The new revamped version of the BBC catch up TV service iPlayer, will go live later today, This revamped iPlayer features a new design that makes it easier to find TV content, there are also more personalisation tools, so that users can customise their own viewing experience, and also social networking integration, to enable people to share their favorite shows on such sites as Facebook and Twitter.

The new look iPlayer, which goes live today, is the first major upgrade to the catch up TV service since it launched back in 2007. More than a billion minutes of video are watched on iPlayer each and every month.

The service is available on a variety of platforms, including through TV sets, on demand TV services, online, through games consoles and on mobile devices. The BBC said that it had always intended to continually improve iPlayer to meet the changing needs of its users.

James Hewines, iPlayer product lead, on the BBC blog wrote: “A main theme here is personalisation, Simply put, that means a way to get the programmes you love with less clicking. And we wanted to connect BBC iPlayer up with the users’ online interactions with friends – to bring a social dimension to watching and listening.”

The new version of the iPlayer features a ‘pop out’ type TV player, so shows play in a separate window off the main site, and the integration of including Facebook and Twitter accounts with iPlayer user profiles has been streamlined.

Users can now download a TV show before it is broadcast, so that it can be watched immediately after transmission ends without any delay, and can also create a list of their ‘favorite’ shows. Over the coming months, their are other features that will be rolled out to users, including integration with Windows Messenger, which will enable users to chat to their friends online while watching the same TV show.

The BBC admitted that there had been some teething problems during the beta trials of the new iPlayer, including buffering during playback, and shows that had been downloaded  sometimes going ‘missing’ from a user’s iPlayer profile, but said it was confident these issues would be ironed out by launch.

Hewines wrote: “Until now, the focus has been on getting programmes to users packaged in a coherent experience, This next step is about allowing users to interact with the service and each other around our programmes. Together, we hope these features represent a crucial evolutionary step in the enjoyment of TV and radio online.”

The iPlayer continues to set the standard for online tv platforms and this new update further enforces this.

Incoming TV searches:

apple tv iplayer, apple tv bbc iplayer

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