in the sand etc and poor iPlayer management within the BBC, going backwards. Is the slow graphics just down to them trying to throw around too much graphical data or just poor coding, pass.

I'd like a new portal option for the V3 player as well as V4 player if possible, not paring back the new portal to just V3. I suspect someone is going to spoil the fun and say it's gone from the said site (I never said it since we wouldn't want them to delete it if it's there). There were also some promises of additional portal options, NASA TV to name one. I still look and check the threads but no sign yet. That was Chris as I recall.

I suppose lack of radio on V4 would add to that request of the implementation of getiplayer software on the box talked about but I suspect that would probably be a primitive front end which are the native commands rather than the Windows front end to the commands. I know Ezra was supportive of that one at one time. Would be happy with V3 dug back out again if possible as a stop gap.
 
On the new portal you can access the standard portal if you want so if the app in the new portal was changed to point to V3, you could access V4 by selecting the standard portal through the new portal.
 
I want an additional icon but af123 was to do it that way it would be a stop gap. I tend not to use the Humax portal but use New Portal. That was also on the shopping list to put the Sport and News icons from the built in portal onto the New Portal and in that discussion Chris offered up several things he had been working on and all we wanted was af123 to do it. The guy who did the New Portal gave him the go ahead to change it (sorry memory for names means I've forgotten his name no insult intended). That summarises that conversation on the new portal previously. Bigger and better was what I was after :).
 
I know but it's a pain menuing in and out when all what you want can be put in one place. That would be V3 and V4 for the iPlayer, the BBC News and Sport apps plus anything anybody else had up their sleeve (that was Chris) all in one place on the New Portal. hmmm I seem to be replying to a deleted post but I will nevertheless.
 
I'm working on the portal every now and again, but I'm not promising anything and never have.

Just a quick comment regarding v3 iPlayer: once the bbc kill it, it's gone. You're gonna have to get used to v4. Sorry.


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Hi all

My main concern is that iPlayer Radio is 'missing'.

Would it be possible to add a link to the Portal menu?
 
Not if the BBC don't provide it!

I think it would be more fruitful for somebody to work on a nice CF interface to Get_iPlayer (if it has not already been looked at and rejected - can't remember).
 
I use Get iPlayer Automator which I believe is largely a Mac-specific front end for Get iPlayer. I find it very effective and simple to use. Having something similar in the CF would be very beneficial.
 
There are various Linux /Unix flavours of get_iplayer HERE, not sure which (if any) would be suitable for the Humax
 
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Get_iPlayer has (what seems like) 101 dependencies, so is not really a realistic option on the T2.
 
Another thing that is a shame ... Get_iPlayer has recently been hobbled, which is frustrating as its Web-PVR interface used to work well, and I used it instead of the Humax iPlayer version.

To quote from: https://squarepenguin.co.uk/bbc-removes-programme-feeds-blow-get_iplayer/

"Sad news - the BBC has today removed the feeds used by get_iplayer to downloads shows using the search or index number methods, which means you can no longer download programmes using two of the must useful methods get_iplayer provides.
Further, due to the loss of these feeds get_iplayer can no longer schedule programmes for download - in short the PVR is now broken."

"Thankfully you are still able to download programmes manually using the PID or URL methods."


How long those methods will be 'allowed' is up for debate - it seems the BBC are shifting everything around, which has (for the BBC) the convenient side-effect of breaking all the unofficial access developments.
Edit - Just tried and I can't make the PID or URL methods work either any more.

As usual when organisations change things, the reasons for shutting down feeds and starting up Nitro, are being 'sold' to us as being all good, all worthy and all for our benefit.
http://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/tv/feeds

Interesting to read this informative blog and following comments: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/posts/Introducing-Platform-API

"Jon Billings - BBC
30th October 2014 - 17:19
We're sorry that the demise of the RSS feeds has caused you any inconvenience. To be clear, the demise of those feeds and the opening of Nitro are not directly linked - they're driven by different factors." ...
"In particular, the BBC does not sanction XBMC, get_iplayer or similar clients, and the iPlayer RSS feeds were never designed or intended to support them. Nitro will almost certainly not support their ways of working."
 
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Balls I used Get_iPlayer a lot more since the removal of the radio from the newer iPlayer on the Humax.
 
Balls, I used Get_iPlayer a lot more since the removal of the radio from the newer iPlayer on the Humax.

Some radio programmes are made available as 'podcasts' and the only thing which still seems to work on Get_iPlayer is downloading radio podcasts - but, of course, you can do that directly from the BBC site anyway.
Its worth ticking the 'BBC Podcast' box on the Get_iPlayer Web-PVR and doing a 'Refresh Cache' - then you can check the resulting list in the hopes that some of your favourites are still available.
 
Is there any other way to download the programs for listening at a later time, maybe something on android phone?
 
Glad to see we are all on the case. The regional programmes don't tend to be on the Android BBC iplayer radio, like Travelling Folk, so no back door there.

I'm out of the country so I have not experimented. I did see a post google Question #256372 which I think covers the pid and URL methods talked about above. Assume this may work on a one off basis via the get iPlayer interactive box.

Interesting on another BBC reply the guy got shirtie about other people writing iPlayer apps. Best if the BBC manages their technical staff and doesn't let them run a mock on ruining products that work like radio on the TV iPlayer.

I hope the get iPlayer developers will come back out of retirement and fix these issues. I wonder whether diddy pumpkin may appear but possibly tied up on many forumns.....
 
A sweep of 'all' Get-Iplayer titles shows there are currently 25547 items currently available, however before anyone gets too excited, the breakdown is as follows :-
tv = 0
Radio = 0
livetv = 8
liveradio = 61
podcast = 25477

That sounds promising for radio content but as yet I haven't found a single item in the podcast section that you would expect to find in the old 'radio' section
 
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