bbc

BBC's iPlayer heading overseas on the iPad

The BBC is planning to offer a subscription-based service to iPad owners outside the U.K.

The initiative is being led by BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial arm and is expected to pilot first in the U.S. as the Global iPlayer app next year. Currently, one must be in the U.K. to access the BBC iPlayer's content, which includes both radio and television shows.

Luke Bradley-Jones, managing director of BBC.com, said this week in London that Apple's tablet "provides such potential to develop a truly interactive video-on-demand service." There is also the … Read more

BBC testing EV practicality with road trip

A BBC documentary team will attempt a European road trip using an all-electric car as transportation, the BBC announced this week.

The tour started Tuesday in Denmark and will include ferry trips across the Danish islands, as well as drives across Norway, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. The trip is scheduled to end in London on July 7 at the Formula One (F1) Eco Rally. It also includes stops at Maranello, Italy and Stuttgart, Germany, home to Ferrari and Porsche, respectively.

British TV presenter Peter Curran will host the show called "BBC Electric Ride,&… Read more

Tale of two versions of 'Life' on Blu-ray

In case you missed it, the new four-disc Blu-ray of the BBC's "Life" series hit stores on June 1. Home theater aficionados have been fans of BBC's earlier nature documentary, "Planet Earth," and the "Life" series quickly climbed the charts at Amazon. The only problem is that there are two versions of the Blu-ray edition out there--one narrated by British naturalist David Attenborough, the other by Oprah Winfrey--and a lot of people don't think that's cool.

The Attenborough version is the original as it first appeared on the BBC, while the Winfrey version aired on the Discovery Channel. For some reason--and we're not sure why--the resolution of the Winfrey Blu-ray is 1080i, while the Attenborough version is 1080p.

While the Winfrey version has a few extras that the Attenborough version doesn't have, video sticklers are naturally going to gravitate toward the 1080p version, and "Life" purists clearly prefer the original narration by Attenborough, which costs two bucks more.

In fact, Oprah's getting a rather rough ride in the Amazon user reviews section, where the vast majority of reviewers have doled out one-star ratings. (The 1080i vs. 1080p issue isn't mentioned much.)

"This version is a COMPLETE waste of time and an utter ripoff," writes REAL Alaskan. "What will Discovery think of next? Hiring 'Shoot Em From Choppers! Drill Baby Drill!' Sarah Palin to do a documentary about the natural wonders of Alaska? UNBELIEVABLY POOR MARKETING!"

Another commenter notes: "Do not buy this version. That's it plain and simple. Go get the original David Attenborough-narrated version. Oprah makes this 'Americanized' version totally unwatchable."

Nerd alert: Free 'Doctor Who' PC/Mac game coming June 5

We may publicly scoff at the Star Wars and Star Trek fanboys in our tech/games social circle, but still maintain our secret loyalty to a certain BBC-based time-traveling hero. Sadly, following the 47-year (on and off) run of "Doctor Who" has never paid off in the form of a decent mainstream video game. That may be about to change with the just-announced release date for the first episode of Doctor Who: The Adventure Games, a four-part DLC series that will be offered for free on the BBC Web site. The series kicks off with the June 5 … Read more

'Top Gear' tests for best drifting cars

While it has been fun watching Jeremy Clarkson of BBC's "Top Gear" fame test out fantastic rides for a thrill, I figured why not keep the fun going and bring on all the guys from "Top Gear"--Anthony Davidson and The Stig in this instance--as they try to figure out what the best car is for drifting.

In case you didn't know, drifting is "a driving technique and to a motor sport where the driver intentionally oversteers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a … Read more

Jeremy Clarkson meets the rocket-enhanced Porsche 944 Turbo

On Wednesday, we had a snippet of Jeremy Clarkson (of BBC's "Top Gear") blazing through the Swiss Alps in a Maserati GT. This clip is a part of his "Thriller" DVD, in which Jeremy tries to find the ultimate thriller automobile. Clarkson seemed underwhelmed by the Maserati but what else did he find during his search for the true king of thrill rides? Well, Jeremy stumbled upon this Porsche 944 Turbo, a pretty cool car in its own right. But this particular Porsche has a little something extra that makes it even more righteous: this … Read more

Get 'Planet Earth' and 'Life' on Blu-ray for $50

What better way to celebrate Earth Day than with two of the best documentaries ever made about Earth?

Today only, the Discovery Channel Store is offering an outstanding bundle: the BBC series "Planet Earth" and "Life" on Blu-ray for $50.

Shipping will run you another $4 (choose "7-14 days" at checkout), but here's an added bonus: if you sign up to be on the store's mailing list (enter your e-mail address in the upper-right corner of the page and click Sign Up), you'll immediately get a code for $5 off your … Read more

Study: Brain games don't make you smarter

If you were hoping that the right software could make you smarter, you may be out of luck.

Brain training software, such as Nintendo's Brain Age, are often touted as a way to improve your smarts. But 11,430 people who played such games for several weeks didn't seem to be any brighter at the end, according to the results of a study conducted by the BBC and released Tuesday.

The investigation launched by the BBC last September challenged viewers of the BBC One science TV show "Bang Goes the Theory" to use a series of … Read more

Jeremy Clarkson's Thriller: Maserati Gran Turismo

In Tuesday's blog post, we got a closer look at the supposed ultimate lady thriller automobile, the Maserati Quattroporte, and I figured since we're on the subject, why not go for a thrill ride in a Maserati Gran Turismo? Climb in and let's go for a spin with Jeremy Clarkson of BBC's "Top Gear" fame--and away we go!

This clip comes courtesy of an excerpt from Jeremy Clarkson's Thriller series where he pushes all kinds of fine automobiles such as the Alfa Romeo 8C, the Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 GT, and in this … Read more

BBC iPhone apps on hold for now

Most of the time you hear of iPhone applications being squelched, it's some developer who ran afoul of Apple's developer requirements. But in the case of apps to view BBC content, it was the BBC's own governing body that stepped in.

The BBC put its iPhone applications on hold after its overseers, the BBC Trust, decided to assess the applications in light of objections from competing media outlets, according to the BBC and others.

The BBC had planned to launch a news application this April and a sports application in time for the World Cup soccer tournament. … Read more