Dear
BBC.
I am a licencepayer who lives in the UK. Your attempt at an
iPlayer service for Gaelic is a disgrace.
1. The iPlayer itself is only available in English, a Gaelic version would not
require much effort. Open source free software has already been
translated free of charge by volunteers. The same could apply to your software. Thanks for providing a Gaelic version of the iPlayer website but remembering my choice via a cookie would be helpful.
2. The iPlayer service needs to be better for the non
satellite/cable users who cannot get BBC Alba on Freeview. Anyone outside of
Scotland still can't get BBC Alba on Freeview.
3. When I looked just now pretty much the entire back catalog of Gaelic
programmes consisted of programmes for children, learners, gardening or sport.
Where are the music programmes ? Where are the news programmes? Where are the
factual programmes?
4. I might have been able to record "An La" but there
was no "future record" or "series record" facility. I can
do a "series record" for English programmes such as Trooping the colour which is on once a year,
but not for a daily news programme to catch up and watch in the evening? Why?
5. Watching anything on an android device with
flash installed? Site is hopeless! I have chrome, I have flash, your site says
I don't have flash. I request the desktop site and I get "your mobile
isn't supported". There's no "download and watch later option"
when you do get it to work. Did you test this? You don't even mention tablets
or phones on your supported
browser list. Shocking.
6. None of the Eorpa programmes can be watched.
Why? This is one of the best examples of Gaelic broadcasting.
Your standard "See our FAQ" doesn't actually explain the specific
reason why this internationally acclaimed programme isn't available to
download. It's as if you want the people who are able to get it to actually put it on youtube for the benefit of everyone else. Your policy is indirect
censorship
7. When I am on the BBC site I can filter for
"Scotland" but can't subfilter for Gaelic within this. Why is this? Do you think the Scots are one homogeneous audience?
8. You're probably not obliged to provide input
into the national plan for Gaelic, broadcasting not being a devolved subject,
but it would be helpful if you detailed what your strategy was in relation to
Gaelic as the media (particularly the excellent Radio nan Gaidheal and BBC Alba
if you are lucky enough to receive them) are one of the key parts of the Gaelic
revival.
9. The Piping
Live programme, which I eventually found, has an English title and
English description. Sorry, this made me think it was actually in English.
Would it be possible to actually have Gaelic names for Gaelic programmes? Only
when you click on more information do you get a hint it might be in Gaelic.
10. Since Gaelic is a language
of Scotland, how about using the colour of the Saltire to represent the channel
rather than a rather dull grey? This is what tourist attractions which have Gaelic audio guides such as the Clan Donald centre on Skye do. When was dull grey the national colour?
11. I click on a Gaelic news
programme and your recommendation engine then thinks I should watch Top Gear in
English. Some work required? How about a "top watched" on the Gaelic channel - this should be easy to implement, like so many things on your English medium news site there is a "most read/shared" facility. Missing from the Gaelic equivalent. This should be a simple plug in, can't you reuse on the Gaelic news site and for Gaelic iPlayer content?
12. The excellent Litir
do Luchd-ionnsachaidh (all 674 weekly episodes) is available here on
your podcast site but not on
your iplayer site. Please make the iPlayer site consistent. Even a link to
the podcast site would help.
I still believe that Gaelic should be
promoted (not "Gaelic roots should be unearthed", that
sounds like pulling a plant up and killing it). This includes you doing your
bit too.
many thanks
Craig Cockburn
8 comments:
Actually it IS available in Gaelic, if you go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/ and scroll down to the bottom, just above the legal blurb.
Of course, it doesn't remember your choice so in theory you have to select it every time. DUH. I've told them several times to code somethint that remembers selection and picks browser language but no luck.
Unless you mean the player itself?
But overall fully agree (sorry, accidentally hit Publish). It sucks bigtimes, though in fairness, iPlayer on the whole sucks - I'm a victim of the latest update and can't, even after reinstalling, downloadn ANYthing. And of course my old downloads are gone too. ARGH
Thanks for the comments, have updated the text slightly.
I was shocked while in London not to be able to get it in the hotel. The channels went from 7 to 9. Seems deliberate as the channel could be made live with the flick of a switch. Scotland has accommodated London 2012, England should be able to accommodate Glaschu 2012 and give its UK viewers a proper choice. I noticed there was no Gaelic or indeed other Celtic language in the recent Britain in a Day (12.11.11). This too was shocking. I recall Alison Lang had submitted a Gaelic entry for inclusion to the programme.
Jamie, BBC Alba is not available elsewhere in the UK via Freeview due to bandwidth constraints. Freeview is so overflowing with crap that there is no room left for anything else [apart from, of course, BBC HD, BBC One HD, BBC 2 HD, BBC Olympics HD etc. etc.]
The only reason we have BBC Alba on Freeview in Scotland is because they get rid of the radio channels in the evenings - hence why the channel's picture quality is so poor. It's being played out via the space left behind by radio broadcast streams!
As far as Craig's post goes, I fully agree. The BBC's attitude towards Gaelic, as well as Welsh and Irish, is pretty poor in general. I took them 4 years to update BBC Naidheachdan for God's sake!
Alasdair - so the BBC have been telling us! BT who supply most of the "bandwidth" capability from the BT Tower would probably say differently (I've been fortunate enough to have dined up in the restaurant and heard first-hand their incredible technical capabilities)! "Bandwidth" in this instance I believe is just a BBC political bargaining term being used as currency. The space is there, just not the willpower to grant it.
Gu dearbh! The situation is worse for Android using Cape Breton descendants in Canada -- no iPlayer, and from my iPad using friends, not much content apparently. There's not many of us but we'd be loyal fee payers all.
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