PDA

View Full Version : I-Player problems


Thick Blue Line
23rd Mar 2010, 17:06
I quite often use the i-player via the BBC website to catch up on programmes. Recently I have noticed that whenever I play something on the i-player the picture lags behind the sound.

The picture is jumpy and is effectively a set of still images while the sound is of usual quality and does not jump or skip at all. This means when watching Eastenders for instance, the pictures are up to two scenes behind the dialogue! :ugh:

I am playing it through a netbook which always used to work normally. I have not added anything or made any changes to my netbook since the problems with i-player started.

You tube videos seem to stream quite normally and do not have the same problem.

Any suggestions? :confused:

(Suggestions other than not watching Eastenders, it is my only TV vice and my friends already give me a hard enough time as it is!)

Cheerio
24th Mar 2010, 10:12
If you haven't tried it yet, try using the 'Other Downloads' option and select 'Portable Devices' as the download source.

Don't be fooled by the name, it doesn't restrict you to an iphone sized picture, it merely reduces the resolution.
Typically a 650Mb download reduces in size to about 250Mb in this format.

You don't utilise the iplayer to manage your downloads in this way, it is the more traditional windows download. The saved file is usually held in 'My Downloads' by default, started by the usual double click on it, and runs using Windows Media Player. Don't forget to delete them when you are finished.

The resolution is lower of course, but this in turn means that your netbook won't be struggling to process the data. On a netbook screen the resolution in this format will be fine for everyday use. I actually run this format on a 21 inch monitor driven by an ancient Thinkpad and it works OK for viewing across a small room.

The other option you will see in 'Other Downloads' is 'Windows Media Player'. this is a half way house of resolution with a typical comparable download size to the above of 400Mb
You might get away with that.