ABC iview
 | |
| Developer(s) | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 24 July 2008 |
| Stable release | 376
|
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, Linux, PlayStation 3, Sony Bravia and Samsung TVs |
| Platform | Adobe Flash or Native Applications |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Catch up / Internet Television |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | ABC iview |
ABC iview is a video on demand and Catch up TV service run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The service became available on 24 July 2008.[1] This was the next step after the podcasting of programmes since July 2006. Currently, this site is only viewable to users in Australia.[1] The site streams video in 650kbit/s H.264 format. The iview website uses the RTMP protocol, and is thus officially accessible mainly on platforms supported by Adobe Flash, however the iPad, iPhone and internet connected TVs such as Sony and Samsung provide access through the use of native applications.
In November and December 2008 the iview player was updated to allow for unmetering by several Australian ISPs through a peering arrangement with Hostworks. 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/SPIN 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]
Third-party access
Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players
- Sony Bravia TVs and Blu-ray players offer an Internet Video Service which includes iview.[7]
- Samsung TV and Blu-ray devices with the internet@TV/SMARTtv can install an iview app as of June 2011.[8]
- Panasonic Viera TVs provide an ABC iView app.[9]
Android devices
- Any Android device Adobe Flash support can view the ABC iview directly via the website. ABC iview
- Plans for a Android port are ongoing, with the reason for delay being blamed on the variations within the Android ecosystem and varying support for HLS.[10]
iOS devices
- The ABC iview for iPad App was launched in December 2010.[11]
- The ABC iview for iPhone App was launched in June 2012.[12]
Games consoles and other devices
- Xbox 360 will support iview in an upcoming update in late 2011.[13]
- PlayStation 3 supports iview, accessible via the XrossMediaBar.[14]
- Boxee Box supports iview as of January 2011.[15]
- HiMedia HD5X0/HD6X0/HD9X0 series media player/centre with the enhanced firmware can play iview and other catchup TV services.[16]
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[17] to allow programs such as rtmpdump or flvstreamer to download the videos for offline playing[18] or watch them in another RTMP-supporting client (such as XBMC).[19]
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. [20]
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.
- ^ 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
- ^ "iView Frequently Asked Questions". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ ABC iview for iPad
- ^ http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/abc-iview/id401778175 ABC iview for iPad],
- ^ Microsoft Press Release concerning Live TV on Xbox 360
- ^ ABC iview on PS3
- ^ Boxee Box now supports playback of ABC iView captions
- ^ http://bbs.himedia.com.au/index.php?topic=401
- ^ Andy Botting's blog post on using ABC iview with XBMC
- ^ GUI Applications for downloading iview videos at Wikia
- ^ http://code.google.com/p/xbmc-boxee-iview/
- ^ Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2012-08-07). "Python-iView" (PDF). Jeremy Visser. Retrieved 2012-09-22.