An iPlayer client for the Android platform, that allows users to watch live or on demand content from the BBC.
The Good
- The user interface is pretty good, having categories for genres and popular content.
- The application allows live streaming, so you can watch Coronation Street as it happens.
- It has quality options depending on what connection your using. Choosing the 3G option reduces quality but allows the program to stream much more efficiently over a mobile connection.
- Almost every show I searched for was there, from the Apprentice to Take on the takeaway
- The quality was inconsistent, even when at WiFi setting. For popular shows, such as the Apprentice you'll be alright, but I noticed that less popular shows had a poorer standard of image, and a lower frame-rate.
- Shows can't be streamed to residents in the US or some British ISPs.
- The sound quality was dreadful, at least on the shows I watched, and it was very difficult to watch a program without headphones.
- There is no landscape mode when navigating, making the G1's keyboard almost useless unless you want a cricked neck.
As there isn't an official iPlayer client available yet, this is the only stable way to go. However, it feels as if it were made in a rush, with several easy-to-implement features missing, such as a landscape mode and a decent search function. The sound on some of the videos is bad enough to make your ears bleed and headphones only marginally increases sound quality. Don't get me wrong, as it is a good piece of software and has almost every program that the official iPlayer has, and live streaming is a good feature, but it feels almost like a beta version. I would recommend you download it, just to see how you like it, but don't expect to get blown over.
Platform: Android
Rating: 3/5
Rating: 3/5
