iPlayer: Making the
unmissable missable

BBC has relaunched its iPlayer video service — this time, with Mac and Linux support.

When the iPlayer first launched in July, users criticized the XP-only platform.

The iPlayer will also support streaming and downloading of content, according to Guardian Unlimited.

Positioning it as a catch-up TV service, the iPlayer is currently seeking relationships with more suppliers, including cable operator Virgin Media.

"2008 will be the year when we start to find out how [TV over the internet] gets into the living room and how users can access it from the couch," the BBC's Eric Huggers told the Guardian.

The BBC is also adding other social media tools to its site. The site has not been redesigned in five years, but forces behind it hope new user-oriented initiatives will encourage more viral dissemination of BBC content.

Users will be able to embed and "digg" clips, and customize the BBC homepage by dragging and dropping features.

Fresher search applications will return sitewide content more succinctly. Ultimately, the BBC's online destination will include some 1.3 million hours of archived content as part of its effort to go entirely tape-free and digital by 2012.