BBC iPlayer

[GeoffB]

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.

[Graham M]

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.

[dilli-theclaw]

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.

[Graham M]

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

[dilli-theclaw]

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.

[Dark Fiber]

Originally Posted by Jefferson T

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

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

[dilli-theclaw]

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.

[Graham M]

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

[ogganova]

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.

[TheNorm]

Originally Posted by ogganova

... If you download from the Iplayer software, then you do share any material you've downloaded....

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

[Stuart]

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".

[chickendippers]

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

[VeNoM]

Originally Posted by chickendippers

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

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

[moaningmags]

"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.

[nffc]

Originally Posted by moaningmags

"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.

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).