[Andyuk200523]

Being in the business I have discovered that iPlayer will be launching its official BETA version on Freesat on the 7th December.

At first it is going to be available primarily to journalists and partners of Freesat (yay!), however they are expecting early january for general release all being well.

ALL Freesat HD hardware with an Ethernet connection will work with iPlayer (not just the Foxsat HDR as previously guessed)

Also as a side note, ITV Player will also be launching on Freesat in the early part of 2010.

Success!! Finally being able to watch iPlayer without turning on the laptop!

[asprint]

Originally Posted by Andyuk200523

Being in the business I have discovered that iPlayer will be launching its official BETA version on Freesat on the 7th December.

At first it is going to be available primarily to journalists and partners of Freesat (yay!), however they are expecting early january for general release all being well.

ALL Freesat HD hardware with an Ethernet connection will work with iPlayer (not just the Foxsat HDR as previously guessed)

Also as a side note, ITV Player will also be launching on Freesat in the early part of 2010.

Success!! Finally being able to watch iPlayer without turning on the laptop!

Will this require a physical Erhernet wire connection or can this be done wireless?

I have wireless broadband and my router is upstairs.

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by asprint

Will this require a physical Erhernet wire connection or can this be done wireless?

I have wireless broadband and my router is upstairs.

You can use a wireless bridge or a pair of AV homeplug adaptors to send the signals over the mains wiring.

Unless you have the latest n type router the homeplugs or a direct cat5e cable will be the best bet.

[rheumatoid]

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

You can use a wireless bridge or a pair of AV homeplug adaptors to send the signals over the mains wiring.

Unless you have the latest n type router the homeplugs or a direct cat5e cable will be the best bet.

thanks for that. I am in the same position but also have a blueray player with an ethernet for BD live. Which solution would be best to give me two ethernet connections or possible more for other devices?

Jon

[swedish cook]

Originally Posted by rheumatoid

thanks for that. I am in the same position but also have a blueray player with an ethernet for BD live. Which solution would be best to give me two ethernet connections or possible more for other devices?

Jon

You could put a router there which would plug into home plug or physical cable and give you 4 ports. If you want wifi then you can get wifi routers that will operate in bridge mode - basically the second wifi router then connects to your primary router over wifi and again can give you a number of ports.

[StooMonster]

You put a four port switch in there (not a router), unplug the cable from your Blu-ray player and plug it into the switch then you have four ports; plug one into your Blu-ray player and the other into your Freesat HD box.

StooMonster

[leftcase]

Originally Posted by rheumatoid

thanks for that. I am in the same position but also have a blueray player with an ethernet for BD live. Which solution would be best to give me two ethernet connections or possible more for other devices?

Jon

Solwise sell a home plug adaptor with 3 ethernet ports. I've got one and have my Xbox, freesat and a laptop plugged into it. You'll need another homeplug adaptor to connect to your router.

Home Plug / Powerline Networking from VeseNET - PLA-14-E

leftcase

[Wayne Moule]

Will Freesat iPlayer get radio as well as tv?

[mlipm]

Originally Posted by leftcase

Solwise sell a home plug adaptor with 3 ethernet ports. I've got one and have my Xbox, freesat and a laptop plugged into it. You'll need another homeplug adaptor to connect to your router.

Home Plug / Powerline Networking from VeseNET - PLA-14-E

leftcase

Hi

With iplayer coming to Freesat I need to get an Ethernet connection sorted. I also have a Blue ray DVD player which could do with a connection and also a Philips media streamer which currently works off wireless ( not very well). So the 3 port home plug would seem to be perfect. Am I right in thinking that I need the three port plug for where my equipment is and a single one to connect into my router? Also my TV, Freesat box etc is all on a 2.5m trailing 4 way lead, will the Homeplug 3 port work ok in a trailing lead or does it have to be plugged directly into the socket?

[Andyuk200523]

Originally Posted by mlipm

Hi

With iplayer coming to Freesat I need to get an Ethernet connection sorted. I also have a Blue ray DVD player which could do with a connection and also a Philips media streamer which currently works off wireless ( not very well). So the 3 port home plug would seem to be perfect. Am I right in thinking that I need the three port plug for where my equipment is and a single one to connect into my router? Also my TV, Freesat box etc is all on a 2.5m trailing 4 way lead, will the Homeplug 3 port work ok in a trailing lead or does it have to be plugged directly into the socket?

From personal experience, the Homeplug will need to be plugged directly into the mains socket on the wall, they normally will not work on a trailing socket, sorry...

Originally Posted by Wayne Moule

Will Freesat iPlayer get radio as well as tv?

It should do, every other platform with iPlayer does, so I see no reason that Freesats version will not.

[Wayne Moule]

Originally Posted by Andyuk200523

From personal experience, the Homeplug will need to be plugged directly into the mains socket on the wall, they normally will not work on a trailing socket, sorry...



It should do, every other platform with iPlayer does, so I see no reason that Freesats version will not.

BBC iPlayer radio is not on Virgin Media though.

[Andyuk200523]

I apologise, I didn't even know iPlayer was available on Virgin Media....I try not to get involved with Virgin Media stuff, never been a fan of them!!!

