WiiPlayer optimizes iPlayer for Wii

by Chris Greenhough { Jun 6th 2008 at 2:00PM }

It still puzzles us that the BBC was so keen to make its (admittedly excellent and very popular) iPlayer catch-up service compatible with the Wii. Are there really that many Wii owners out there with internet-ready PCs who would opt to use the service on the Wii's slightly clunky Opera browser? Why not just use your PC to watch the latest editions of Gavin & Stacey and The Apprentice? You know: the one you're using to read these words, right at this very second?

Not only that, but the iPlayer on the Wii is hardly user-friendly. Text is so small that it's almost unreadable, loading times are hardly ideal, and the low resolution of the Wii's browser makes navigation awkward. Cue the intervention of WiiPlayer, a hacked version of the iPlayer that has been optimized for Nintendo's console, and is now available for use at http://defaced.co.uk/wiiplayer.

It won't work on your PC, and it goes without saying you'll still have to reside in the UK to use this, but WiiPlayer does do a sterling job, replacing the iPlayer's teensy text and browser-taxing layout with pleasingly chunky, Wiimote-friendly icons and a cleaner, less cluttered appearance.

Gallery: WiiPlayer

[Via Tech Digest]

Tags: bbc, britain, british-broadcasting-corporation, browser, entertainment, great-britain, hack, internet-channel, iplayer, media, opera, television, telly, tv, uk

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Nathew @ Jun 6th 2008 3:19PM

that's wonderful!

is what i'd say if i could access this stuff in the US.

Jhongerkong @ Jun 6th 2008 3:29PM

I dont have a pc or an internet connection, so I find this service useful.

Char6296 @ Jun 6th 2008 3:50PM

Why aren't you using it to watch Doctor Who? Still, looks good. I always have to zoom in to watch Doctor Who. It could do with fullscreen.

il_duce620 @ Jun 6th 2008 4:36PM

Yeah, I'd definitely use this to watch Doctor Who or Torchwood...but now that I've got BBC America, maybe it doesn't matter as much.

Mostly, I just think it'd be nice to have so it would entice other US-based networks (i.e. CBS, NBC...) to start up similar services, as they have already done on their respective websites.