iPlayer Downloader
Radio Downloads now work!
With over 100,000 downloads to date, iPlayer Downloader is one of our most popular free applications. It was created because the BBC have always lagged behind in their support of operating systems other than Windows, in this case Mac OS X.
iPlayer Downloader is a free Application for Mac OS X which lets you download DRM-free programs from the BBC iPlayer website.
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5 or later and you must be in the UK otherwise the application won’t be able to download anything. You also require an Intel-based Mac.
Tags: BBC iPlayer, British Broadcasting Corporation, Business/Finance, Computer architecture, Computer science, Computing, free applications, Mac OS, Mac OS X, Mac OS X 10.5, Microsoft Windows, Operating system, operating systems, Technology/Internet, United Kingdom
Hi,
I wonder, now the iPad is out and there are large versions of iplayer videos, if you’ll be adding the ability to download those as well. That would be super cool.
they appear to be under http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/bigscreen.
Thanks
Clive
Unfortunately they look like flash streams, which we can’t currently capture. If they bring out standard H264 streams for iPad then sure – I don’t see any reason why we couldn’t capture those instead!
Actually correction – changed my useragent and you’re right – they look like standard H264 streams. Unfortunately they all say they’re currently unavailable on this device which is weird.
We’ll keep an eye on it for you!
Hi
Regarding the iPlayer Downloader which I have used every day to download and listen to late night radio shows during the day, But it no longer downloads radio shows, I’d love to see it fixed :(
Cheers for an awesome application.
Steve
Would downloading the full size videos and then transferring via iTunes allow us to see it full screen on the ipad?
Fabulous app by the way.
Cheers…
Steve.
Probably not… It’s pretty much impossible (well, judging by a cursory glance anyway) to capture the iPad streams…
I’d like to add my voice to the poster requesting that you fix it for the iplayer downloader to capture radio programmes again. I’d be very grateful
There seems to be a problem when running on snow leopard when you click on a programme you get the dialog asking if you want to download but neither the download or cancel button does anything
I am interested in HD version as I would like to view iPlayer feeds on Apple TV which upscales 720p to 1080p. The ipod version works OK but it is a bit grainy on movement.
If exported to iTunes via Quicktime only iPod/iphone is available. I also use Quicktime Pro 7.6.6.
Great app as it gives better flexibility on viewing platforms.
Cheers Mervyn
Mervyn – it’s unlikely to happen for a while as there’s a lot of encryption in place which no-one has managed to break yet.
Is it possible for you to be able to allow downloads from the BBC Archive site, as this has may great programmes?
HI,
Problems getting audio to download from the new iPLayer site. Will thisbe sorted soon?
Cheers,
Marcus
I’ve sorted the downloading of audio problem in the new iPLayer window. Control-click on the link and then select “Ope Link”. The file then downloads to designated download destination. Phew!
I’m glad control-click works for Marcus, but it doesn’t for me. I haven’t been able to download any radio programmes since BBC changed their iplayer. Can you help! I’ve already downloaded the very latest IPDownloader version, and donated to keep this wonderfully useful programme going. Thanks.
I love this application and have been using it for a few months now. Any chance of one that works with Channel 4′s On Demand service?
Thanks
Matt
I would like tosave some of the BBC iplayer programmes to view anytime (Horizon is one programe that I would like to keep).
I am a computer novice and I am always a bit concerned about downloading from the net.
I have no desires other than to keep programms that interest me.
Will you software allow this without too many complications.
Thank You
Is it possible to download subtitles with a programme?
I just had to move the downloads folder to a new directory, but I can’t select it in the prefs. Any suggestions how I resolve this problem?
Hi Lawrence – once of your oldest users (in every sense!) – something’s up – nothing downloading for me as of today. Have the beeb tweeked something yet again?
Thanks for a great app.
This has been an awesome app for me, and I was glad to make a donation when I saw what it could do for me. All of a sudden however, it has started downloading the radio programmes in a different format which Quicktime won’t open, and I can’t play in Itunes.
Any idea of what has changed?
Thanks,
Richard
Seems to be working again, so a bit strange – however, audio files seemed to have an .mp4 extension once downloaded. Changing this to .mp3 did the trick and all working again – thanks.
I’m afraid I’m not as techno savvy as Nav! How do I go about converting the downloaded audio files to .mp3? I use a Mac, and before I could just drag the files into itunes and they worked a treat. Now nothing happens, and when I try to open the file i get this message ‘The movie is not in a format that QuickTime Player understands.’
I’d be really grateful if anyone can help out.
Cheers,
Richard
Hi,
Just trying this out.
I am trying to download earlier copies of Lip Service. When I try to follow the link to the Lip service page I keep getting the “Do you want to download this” instead of going to the page to choose which episode to download?
Any help please.
A
Hi Richard,
Hope this helps:
1. Go to Finder Preferences – tick ‘Show all file extensions’. This will then show the .mp4 at the end of your downloaded files.
2. Change the 4 in .mp4 to 3 and your away!
Having said that, the files I’ve downloaded today seem to be coming through in mp3 format again, so things should be back to normal for you with a bit of luck.
Hello,
I’ve just downloaded the program and run it (from its disk image). But when I click on a programme to download it, although the download window opens, it closes almost immediately and I get an error message saying the programme cannot be downloaded. This happens for radio and TV programmes (although I’m mostly interested in radio). It makes no difference if I run the iplayer downloader from the disk image the download creates, or from a copy in the Applications folder.
