iPlayer-BBC iPlayer Offline Playback: Making the Unmissable, Unmissable on iPhone!

From “Catch up on the last 7 days of BBC TV & Radio” to "Making the unmissable, unmissable", then all the way to “recommendations feature” and “social makeover”, the internet television, radio service and software application, iPlayer (BBC iPlayer), provides users some more astonishing service: offline/downloaded viewing this time.

The BBC has launched a new download feature which allows people to save programs from iPlayer on to their portable devices-cell phone, tablet for later viewing without the limitations of network/internet connection. This would be great for people who have no time for the shows or spend time somewhere there’s no Wi-Fi or spotty signal. Or bring it to your holiday travelling to have fun. As Daniel Danker, the BBC's general manager of on-demand programmes, put it: "This fundamentally changes one of the most annoying restrictions about viewing programmes. It means audiences are liberated from the constraints [of online-only viewing] and it fundamentally changes what it means to go on holiday."

Back to its earliest period, due to copyright reasons, iPlayer only allowed videos/programs available for a week time (with some exceptions). Then specific applications for mobile platforms launched in February 2011, mainly for iOS and Android devices.

Now, the BBC is about to release such an app for storing downloaded content from iPlayer for offline viewing-which makes it really means it-making unmissable, unmissable. The specifications is that: users can download the videos before its 7-day duration online, store it for 30 days, and you have to finish it in also 7 days once you start viewing.

Such feature in now available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch for the moment, later this year will Android devices be available then.

Comments:some people announced that actually this download feature for mobile is not BBC's first time: about 3 or 4 years earlier some had downloaded from iPlayer with their mobiles such as Nokia 5800 or Nokia N95. Just the first time for iPhone? So what do you say? 

Top 3 iPad Video Apps for Free

Watching videos on your iPad would have been an enjoyable thing if you’re not annoyed by the few formats it supports (i.e., mp4, m4v, and mov). Thus playing videos on your iPad could even be a chore with the native video player. There are many video player apps for iPad videos, most of which are declaring to support formats. Among them, I recommend you 3 ones which are good that play most of the standard video formats (wmv, mkv, avi, mp4, flv, rmvb, and even subtitle files) and cost you no money.

PlayerXtreme HD - Premium Multimedia Player

PlayerXtreme is able to run files in almost any video format. With it you can play your email attachments. HD (in 1080P) playback is supported for MP4, MOV and M4V formats. It supports .srt subtitles and you can control subtitle's font size, track, and language. One of the most astonishing features is that it could boost volume upto 12 times of the original sound, which makes it possible for you viewing videos without headphones.

PlayerX would be a decent option for most standard quality videos, despite its slow speed in loading files. BTW, there are no ads included.

8player lite

With 8player lite, you can play videos on your i-devices, not just for iPad, but also for iPod and iPhone. Well, actually, it’s more than just a video player, it also supports audio formats as mp3, aac, wav, etc. and images of jpeg, png, etc. formats.

As the latest application for Video, Music & Photo streaming from any compatible UPnP/DLNA server, you can use embedded Windows 7 server (built in Windows Media Player), or download any other free server, if you don’t have DLNA/UPnP servers.

OPlayerHD Lite

Well, this is lite version of OPlayerHD which has been rated as “iPhone apps Plus Best”. Actually, I think it would be the best free choice in video player apps. After all, the main difference between the lite and full versions is a single ad that rests in the top of the iPad, often in the black letterbox bars. It supports most of the video formats, video formats, and even subtitle file formats. Though not displaying quite as sharply as AV Player or GoodPlayer, OPlayerHD Lite has an integrated browser, ftp, and streaming options.

With free these video players you can watch your movies on the go from anywhere even if they’re in any format even if they don’t normally play or even sync with your iPad!

iPhone, iPod, iPad Video Player: Aceplayer

AcePlayer can play almost any file format movies and streaming directly on iPhone/iPod/iPad. Just transfer the media files to your ios devices by iTunes File Shareing or over Wi-Fi,then it can be played at once. With built-in downloader and FTP/Samba client, it is not just a local movie player,it is "Movie Player & Downloader & Streaming Media Player" in fact. You can also stream/download media files from most of all UPnP/DLNA media servers to your ios devices. Note: AcePlayer can not work on iPhone 3G and iPod gen1/gen2.
Features
1.Support almost any video formats: WMV, AVI, MKV, RMVB, RM, XVID, MP4, 3GP, MPG...
2.Support almost any audio formats: MP3, WMA, RM, ACC, OGG, APE, FLAC,FLV...
3.Support smi, srt, ass, ssa, sub txt subtitle.
4.Use iTunes to sync movies to AcePlayer.
5.Easily Wi-Fi transfer to download media files from PC to your ios devices.
6.Build-in Open Url Client to support HTTP, FTP, MMS, RTSP, SMB, RTP streaming.
7.Build-in UPnP Client to stream/download media files from most of all UPnP/DLNA media servers.
8.Build-in FTP Client to stream/download media files from FTP Servers(Note: stream only for PASV mode).
9.Build-in Samba Client to stream/download media files from Samba Servers.
10.Build-in file manager supported: move files from folder to folder,file delete,file rename,folder creation,folder delete.
11.Build-in file downloader. You can download files from FTP/Samba/UPnP Servers, and resume or pause downloads.
12.Multi playlist supported: you can create playlist and and media file to playlist, and every folder is automatically made as a playlist.
13."Open In" feature supported: open video and audio files from Mail email attachments and Safari Web browser.
14. aceplayer://URL scheme.
15.iPad 2 dual core decoding supported.For iPad 2,dual-core of A5 chip could be used to decode at the same time.
16.TV out support.
17.AirPlay supported(Note: only for QuickTime plugin).
18.Buid-in photo viewer to support:jpeg, jpg, png, bmp...
19.It can play music in the background mode, so that build your playlist, you can us it as a music player.
20. You can set password for your folder in the documents, just click the button on the right of the folder.

