Getting iPlayer Video Downloaded on the iPhone and iTouch

(image from RTPeat)

UPDATE: The BBC have since fixed(!) this, so the example below no longer works.

Hooray for the BBC. They’ve just enabled the BBC iPlayer to stream MP4s onto the iPhone and iPod Touch. This however has created a small chink in the BBC’s DRM infrastrcuture that allows anyone to download these MP4s and then copy them to other devices.

Indeed it allows me to copy them into iTunes so then I can sync them properly with my iPod Touch and then watch some telly on the tube.

So, how do you do it (for a Windows PC)?

1. First of all go to the iPlayer website and find the programme page for the show you would like to download

2. Copy the URL of that page to your clipboard (ie to a CTRL+C on the link)

3. Go to this excellent website and paste in that link into the box and click Go.

4. A page appears giving you the option to download, click this.

5. Stop the downloading of the programme in your browser and then go to File -> Save Page As

6. Save the MP4 file to your computer

7. Rename the .mp4 file a .mov file

9. You can then import it into iTunes and sync with your iPod.

Thank you BBC.