I’m in the UK running OS10.5.8 on an iMac in an out-of-the-box configuration. btw I can watch and listen via the iplayer itself without any problems.
What’s the problem, please?
Hi, same here. It worked great so far, but stopped working about a week ago.
iPlayer Downloader has stopped working for me this week, used it on Wednesday and it worked, yesterday and today nothing happens. Have the BBC put a block on it again.
I have the same problem as Jan.
I am running Snow Leopard on a Macbook Pro.
Your help would be appreciated Lawrence.
I am having same problem as Jan above, the programme worked fine for th first day or two, but now I just get Programme cannot be downloaded message. I am also on mac os, can you help? cheers Simon
Having the same problem as Jan above. iPlayer Downloader was working fine when I used it a couple of days ago. What’s going on? Any help/advice/info would be much appreciated. Thank you.
It seems that the BBC have changed something again, as iPlayer Downloader is not working (I have seen some moaning on discussion lists about the Chris Moyles show!) Any chance this will be fixed soon?
Hi,
Just to second the comment from Marcus, it also isn’t working for me either. Is this a temporary glitch or anything that can be fixed in the near future?
Please let me know if you find out how the BBC are blocking us, and if there is a way round it. Personally I can’t see what their problem is at all. It has always been possible to record off air programmes to Video and now to DVD in very good quality . . . far better quality that we get with your excellent program! Good luck with finding the solution.
Hi there,
same here…
There are some radio shows I would like to record so I can listen to them in the car, but no joy. Everything was fine till last week:(
suddenly none of the iPlayer downloads are working, the BBC updated their security or something? anyone got a workaround?
Can record audio from audio stream using Audio Hijack ( but nowhere near as quickly as downloading the mp3 file using iPlayer Downloader) , but have yet to find easy and convenient way of recording video streams if IPlayer Downloader doesn’t get fixed soon. Any suggestions?
Same as above: tried Gilles Peterson radio show Tue.07.Dec.2010, didn’t work.
Really peed-off as can’t find anything else on the net that works!
…for bbc radio, used W7 with Radio Downloader, works (for the moment).
[Until the BBC DRM folks work out another block for that probably in near future as well!]
All gone pear shaped again….
Get iPlayer Automator (MacOSX) is able to download from iPlayer. Also able to get HD versions and they are working of Channel 4 stuff.
However, iPlayer Downloader is our default downloaders
For Mark:
Interesting news, but how on earth does it work??? For example, I am trying to download I Claudius from Radio 4, how do I get to it??
hang on… sorted… I had to select “Radio” from Preferences and then restart the app.
The interface is not really great and there are no instructions, but it does seem to work (for now…), so at least I can keep recording the shows I was following:)
Can confirm that Get iPlayer Automator does work. It’s nowhere near as pretty, simple or intuitive as iPlayer Downloader but if you can be bothered to get to grips with it may prove a useful lifeline until Lawrence gets iPlayer Downloader back up and working – in the very near future hopefully.
I got Get iPlayer Automator and haven’t a clue how to even begin. I opened one of the programmes in the iplayer in safari and hoped that would do something but it just gave a strange code in the PID and said ‘not currently available’ and frankly I don’t know what PID is. I wish it came with a manual! Thanks for the suggestions, though, I never manage to watch iplayer within the week and the ip downloader has been the best thing I’ve ever found on the internet, is godsend for kids when you’re somewhere that doesn’t have good streaming, eg on a train.
New version 4.0 seems to work fine for TV shows.
But radio shows NOT downloading.
(Get iPlayer Automator is also out of action for any shows since 12 December.)
It tells me a new update is out – I should download (which I do) – but it won’t run on PPC (which I wasn’t told before I downloaded). Your website should make this clear not just:
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5 or later and you must be in the UK otherwise the application won’t be able to download anything.
Should include “Intel Machines Only”.
Where can I find 3.7?
C
Sorry Colin – I have amended the text in the description. There’s no version which will work on a PPC mac unfortunately. Time to buy a new Mac!
New version works for TV, thanks. no radio though
though it only gives flv files, so I have to put it through another program after to get an mp4 (btw, thats HandBreak, its mainly for DVD ripping and is free, in case anyone else is wondering).
any chance you could cut out that bit in the next update?
but in the mean time, anything that works is fine by me ;)
I’m happy to report that for Mac, at least, Get iPlayer Automator IS now working again for radio programmes.
Using it is easy enough.
First, in Preferences, choose a destination for the downloads. And select “Add completed downloads to iTunes”
Then:
1. Search for the name of the programme (‘Food Programme’, ‘Book of the Week’ or whatever)
2. Select the particular episode you want and click on “Add to queue”
3. Click green START button
4. Wait a little while (or quite a long time) for the programme to download.
5. Listen to the programme in iTunes
I suspect that TV shows will take a long time to download.
Hope this helps!
Downloaded new version 4.1 to get radio downloads again (having used previous versions successfully for ages now) only every time it tries to download it gets the name of the download OK then the flvstreamer quits unexpectedly with the following error:
OS Version: Mac OS X 10.5.8 (9L30)
Exception Type: EXC_BREAKPOINT (SIGTRAP)
Exception Codes: 0×0000000000000002, 0×0000000000000000
Crashed Thread: 0
Dyld Error Message:
unknown required load command 0×80000022
Anything I can do about this?
Love the app and would dearly love it back in full working order.
Thanks.