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BBC tests 4K iPlayer with 'Planet Earth II'
For four glorious minutes, Brits will be able to watch Planet Earth II in 4K. The broadcaster is releasing some "experimental footage" in the ultra HD resolution today, which viewers can watch until "early next year" on a small number of Panasonic TVs. It's a short clip, featuring a frog in a luscious jungle and a jaguar stalking its prey. The new footage also uses Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), a form of High Dynamic Range (HDR) which promises sharper and more colourful images. The BBC says the test clip is an "early but important step" towards offering 4K full-time on iPlayer.
New BBC app highlights the best of David Attenborough
On Sir David Attenborough's 90th birthday earlier this year, the BBC announced it was developing a mobile app to showcase the veteran presenter's huge body of work. "Attenborough's Story of Life" is finally available to download for iOS and Android today, and features more than 1,000 curated clips from the 40-plus BBC shows Attenborough has been involved in over the past 60 years. Best of all, it's available worldwide for free, so while Brits are enjoying fresh weekly installments of 4K nature porn courtesy of Planet Earth II, the new app means everyone else can get their Attenborough fix too.
MPs want Sky and Virgin Media to make public channels more visible
Pay-TV providers in the UK may be forced to do more to promote the on-demand content of public service broadcasters (PSBs) on their platforms in the future, under new rules being discussed by MPs. The Digital Economy Bill, announced earlier this year in the Queen's Speech before being published a few months later, sets out obligations for broadband coverage/speeds and writes a requirement for age gates on porn sites into law, among other things. It's currently making its way through the House of Commons, and yesterday members of the Public Bill Committee proposed a new amendment that would ensure PSBs like the BBC gained more visibility on pay-TV platforms -- a direct reaction to our changing viewing habits.
The BBC Micro:bit is going global
After a bit of a slow start, the BBC's mini computer, the Micro:bit, has now made its way to more than one million children across the UK. Designed to help bridge the computing skills gap and inspire more children to take up coding, the credit card-sized board has enjoyed support from some of the biggest names in technology including Samsung, Microsoft and ARM. With their help, the BBC confirmed today that the Micro:bit is going on a worldwide tour, thanks to the formation of a new non-profit called the Micro:bit Educational Foundation.
'Robot Wars' is coming back for another season
The Robot Wars reboot, it's fair to say, went a little better than the new-look Top Gear. While Chris Evans and chums were panned by petrolheads -- leading to dismal ratings and the departure of its new anchor -- the robotic mayhem on BBC Two climbed to new heights. Larger house robots, some crazy new contestants and a revamped stadium were the perfect recipe for a Sunday night in. Now, the show is coming back. The BBC has confirmed that Robot Wars will return for another six-part series with Dara Ó Briain and Angela Scanlon at the helm. Same stadium, probably the same format -- and Team Apollo back to defend their coveted title. We can't wait.
Nature documentary 'Planet Earth II' looks absolutely stunning
For people who love showing off their high-end A/V gear, documentaries from BBC Earth are about as good as it gets for infinitely rewatchable reference material. But the clock ticks ever forward and some of those older releases don't look quite as good anymore thanks to screen sizes getting dramatically bigger and pixel counts higher. But now we have our first glimpse at the shot-in-4K Planet Earth II by way of a trailer from BBC One.
BBC iPlayer will require an account starting 'early 2017'
Starting "early" next year, Brits will need a BBC account in order to access iPlayer. The broadcaster says the move is designed to make its services more "tailored" and "personalised," presumably through better curation and recommendations. The BBC already offers an account system, called BBC iD, which comes with a few different benefits such as "favourites" in iPlayer, cross-device pause and resume, and the personalised BBC+ app. A "new sign-in system," said to be more robust and secure, will be launching later this week ahead of the new, mandatory requirement in 2017.
Draft BBC Charter sets the stage for a subscription service
A few months after its White Paper, the UK government has published the first official draft of the next BBC Charter. The crucial document, which sets out the broadcaster's funding, corporate structure and general approach to programming, comes with a few crucial changes. After all, it's been a decade since the last Charter was drawn up -- a lot has changed in that time, both politically and inside the media industry.
BBC iPlayer will let you 'restart' live shows on your phone
Sometimes you'll race home and boot up BBC iPlayer, only to find that you've missed the start of your favourite show. Fiddlesticks. It's an important week on The Great British Bake Off. Never mind, at least you can press "restart" on a laptop, PC or smart TV, rewinding the programme in an instant. Now, wouldn't it be nice if you could do that on a smartphone too? Well, soon you will. The BBC says the feature is coming to its iOS and Android apps "shortly," complimenting its new pause and rewind buttons.
BBC iPlayer now requires a TV licence following loophole closure
It's been a long time coming, but from today all iPlayer viewers now need to own a TV licence to watch the BBC content. New rules have closed the so-called "iPlayer loophole," which had previously allowed users to get out of paying if they only watched catch-up content. The BBC is in the process of updating the iPlayer website to display a message that will warn users that they must have a licence, similar to the one used on live BBC streams.
