On 03/03/2008, Ian Forrester <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > - XML/RSS/ATOM/JSON of upcoming iplayer programmes > - XML/RSS/ATOM/JSON of programmes about to drop off iplayer
How about a full iPlayer API so we can actually create programs that use that data? Screen scraping is hugely inefficient, to get a list of all iPlayer programs and their details would take hundreds of page requests using screen scraping. Links to products relevant to programs in the API would be useful, e.g. a link to the DVD of the series, however I think the Trust would be a bit upset if you tried linking to Amazon or something similar (might get away with a reference to the BBC shop though). Of course if there are books that accompany the series then you could list an ISBN, and it's not interfering with commercial markets as all book shops can use ISBNs! (OT: Do DVDs and CDs etc. have an equivalent of an ISBN? Should TV programs themselves have some kind of globally unique identifier? If so who do we get to assign such identifiers?) And iPlayer video/streaming in a format/protocol programs can actually use would be nice, how about Dirac than Kamaelia would be able to play it[1]? And the obligatory "Moon on a stick", see previous implementation[2] courtesy of PuTTY[3]. Andy [1] http://kamaelia.sourceforge.net/Components/pydoc/Kamaelia.Codec.Dirac.html [2] http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/moon-on-stick.jpeg [3] http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/wishlist/moon-on-stick.html -- Computers are like air conditioners. Both stop working, if you open windows. -- Adam Heath - Sent via the backstage.bbc.co.uk discussion group. To unsubscribe, please visit http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/archives/2005/01/mailing_list.html. Unofficial list archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk/
