HD Arrives on iPlayer for Virgin Customers
Its good news for those who are hooked to their favourite TV programmes and often find themselves craving to catch up on missed shows, as BBC’s iPlayer has now been launched in high definition by Virgin Media on its TV platform.
Those who have tried watching iPlayer through a Nintendo Wii or a similar gadget know how bad the resolution is, which makes the whole experience of catching up on shows through iPlayer a frustrating one. Virgin Media customers can now rejoice as they are going to be the first ones to get this new HD service, which will be fit for full screen viewing on TV.
If the current number of Virgin Media customers who enjoy the iPlayer service is anything to go by, it looks like the HD service too will be quite popular. The standard iPlayer service has registered over 100 million views since it was launched in May 2008 on Virgin Media and it is getting even more popular, with about 15 million views recorded in March 2009.
Rahul Chakkara, BBC Controller of TV platforms, explained the various benefits of iPlayer HD, saying that the service is in great demand and the inclusion of BBC HD programming would increase its attractiveness to the users. HD content gives a much better viewing quality and its rich colours make it perfect for TV, he said.
All Virgin media customers who are subscribed to a bundled package of all three services – phone, broadband and TV will get access to BBC iPlayer HD. At present, Virgin Media has two such bundled offers. By signing up online for the Virgin Size L broadband, with TV (L) and Phone before May 31, customers will be eligible for a £20 discount. Virgin’s XXL package that combines 50Mbps broadband (click for a broadband speed check) with phone and TV will also provide the new service.
