BBC iPlayer
 

An article in today's Times says that allowing others to download from your connection via P2P will affect download limits. I'm thinking of iPlayer, which I use a lot. Surely, it's the other computer that's downloading from you, so it shouldn't count....or am I missing something? Anyway, it appears that many users are easily exceeding their limits by streaming or downloading long programmes. And yes, I have disabled P2P until the situation's a bit clearer.

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

No, IPlayer isn't P2P it's a server-based service provided by the beeb. If you are on VM Cable BB then you get a limit and then your speed gets cut for part of the day, it's not a solid cap.

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

Are you sure, I thought the downloadable stuff was p2p (as has been said you can disable that in the option) and the web wasn't p2p.

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

I can't find anything about that on the IPlayer site? :confused: - Unless, there's a different way of watching them than I have been?

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

well I guess it doesn't matter, either way you'd have to use the bandwidth which will count towards the STM.

edit - have a look at the wiki page for it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_iPlayer

Scroll down to the 'download service' section.

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

Isn't the OP, indirectly, worried about quickly hitting the _upload_ threshold as it is P2P?

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

The op is already doing the best thing to reduce this by turning off the p2p functionality in the download manager.

There's not much else can be done.

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

Yeah, Upload counts toward the STM as well (only separately)

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

If you stream from the bbc site, then that isn't p2p and is at lower quality. If you download from the Iplayer software, then you do share any material you've downloaded.

If you don't want to, then best to not runt he iplayer software except for when you want to download or watch.

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

Yes, but you can switch this function off quite easily.

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

The iPlayer download services uses a system called "Kontiki" (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kontiki ) to manage the downloads. It's the same system as Sky's Anytime and Channel 4's 4od.

By default, the system does carry on sharing when you quit the client, although iplayer gives the option of not sharing. 4od does not, and, AFAIK, Sky anytime does not either.

The sharing is done by a Windows service called Kservice.exe, and this can be shut down through either computer management, or by opening a command window, and type "net stop kservice".

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

Or you could just watch it on your TV under Catch Up TV On Demand and not worry at all ;)

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

You dont get as many options on the on demand on virgin then the bbc iplayer

:cool:

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

"By default, the system does carry on sharing when you quit the client, although iplayer gives the option of not sharing."

I'm seeing more and more customers get caught out by this.
They think they've closed it down but it's still sharing.

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

It should be the other way round.

It does have to be emphasised, of course, that iPlayer/Anytime/4oD are legal P2P. Even stuff from Bittorrent (etc) can be legal (though lots of it is not).

Re: BBC iPlayer
 

I do think that all these clients should make it clear when you exit the program that the computer will carry on sending media to other users. Similar sort of thing to the "Windows Messenger is still running" message you get when you close the Windows Messenger window for the first time.