Download BBC TV shows and films
Unlike most streaming services, BBC iplayer lets you legally download its TV shows and some films on your computer, not just your mobile device, and you don’t have to pay anything on top of your licence fee to do so.
Simply install the BBC iplayer Downloads app from www.snipca. com/45299, then open the page for a programme or film on the iplayer website. Click the Download button, confirm you have a TV licence and choose whether to save the content in HD (high definition) or SD (standard definition). The video will then be downloaded to the app, where you can click to watch it in a resizeable media player.
You can play downloaded shows and films on your PC for as long as they’re available on the iplayer website, after which they’ll be deleted automatically. The BBC now gives you a year to enjoy much of its content, so you don’t need to turn to illegal means or the fiddly (and now somewhat redundant) tool Get_iplayer (www.snipca.com/45337) to beat time restrictions, though sport and news have a much shorter shelf life.
Usefully, the iplayer Downloads app lets you sort your downloads by Expiring Soon, to ensure they don’t vanish before you watch them, and you can switch on ‘Series record’ (see screenshot below) to download new episodes of a programme automatically.
Downloading BBC shows on your phone or tablet is even easier, because all videos are saved, played and managed within the Downloads section of the Android, IOS or Amazon Fire app (www.snipca. com/45300). Just tap Download below a programme or available film to save it to your mobile device over your Wi-fi connection.
Alternatively, if you have an unlimited data plan or if Wi-fi isn’t available, you can choose ‘Download over mobile networks’ in the app’s Settings (see screenshot above). And if you aren’t concerned about data usage and device storage, select Higher Quality Downloads to save videos at a superior resolution, albeit with a larger file size.