BBC iPlayer to use Silverlight?
Posted by johnb | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 28-10-2008
Tags: Adobe, Microsoft
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So last week it was announced that the BBC would be launching an Adobe AIR version of it’s highly successful iPlayer – but at the 2nd day keynote of Microsoft’s PDC it would seem that a new version built on Silverlight could has been prototyped by MS Technology Centre – could that be replacing the current Flash version on the web?
More details at http://www.marcmywords.org/post/BBC-iPlayer-in-the-Mesh.aspx
I think you’re going to start seeing more “conversions” like this where Microsoft basically goes to an existing Flash broadcast site and offers up a replacement Silverlight solution for free – just to get the tech out there.
@Rob: and that is good, that will inspire people to shift to Silverlight and try new ways of doing the stuff. Looking at the stack presented by Microsoft along with Live Messenger reasoning the decision seems to be good.
” the decision seems to be good ”
You must have missed the sh*t storm that was caused when the BBC tried to release an iPlayer that only worked on Windows.
The BBC is funded by everyone* in the UK, so to lock people on Linux and/or Mac and/or PS3 and/or Wii out of their services by using a hardly-deployed-at-all non-cross-platform framework (Silverlight) over a much more widely used and generally more cross-platform friendly (Flex/AIR) would be unacceptable.
I *especially* object to ‘your first deployment is free’ type deals with criminals.
@Tom – you’re not looking at Silverlight then, no?
If the reliability of ITV’s Silverlight player is anything to go by, this would be a bad thing. the BBC iPlayer works well.
Just saw someone twittering a link to this post – let’s hope fingers crossed that iPlayer never goes to Silverlight – ITV Player is absolutely shocking, in quality, implementation and delivery!