Part of the setup for the iPlayer beta via Freesat on the Humax box is to connect your Foxsat to your router with an ethernet cable.

Presumeably this is to provide a return path, for voting, and other feedback functions.

My question is: is this connection to your home router used ALSO to block non-UK residents from gaining access to the iPlayer over Freesat, in the same way that those who try via the internet are blocked, based on a non-uk IP address?

Has anyone in Germany or Spain, who can receive Freesat (as I can) tried to use the iPlayer beta yet?

Thanks

Wibs

No it's purely for the delivery of iplayer.

The iPlayer is delivered over the ethernet cable you're plugging in, it's not a satellite stream or anything like that.

To sort of answer your question, iPlayer on the freesat box almost certainly wouldn't work from a non-UK IP address.

IPlayer is geolocked to UK ip addresses, although several folks abroad have said its fairly easy enough to get around using a VPN into a UK ip.

Then what precisely is the role of the Freesat box? If the iPlayer is being delivered over the net, then my PC does that already. I can record progs on my PC 's 1 Tera HD already, and can link my screen to my large LCD TV.

Does the Freesat/iPlayer service have more or better functions than the regular web/iPlayer service?

Wibs

No, the Freesat iPlayer service doesn't have any extra features.

Not everyone has a PC that is linked to their TV. My parents certainly don't. They do have a Freesat box though and since I showed them the iPlayer they can't get enough of it.

Remember that Freesat didn't launch the iPlayer service specifically for you, so it may not fit your needs at all!

The MHEG IC facility is not limited to iPlayer or catch-up services. It is possible to do much more and I know there will be more.

Bob

Yes and it is currently blocked - you have access to the iPlayer itself and all the menus but can't watch any TV content. I imagine that once the Beta stage has passed the radio facilities will be added (assuming that they will be) and will be accessible to everyone as they are already on any PC anywhere. They don't have the same rights issues on radio.
However why anyone would want to listen to the radio on their TV is something I fail to understand. Except for feeding the freesat tuner output into their Hi-Fi of course.

Of interest is that as a grand-dad of 4 I have to keep up with trends..
Hence i was updating my Wii and downloaded the I player..
I was surprised that..
With identical other equipment and line ..
The Wii only offered me one Iplayer output standard and did NOT offer me
the 'higher quality' that the Humax I player always offers..
Strange that..

Not so strange really. The various streams available are tuned for the device receiving them. For example, at the moment you can only access the HD streams via PC I believe.

NOT the 'HD' streams for which my line is well below requirement..
but the specific 'Higher Quality'..
offered with the IPlayer on Humax ..
but NOT on the Iplayer on the Wii..
I still think that is very strange..
unless anyone can explain it to me