ABC iview
 | |
| Developer(s) | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 24 July 2008 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, Apple TV, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox one, Sony Bravia, Samsung, LG TVs |
| Platform | Adobe Flash or Native Applications |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Catch up / Internet Television |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | iview.abc.net.au |
ABC iview is a video on demand and Catch up TV service run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. After running for several months in beta form under the name "ABC Playback", the service became available as a Flash website on 24 July 2008.[1] This was the next step after the podcasting of TV programs since July 2006. Currently iview video content can only be viewed by users in Australia.[1] The iview website streams video at up to 650kbit/s in the H.264 format, and uses the HDS protocol, which makes it accessible to web browsers installed with Adobe Flash. iview is also available through native apps for iOS and Android smartphones, tablets, games consoles, as well as on some brands of internet-connected TVs.
Unmetering
In late 2008 the iview player was updated to allow for unmetering (zero-rating) by several Australian ISPs through network peering arrangements. The ISPs included Internode,[2] iPrimus,[3] Westnet, Apex Internet and Adam Internet. iiNet was able to offer iview unmetered without the peering upgrade. In addition, AARNet, Cinenet, and Comcen since offer unmetered access to iview.[4] The ABC News 24 live stream and content not streamed using Adobe Flash (i.e. through the iPad and Internet connected TVs) is currently not unmetered, however this may change in the future.[5] Some shows may premiere on iview before they feature on broadcast television, such as Rake.[6]
Access
iOS devices
- The ABC iview app for iPad was launched in December 2010.[7]
- The ABC iview app for iPhone and iPod Touch devices was launched in June 2012.[7]
Android devices
- An iview Android app supporting Android 4.0.3 and above was released on 18 December 2013.[8]
- Android devices with a web browser that supports Adobe Flash 11.7 or above can view iview directly via the iview website.[9]
Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray Players
- Sony Bravia TVs and Blu-ray players offer an Internet Video Service which includes iview.[10]
- Samsung TV and Blu-ray devices with the internet@TV/SMARTtv can install an iview app as of June 2011.[11]
- Panasonic Viera TVs provide an ABC iview app.[12]
- LGE Smart TVs have access to iview via an official app
- FreeviewPlus certified HbbTV devices have access to iview since 2014
Games Consoles
- PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 support iview, accessible via the PlayStation Network.[13]
- Xbox 360 supports iView due to an update in 2011.
- An iview app for Xbox One was launched in late 2015
Other Media Streaming Devices
- iview was made available as a tvOS based app on the 4th Generation Apple TV in May 2016
- Telstra TV launched an iview app in late 2015[14]
- Fetch TV has included iview since 2013
Offline viewing
Unlike the ABC's podcasts, programs on the iview service are not officially downloadable and are only available to watch for a short time after the program has aired on the ABC. However, some individuals have been able to reverse-engineer the method that the Flash application uses to request videos from the media streaming servers[15] to allow programs such as rtmpdump or flvstreamer to download the videos for offline playing[16] or watch them in another RTMP-supporting client (such as XBMC).[17]
In 2012 the ABC sent a legal notice to the author of an open source program called Python-iView which enabled users to download videos from the ABC.[18]
References
- ^ a b "The Television Revolution Has Begun!" (Press release). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2008-07-24. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
{{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Internode offers unmetered peering into ABC iview" (Press release). Internode. 2008-12-10. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
{{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "iPRIMUS offers high quality ABC iview unmetered to all customers" (Press release). iPrimus. 2008-12-11. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
{{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "iview unmetered on Selected ISPs". Retrieved 2009-12-04.
- ^ ABC iview FAQs
- ^ "Rake preview on iview". Retrieved 2010-11-17.
- ^ a b ABC iview for iPad
- ^ "ABC launches iview app for Android". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ "iView Frequently Asked Questions". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ Sony strengthens its IPTV offering in Australia
- ^ ABC message board discussion: Samsung internet@TV widget.
- ^ http://panasonic.net/avc/viera/global/connect_apps/detail/73
- ^ Nic Healey. ABC iview and Plus7 now available on PS4, cnet.com, 18 December 2014.
- ^ ago, Rick Molinsky• 6 months (2015-12-14). "ABC iview now on Telstra TV". Telstra Exchange. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Andy Botting's blog post on using ABC iview with XBMC
- ^ GUI Applications for downloading iview videos at Wikia
- ^ https://code.google.com/p/xbmc-boxee-iview/
- ^ Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2012-08-07). "Python-iView" (PDF). Jeremy Visser. Retrieved 2012-09-22.