Playing BBC iPlayer Videos with Freeware Players

[TonyWilks]

Hi Joe:

Following our e-mail dialogue and your greatly appreciated support - I am summarizing the problems I have had with trying to play BBC iPlayer downloads using KMP and Vlan freeware players. Perhaps these notes will help other GIZMO users who experience similar hassles with BBC videos and multimedia files from other sources.

As we have discussed - I wanted to move away from Microsoft's Windows Media Player 11 which which has has stopped playing certain media and DVD files over the past few months. A key problem is that running Vista Home Basic on my laptops prevents me from uninstalling WMP11 when it goes wrong - and reinstalling it again. You have to reload Windows Vista.

I have tried the KMPlayer and VLAN Player - and quite like both of these freeware products - but neither would allow me to view video downloaded in Windows Media Video 3 (WMV3) from the BBC iPlayer site here in the UK. I was either stuck with using the bulky BBC iPlayer software which uses their propriety code - or go back to and use WMP11.

In the end I have installed VLAN and I will now use this to play most multimedia files including WMV3 files form various sources - but VLAN will not play BBC files in WMV3 format. The problem is that the BBC add Digital Rights Management (DRM) encryption to their audio and video files - and this is so they can limit the time the downloads can be replayed - usually from 7 to 30 days.

The BBC and Microsoft have done a deal - and this DRM encryption is recognized and sorted by WMP11 which will play all BBC files in WMV3 format. However - after over a week of tests with six alternative freeware multimedia players - I was unable to play BBC encrypted files with any of them. It is interesting - that I can open and play BBC WMV3 files readily using the Intervideo DVD 5.0 (limited trial period) program which comes as a 'freebie' with my HP Compaq software. Of course - the Intervideo software will switch-off after about a dozen runs - and I won't be able to use it again without a full Vista re-installation.

For other supporters of the GIZMO website who are about to try KMPlayer, VLAN and other options - I suggest they do the following:

(1) First - ensure your Windows Media Payer is working OK - and create a System Restore Point so you can roll-back to your optimum system and registry settings.

(2) Then install your preferred GIZMO recommended multimedia player. If you try several different players you may find that they appear to uninstall OK but they will probably leave dozens or even hundreds of links in your System Registry.

(3) If you wish - you have the option to go into Registry and uninstall these leftover items, which can be a long-winded process even with Reg-Seeker or similar software - or you can simply roll-back using System Restore. That will set you right back to where you started and you will need to re-install your preferred freeware media player.

As I mentioned in our previous e-mails, I am delighted with the freeware software options which GIZMO tests and recommends - and I deeply appreciate the technical support I have received from you while sorting these particular BBC video files problems.

Best regards,

Tony Wilks

[Anupam]

Hi Tony, welcome to the forum.

While we appreciate your desire to help others with your post, but I really cannot understand the purpose of this post.

Also, the thread had been posted in the wrong forum. "Software Suggestions" forum is for posting about new software. Anyways, I have moved it to the Multimedia forum, as your post does not suggest any new software.

I think you had email exchanges with Joe Bennett, the editor of Best Free Media Player article?