Below is a video from YouTube showing how to use Aceplayer on iPhone: 

From apple

AVPlayer for Apple

Neither the iPad nor the iPhone lack for good video-playing options. Between Apple’s own Videos, the built-in YouTube app, and third-party offerings Netflix, Hulu, and Air Video—all of which I use regularly—it’s hard to imagine wanting, or needing, another. AVPlayer HD and AVPlayer, separate apps for the iPad and iPhone, do fill what may be an important niche for some users. That is, the apps from ePlayWorks enable you to play videos that reside on your iPad or iPhone, encoded in just about every major format. And they perform that task well.

But transferring videos to the AVPlayer library is awkward—you can do so with a USB connection, or wirelessly through your computer’s web browser or an FTP program, after you open the app, obtain a specific address you enter into your browser, and then upload the videos to the browser. The iPad or iPhone app then immediately imports the videos.


Video Maniac: AVPlayer plays many different video formats very well—an FLV file, in this case. You can view technical information about your video, as shown here, and speed up or slow down the playing speed with the plus/minus control, on the right.

Air Video, as well as other file transfer apps, in contrast, provide a free utility that you install on your computer, and after an initial, single setup process, allow for simple wireless transfer. Air Video, a universal iOS app, can play videos in many formats as well, translating them on the fly as they stream via Wi-Fi or even from a remote Web connection. Unlike AVPlayer, however, Air Video does not play videos that are already stored on your device.

Considering the ease with which videos can be converted to the iOS-friendly MP4 format with both Mac and Windows utility programs, it’s difficult to imagine that AVPlayer will provide any advantages for most users. That said, both the iPad and iPhone versions of the app performed impressively: Videos of varying lengths and formats all played smoothly and clearly on both my iPad and iPod touch. And one extra feature—the ability to speed up videos to play up to twice their normal speed or down to half-speed—is also a nice touch.

from macword

Watch Videos through Video Players on iPhone

Use an iPhone video player to view TV shows or movies in various formats. The AVPlayer app plays XVID, DIVX, AVI, WMV, RMVB, ASF, and H.264 video files. The OPlayer app recognizes several video formats and it is capable of streaming videos online. Consider the Movie Player and BUZZ Player app too.

AVPlayer

An easy to use video player that doesn't require you to convert files is a handy addition to your iPhone. Meet AVPlayer. This iPhone video player is designed to play several types of video files, including XVID, DIVX, AVI, WMV, ASF, H.264, and MKV. It also supports several subtitle files including SMI, SRT, and TXT. As you watch a movie or TV show, control the playback with simple swipes of the screen. For example, if you want to re-watch a particular scene, swipe the screen to the left to move back 10 seconds. The AV Player app is available on the iTunes App Store for $2.99.

BUZZ Player

Not only can you view a variety of video and audio files stored on the iPhone with the BUZZ Player, you can also play videos that are stored on your computer remotely with the built-in network browser. 3GP, AVI, ASF, FLV, H.263, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, AAC, AC3, and ALAC are some of the file types that the BUZZ Player recognizes. The app outputs in HD for Quick Time media files and supports most subtitle files. The BUZZ Player is available in the iTunes App Store for $1.99.

CineXPlayer

If you are looking for an app that is designed for XVID files, then CineXPlayer is the app for you. Watch your favorite videos on the iPhone or use the TV output feature to watch on a television. You can select subtitles while watching a video. The app also has a Auto Resume function and a Loop Movie function. Download the CineXPlayer app from the iTunes App Store for $1.99.

Movie Player

DIVX, AVI, FLV, MOV, WMV, MPEG, and MP4 are just a few of the many file formats that are playable with Movie Player. Not only does the app play files on the iPhone, it also plays videos from e-mail attachments, from the web browser, and from other apps. Arrange your favorite movies and TV shows in a playlist and play them in that order. This iPhone video player app is available at the iTunes App Store for $2.99.

OPlayer

The OPlayer app supports several video files including WMV, AVI, MKV, XVID, and MP4. The app also plays several audio files including MP3, WMA, RM, and AAC. It supports FTP and Samba clients. You can stream videos through Wi-Fi or 3G network with this app. You can also adjust settings and create playlists. The OPlayer app is available at the iTunes App Store for $2.99.

From brighthub