http://hd.engadget.com/2008/04/11/bbc-criticizes-sony-microsofts-approach-to-streaming-video-on/ Engadget HD Comments for BBC criticizes Sony, Microsoft's approach to streaming video on consoles http://hd.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://hd.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://hd.engadget.com/2008/04/11/bbc-criticizes-sony-microsofts-approach-to-streaming-video-on/http://hd.engadget.com/2008/04/11/bbc-criticizes-sony-microsofts-approach-to-streaming-video-on/
As it happens, the PS3 can quite happily play back the MP4 content that the BBC exposes for the iPod. You have to rip it by hand to circumvent the server side user agent checks, and move it from a Quicktime to MP4 container but once you do that the content plays just fine.

It should be straightforward to enable the PS3 to access content through its browser - add the PS3 user agent string to the list of permitted browsers and deliver content in a .MP4 container. Now that wasn't hard to do was it?

This is more or less how they support the iPod now except they use a .mov container. I bet the iPod supports MP4 containers too so there is no reason even to have .mov for iPod and .mp4 for the PS3. Just move everything to .mp4 and they can serve all devices.

Maybe the BBC should question why they are making it so hard for people to download shows. Do they really think there is a massive market for the latest edition of Eastenders or Songs of Praise? They should just do a deal with Vuze / Azureus to deliver their content through bittorrent and be done with it.
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