BT is looking for the speaking clock's next voice
It's almost baffling to think that despite the many ways we can check the time, especially in our display-saturated era, BT's speaking clock still receives roughly 12 million calls each year. Dial 123 on most phones (at a cost of at least 45p!) and you'll hear the voice of Sara Mendes da Costa telling you what's what "at the third stroke..." Her almost decade-long tenure will come to an end this year, though, as BT has launched a competition to find the speaking clock's next and fifth "permanent" voice.
BBC picks new weather partner after 93 years with the Met Office
Although it's been almost a year since the BBC announced its 93-year partnership with the Met Office was coming to an end, the broadcaster didn't have replacement lined up at the time. During those months, it has considered bids from various new providers and ran what it calls "an open competition" to select a supplier who would appease licence payers by delivering high-quality services while keeping costs low. Today, the BBC confirmed that Netherlands-based Meteogroup was able to meet those requirements, allowing it to take over from the Met Office from spring 2017.
BBC to show the Olympics live in 360-degree video
Watching the Olympics on TV? That's so 2012, apparently. The BBC is launching an "experimental" service on Friday that will broadcast the action in 360-degree video instead. It's not a complete replacement -- only 100 hours will be shown throughout the tournament. But it's more than a token gesture, with one live event and a highlights package planned for each day. They'll be accessible through a new BBC Sport 360 app for iOS, Android and Samsung's Gear VR headset. Coverage will also be available through BBC Taster, a website for the BBC's off-the-wall projects.
BBC iPlayer will require a TV licence from September
For years, people have used BBC iPlayer as a way to avoid the licence fee. If you watched everything on-demand, rather than tuning in live, it meant you didn't have to pay the age-old subscription. The British government has wanted to close this so-called "iPlayer loophole" for some time and, finally, their wish is being granted. From September 1st, you'll need a licence fee for anything TV-related by the BBC. It doesn't matter which device you use -- smartphone, PC or set-top box -- everything will count.
Google weaves Olympics highlight videos into your search results
Google is no stranger to providing useful info during Olympic games, but it's kicking things up a notch for Rio. The internet behemoth has teamed up with broadcasters in 60-plus countries (including America Movil, BBC and Japan's NHK) to integrate Olympics highlight videos into both Google search results and YouTube's Watch Cards. It's not the same as watching live, of course, but it could help a lot if work or time zones force you to catch up after the fact.
BBC adds subtitles to live iPlayer channels
In a bid to make its programming more accessible to deaf and hearing-impaired viewers, the BBC has launched a new trial that will bring subtitles to live channels on iPlayer. It's the first time any major on-demand video service has embarked on such a trial. The BBC says that it will initially launch on PC and Mac, before rolling out to the broadcaster's smartphone and tablet apps. Connected TVs will also get the feature but viewers will have to wait a bit longer. The reason behind the move is clear: the BBC says almost two million programmes or 20 percent of all iPlayer viewings are done so with subtitles enabled. Right now, subtitles are only available on iPlayer programmes after they've aired but at launch, live subtitles will be available on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, CBBC, CBeebies and BBC News and on some region-specific channels too. You can find the full list in the source below.
BBC to reboot game-powered TV show 'Time Commanders'
Ready for some more BBC nostalgia? Following the carnage of last weekend's Robot Wars (a great reboot, in my opinion) the broadcaster is turning its attention to Time Commanders. The game show, which simulated historical battles, originally aired on BBC Two -- first in 2003 with a 16-episode run, then with a shorter 8-episode series in 2005. Four contestants would band together and take on different roles; one pair would act as generals while the other co-ordinated troops on the ground. Throughout the show, a group of historians would analyse the team's moves and compare the outcome to what happened in real life.
BBC+ puts all the BBC's best content in one personalised app
Between news, TV, radio programming and more, the BBC is constantly producing a vast array of content. There's far too much for any one person to consume, and on top of that it's all distributed across various websites, iPlayer and the like. As a public service broadcaster, the BBC is required to accommodate a broad range of interests, and BBC+ -- a new iOS and Android app launching today -- is all about highlighting what's relevant to you, the licence fee payer that funds it all.
'Robot Wars' returns to BBC Two on July 24th
Forty teams. New presenters. A bullet-proof arena. Nastier house robots. Rejoice, for the return of Robot Wars cometh.
The BBC's iPlayer Radio app is going global
The BBC's numerous radio stations have listeners the world over, not just Brits sitting down to their afternoon tea and crumpets. In fact, the English-language World Service station alone boasts a global audience of 66 million. Tapping into these broadcasts outside of the UK is as simple as pointing your browser towards the right website, but from today, the BBC has begun rolling out its iPlayer Radio app internationally, making streaming on mobile devices that much easier.
