14 DAY TRIAL // The BBC iPlayer, a website and service which enables those in the UK to catch up on their favorite BBC programming, has proven quite popular in the country, about 20 percent of internet users in the country visit the site. Now it's launching a HTML5 version of the site aimed at TVs in particular.
The new site is optimized for the large screens and viewing distance of TVs and is the latest in a string of video sites to create customized interfaces for TVs alone.
What's more, it's also following on Netflix's footsteps in that it's debuting the new website on the PlayStation 3.
Of course, since it's using standard technology, any device with a capable browser will eventually be able to use the new version of the site.
"With the popularity of connected TV devices soaring, the time is right to introduce a new version with a simpler, more TV-like experience," Gideon Summerfield, Executive Product Manager for the BBC iPlayer TV, announced.
"You can tell, just by looking at it, that this is a TV product. We have returned to the BBC’s long TV design heritage to create a visually rich user interface that delivers a high impact from the sofa," he explained.
There has been a version of the BBC iPlayer for TVs for three years now, but this is the first one specifically optimized and tailored to the TV experience.
That said, it's using standard web technologies to create the customized interface.
"While it may not look anything like a website, what we are unveiling today - initially on the PS3 games console - is built using the same technology: HTML and Javascript," the BBC said.
The fact that HTML5 and standard tools are being used is a great sign that, even on non-traditional computing devices, the web is taking over proprietary tools.
But the BBC has said that there will be a version of the site built on Flash and AIR, for devices which may not have a modern browser but which may support Adobe's technology.