The BBC has today launched a new TV-friendly version of its video on demand iPlayer service which aims to improve user experience on this medium. The new version is only available to users in the UK initially on the PlayStation 3 console but later rolled out to a myriad of other devices and connected TVs.
The BBC’s version of iPlayer for “big screens” first launched in 2008 and is now available on over 300 different TV models and Blu-ray disc players. The service is available through connected TVs that use games consoles, media streamers, Freeview HD and Freesat HD set-top boxes, and “Smart” internet-ready TVs to deliver content over an internet connection.
New features of iPlayer for TV include improved content availability messages, episodes of the same programme are grouped, search results update as you type, previous successful search results and previously played episode data are saved, and the ability to navigate through other content programming without existing the programme currently being played.
The whole experience is well-improved with “every piece of content and function…easily reached using just the four direction and Enter keys found on any TV remote”. Gideon Summerfield, executive product manager of BBC iPlayer TV, demos the new iPlayer in this short video,