Ask Our Expert

TV Downloads

Dear Michael, I don’t always have time to watch my favourite shows on TV, so I installed the BBC iPlayer and Channel 4’s 4oD. At first I thought they were great because I could watch things in my own time, but I’ve been noticing that my computer is really slow - even when they’re not running.

How do I speed things up?

David Russell, via email

Our Broadband Expert says...

Because of the way that they BBC iPlayer (now available on Virgin Media) and Channel 4’s 4oD, and Sky Anytime, work - using legal peer-to-peer (P2P) software - they will continually upload and download data as long as your computer is on.

Unfortunately, these programs can look like they’ve been turned off even when they’re still running in the background. You might not even be able to find them in your task bar.

These programs - and the iPlayer in particular - have faced a rash of criticism from broadband providers because they are so bandwidth demanding, but there is a reason that they use P2P file sharing rather than traditional download methods.

The BBC iPlayer describes P2P as “a way of transferring files over the internet, using a large number of computers linked together on a network. As more and more users join the network downloads can become even more efficient.

“This is the opposite of traditional downloads where more users can create bottlenecks that make downloads slower for everybody.”

For this reason, they are loath to let you turn the applications off completely and there’s not much that you can do to speed up your computer while these programs are downloading shows for you.

You could try disconnecting your computer from the internet when you to use it for non-internet work, or uninstalling the software each time you want to stop it.

4oD can be fully turned off, and you should check the FAQ on the website for details of how to do this, but at present the iPlayer cannot. This is to ensure that uploads are maintained as well as the downloads that you want to watch.

You should also keep an eye on your download limit while you have these programs installed. They’ll be chomping away through your data allowance as long as they’re running and you could end up being fined for exceeding your limit.

You can use our free Broadband Download Monitor to keep an eye on downloads and set alarms to warn you as you near your limit.

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