PA
It links to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12770318 - "BBC News - Tripoli eyewitness Afraid to watch TV"
GS
Yes, for a moment I wondered if the footage (yet to load) in the video window was going to be particularly grizzly.
Gavin Scott
Founding member
Should really be in quote marks.
Yes, for a moment I wondered if the footage (yet to load) in the video window was going to be particularly grizzly.
HO
Yes, for a moment I wondered if the footage (yet to load) in the video window was going to be particularly grizzly.
I admit I wasn't smart enough to realise it was missing quote marks until Paul explained what it was, and too thought it would be a particularly stark video.
Should really be in quote marks.
Yes, for a moment I wondered if the footage (yet to load) in the video window was going to be particularly grizzly.
I admit I wasn't smart enough to realise it was missing quote marks until Paul explained what it was, and too thought it would be a particularly stark video.
JO
Yes, for a moment I wondered if the footage (yet to load) in the video window was going to be particularly grizzly.
I thought it was some sort of sarcastic remark by a web developer when I saw your screenshot.
Should really be in quote marks.
Yes, for a moment I wondered if the footage (yet to load) in the video window was going to be particularly grizzly.
I thought it was some sort of sarcastic remark by a web developer when I saw your screenshot.
BB
I'm still seeing this issue on the new Flash player of atrocious quality for the first 30-60 seconds, and then the quality suddenly clearing up. It's perhaps not so evident on the smaller screencaps here (these are reduced images of fullscreen caps), but links to the full-sized versions are included.
First 30-60 seconds
Click here for full-sized version.
Subsequent quality
Click here for full-sized version.
Even in the smaller versions, you should be able to see how poorly defined the pictures of Ian Pannell and the tank appear in the first image, and how much smoother and clearer the text appears in the second image once the stream clears up.
It's only on the new Flash player streams; it doesn't happen on the 'old' iPlayer streams. Segueing neatly into the other point I wanted to raise, the reason I started watching the BBC News Channel via the new player this morning, rather than on the iPlayer site, was because of this:
WTF? "Off air"? "BBC News Channel will return at 11:30am"? This isn't the first time I've seen this sort of nonsense on iPlayer either, and indeed, the iPlayer homepage schedule maintains that BBC Parliament is also off air until 1:30pm, even though it's not only very much on-air, but it's also streaming on iPlayer.
The scheduling error on the iPlayer homepage, however, means that there's no direct link to these streams from the homepage, and to casual or less technically literate users, it would indeed appear that both channels are off-air.
One final observation while I'm rambling on: despite BBC Parliament having updated its branding quite some time ago (must be at least 18 months now?), the static channel brand on the iPlayer stream continues to use the previous identity slide...
rather than one based upon the current Lambie Nairn identity:
Anyway, enough of my gibbering for now. Over to you.
First 30-60 seconds
Click here for full-sized version.
Subsequent quality
Click here for full-sized version.
Even in the smaller versions, you should be able to see how poorly defined the pictures of Ian Pannell and the tank appear in the first image, and how much smoother and clearer the text appears in the second image once the stream clears up.
It's only on the new Flash player streams; it doesn't happen on the 'old' iPlayer streams. Segueing neatly into the other point I wanted to raise, the reason I started watching the BBC News Channel via the new player this morning, rather than on the iPlayer site, was because of this:
WTF? "Off air"? "BBC News Channel will return at 11:30am"? This isn't the first time I've seen this sort of nonsense on iPlayer either, and indeed, the iPlayer homepage schedule maintains that BBC Parliament is also off air until 1:30pm, even though it's not only very much on-air, but it's also streaming on iPlayer.
The scheduling error on the iPlayer homepage, however, means that there's no direct link to these streams from the homepage, and to casual or less technically literate users, it would indeed appear that both channels are off-air.
One final observation while I'm rambling on: despite BBC Parliament having updated its branding quite some time ago (must be at least 18 months now?), the static channel brand on the iPlayer stream continues to use the previous identity slide...
rather than one based upon the current Lambie Nairn identity:
Anyway, enough of my gibbering for now. Over to you.