[rheumatoid]

Thanks all, very helpful.

[nrendle]

I have a Freesat box and was wondering whether I will be able to use my squeezebox and the wireless bridging facility to contect to the iplayer?

[kar999]

Originally Posted by Andyuk200523

From personal experience, the Homeplug will need to be plugged directly into the mains socket on the wall, they normally will not work on a trailing socket, sorry...

I have no trouble with short extension leads but surge protection sockets cause a few problems.

[Nobski]

Originally Posted by Andyuk200523

Being in the business I have discovered that iPlayer will be launching its official BETA version on Freesat on the 7th December.

At first it is going to be available primarily to journalists and partners of Freesat (yay!), however they are expecting early january for general release all being well.

ALL Freesat HD hardware with an Ethernet connection will work with iPlayer (not just the Foxsat HDR as previously guessed)

Also as a side note, ITV Player will also be launching on Freesat in the early part of 2010.

Success!! Finally being able to watch iPlayer without turning on the laptop!

That`s great news, thanks for the update on the timescale, by the way all HD freesat hardware will have an ethernet conection as it is part of the spec, so I have read, which includes my new 50g10

[rheumatoid]

been thinking about this. how does it work? why do i need an ethernet connection. Is the content still downloaded via my isp rather than via sattelite?

Thanks

[TonyA]

From what I can see it looks like iPlayer, ITVPlayer etc... would stream their content via the ethernet port, over your broadband connection, rather than via Satellite.

[swedish cook]

Originally Posted by TonyA

From what I can see it looks like iPlayer, ITVPlayer etc... would stream their content via the ethernet port, over your broadband connection, rather than via Satellite.

Yes .... unless you take your broadband via satellite that is, these guys Tariam Satellite Communications - High speed satellite broadband access and telephony. offer 3.6M broadband over satellite for £35 per month. In this case it will stream through the satellite dish to your modem/router and via the ethernet port.

Edit - That service is on Eurobird 3 at 33 East, so would be tricky to get through the same dish as Freesat.

[TonyA]

Originally Posted by swedish cook

Yes .... unless you take your broadband via satellite that is, these guys Tariam Satellite Communications - High speed satellite broadband access and telephony. offer 3.6M broadband over satellite for £35 per month. In this case it will stream through the satellite dish to your modem/router and via the ethernet port.

I think I'll stick to my £20 per month 20M that I get with O2!

[rheumatoid]

so we are effectively just using the freesat box as an interface?

Hope it will allow the playing of iplayer HD content or it won't look great on a big TV

[swedish cook]

Originally Posted by TonyA

I think I'll stick to my £20 per month 20M that I get with O2!

If you can get 20M then definitely ! Satellite broadband is for the desparate in far flung places that cannot get beyond a 56k modem otherwise.

[mccg]

Originally Posted by rheumatoid

so we are effectively just using the freesat box as an interface?

Hope it will allow the playing of iplayer HD content or it won't look great on a big TV

1. Yes - it is just using the STB as an interface to the web streams.
2. Not yet - they have said that HD may be added "later" :-(
but SD "high quality" looks OK on my 42" - it is higher horizontal resolution than SD broadcasts (since it uses square pixels - not anamorphic). Encoding is generally worse though - there is an episode of Life on the beta at the moment, and it keeps degenerating into a mess of pixels.
It's been OK for "talking head" documentaries & dramas though.

[Matt_C]

When do the "little people" with regular Freesat boxes get the update that will allow them to use iPlayer?

[Nobski]

Originally Posted by Matt_C

When do the "little people" with regular Freesat boxes get the update that will allow them to use iPlayer?

I would have thought that the freesat box will need an ethernet conection which is standard for freesat HD equipment

[Matt_C]

I think all Freesat boxes do have ethernet connections? At least, my Bush has one, so I'm guessing the Goodmans ones do, and we know the Humax's also have them...

But my question wasn't about ethenet connections, it was about when the general population will get an OTA firmware update to include iPlayer service on their box's

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by Matt_C

I think all Freesat boxes do have ethernet connections? At least, my Bush has one, so I'm guessing the Goodmans ones do, and we know the Humax's also have them...

But my question wasn't about ethenet connections, it was about when the general population will get an OTA firmware update to include iPlayer service on their box's

Not true only HD freesat boxes universally have ethernet connections. The newer SD offerings from Harvard only have scart connections.

[davejm]

Originally Posted by Matt_C

I think all Freesat boxes do have ethernet
But my question wasn't about ethenet connections, it was about when the general population will get an OTA firmware update to include iPlayer service on their box's

It doesn't require a firmware update. It's a BBC1 red button service. You just enter a specific channel number via the red button and it loads the interface. Watching Top Gear on iPlayer as we speak.

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by davejm

It doesn't require a firmware update. It's a BBC1 red button service. You just enter a specific channel number via the red button and it loads the interface. Watching Top Gear on iPlayer as we speak.

It did require a firmware upgrade but you and everyone else with Humax boxes already have it.

[Matt_C]

I just pressed the red button on a BBC1 and couldn't see anything about iPlayer?