GS
Gavin Scott
Founding member
I get the same thing at work and at home. It seems to assume the lowest connection first to get started, then quickly improves with the greater bandwidth available.
On the plus side, I would sometimes forget that I'd hit the "smaller" button on the iPlayer (perhaps when it was sluggish or I was downloading at the same time), and this tends to push me to the larger stream automatically.
On the plus side, I would sometimes forget that I'd hit the "smaller" button on the iPlayer (perhaps when it was sluggish or I was downloading at the same time), and this tends to push me to the larger stream automatically.
BB
Actually, the new player adapts to the speed of the user's internet connection, using a variable bitrate stream. It doesn't magically adapt to any other parameters of the stream, so unless my connection speed happened to be unusually slow every single time I decided to play one of the new VBR streams, this wouldn't be happening as a result of normal behaviour of the stream.
I have the same problem at home (Virgin Media), at work (BT) and on my mobile connection (Three). It seems unlikely that all of my ISPs (I assume you meant ISP rather than "host") would exhibit the same problem of unusually constrained speed every time I connect to a BBC News stream, and given that I'm not the only one who seems to be experiencing the problem, I'm going to go out on a limb here, and suggest that blaming my ISP isn't a very plausible explanation.
Thanks for playing though.
Gavin, I think you're right that it seems to assume a low speed connection first before adjusting the bitrate beyond that; I don't know why it would take so long (up to a full minute) to make a speed determination though, nor why it defaults to the lowest possible bitrate first, rather than making a speed determination before beginning to play the requested stream. I've known of some auto-VBR streams that assess speeds (and therefore the appropriate bitrate) based on averages collected over a period of time (e.g. every 2.5 seconds over a ten second period), but the advantage of auto-VBR determination is supposed to be that it's quickly reactive to provide a smooth and uninterrupted stream. Even a 30-second window for bitrate determination seems far too long, not least because bitrate demand tends to fluctuate during playback (a single-colour screen requires a very low bitrate, whereas lots of movement and colour variations demands a higher bitrate requirement - and VBR streams are supposed to adapt to this as much as to the speed of a user's connection).
That said, evidently it's not a universal issue - but I don't know what the common factors are among those who experience the issue and those who do not.
The new player adapts to your internet connection. It is likely that your host is the cause of the problem. I have no issues either at work or at home.
Actually, the new player adapts to the speed of the user's internet connection, using a variable bitrate stream. It doesn't magically adapt to any other parameters of the stream, so unless my connection speed happened to be unusually slow every single time I decided to play one of the new VBR streams, this wouldn't be happening as a result of normal behaviour of the stream.
I have the same problem at home (Virgin Media), at work (BT) and on my mobile connection (Three). It seems unlikely that all of my ISPs (I assume you meant ISP rather than "host") would exhibit the same problem of unusually constrained speed every time I connect to a BBC News stream, and given that I'm not the only one who seems to be experiencing the problem, I'm going to go out on a limb here, and suggest that blaming my ISP isn't a very plausible explanation.
Thanks for playing though.
Gavin, I think you're right that it seems to assume a low speed connection first before adjusting the bitrate beyond that; I don't know why it would take so long (up to a full minute) to make a speed determination though, nor why it defaults to the lowest possible bitrate first, rather than making a speed determination before beginning to play the requested stream. I've known of some auto-VBR streams that assess speeds (and therefore the appropriate bitrate) based on averages collected over a period of time (e.g. every 2.5 seconds over a ten second period), but the advantage of auto-VBR determination is supposed to be that it's quickly reactive to provide a smooth and uninterrupted stream. Even a 30-second window for bitrate determination seems far too long, not least because bitrate demand tends to fluctuate during playback (a single-colour screen requires a very low bitrate, whereas lots of movement and colour variations demands a higher bitrate requirement - and VBR streams are supposed to adapt to this as much as to the speed of a user's connection).
That said, evidently it's not a universal issue - but I don't know what the common factors are among those who experience the issue and those who do not.