BBC

[#1]

  I have limited download  and this has always been fine.  I use my computer to listen to the radio and have never got anywhere near the 10 I am allowed.  I have always used the 'low' band width option.  That seems to have disappeared on the 'listen on pop up option' since the BBC  has changed their site.  Can anyone offer any help for a computer illiterate?  I have emailed the BBC but they are a bit dilatory replying.

[#2]

There used to be some direct stream links on the net - like this http://www.listenlive.eu/uk.html
Have you found the new iPlayer is using more bandwidth (you can check on here https://portal.plus.net/view_my_broadband_usage/index.php)?

[#3]

Yes, most definitely.  Never come close to the 10 download allowance but am at nearly 8 already and our usage hasn't changed at all.  My monthly figures as always very similar.  Will try the link you suggested to listen to radio.  Thanks.

[#4]

Hi 76nil,
I've just checked your usage and I can see you've used 7.07GB out of your included 10GB - it's not this causing the problem.
Your Line Statistics aren't looking good at all. I'm just taking a look into this now.

[#5]

Your connecting at a much lower rate than we would expect for your line which may be a reason why you've always had to select the 'Low Bandwidth' option when listening to the radio.
If you could visit http://community.plus.net/library/broadband/broadband-faults-guide-i-have-a-fault/ and take a look through the checks you could do, it may help determine where the fault might lay.

[#6]

I don't think the op wants to go faster he was happy being restricted to have a cheaper 10 product

[#7]

The OP isn't being restricted - there's a potential fault.
I'm trying to be proactive when seeing such issues to try and maintain a good customer experience.

[#8]

I would imagine the BBC streams are 128Kbps - 256Kbps which equates to something like 60Mb-120Mb an hour. So unless you're listening to the radio for more than several hours a day, I think you should be ok. Obviously all this depends on what else your usage is like (things like Youtube eat up bandwidth).
It's probably worth changing your limit to additional data to £0 - just in case you do happen to go over.

[#9]

I think this answers the original question -
Wikipedia - 'The New BBC iPlayer'
[quote=Wikipedia]On 11 March 2014, the BBC introduced a new version of their BBC iPlayer service, plainly called 'The New BBC iPlayer'. This new version included a new user interface, and uses the BBC's new 'responsive design,' which means iPlayer can be used on multiple different screen sizes without building separate versions. There is a new home screen along with new channel pages that also use the same responsive design that the rest of the BBC sites now use. The BBC ID is still used to track favorites across the site (however favorites have now been moved to a whole page rather than an individual bar), and new categories have been generated to expand the amount of programmes that can be found by the 42% of visitors who arrive to the iPlayer service without a particular programme in mind.
Users dispute the claims of a 'responsive design', as the new pop-out player now lacks the option to download at low bit-rate, loads every programme automatically to play at full volume, has a fiddly volume control requiring pixel-level click accuracy, and a totally unnescessary "Add Station to Favourites Heart", (pointless given the few stations). The majority of users have zero interest in signing-up to a BBC account, or saving favourites to 'the cloud', instead would prefer to 'save to browser'

[#10]

Definitely not PlusNet fault, due entirely to BBC.  They don't have money to make decent programmes but can always find the funds to mess about with their web sites.  They have a totally arrogant attitude to us; if PlusNet or any other company treated their customers as poorly as the BBC we all have the option to go else where, we don't with them mores the pity.
I now the option of giving up listening to radio programmes I have missed (my main use of the internet) or paying more for unlimited broadband.  All seems so unfair. 
Rant over.  Thanks everyone for listening.

[#11]

Two points -
1)  You should still follow up Chris Pettitt's observation that your line appears to have a fault, which may be easy to resolve by following the instructions in Reply #4
2)  I have just been playing with the iPlayer downloader program called "get_iplayer" and made an interesting discovery. 
    I found that the BBC radio programs are still available in the low bandwidth version. 
    It is just the BBC radio player that doesn't allow you to play them directly !. 

Running "get_iplayer" in default mode to download "Gardeners' Question Time" resulted in a 41087KB file -

Quote

INFO: Checking existence of default version INFO: flashaacstd1,flashaaclow1,wma1 modes will be tried for version default INFO: Trying flashaacstd1 mode to record radio: Gardeners' Question Time - Cheltenham INFO: sampletype  mp4a size=  41087kB time=00:42:12.80 bitrate= 132.9kbits/s

Whereas downloading the same program but forcing the low bandwidth version, resulted in a 15685KB file -

Quote

INFO: flashaaclow1 modes will be tried for version default INFO: Trying flashaaclow1 mode to record radio: Gardeners' Question Time - Cheltenham INFO: File name prefix = Gardeners_Question_Time_-_Cheltenham_b03xgsm0_default                INFO: sampletype  mp4a size=  15685kB time=00:42:12.92 bitrate=  50.7kbits/s

I hope that helps ! 

[#12]

Thanks, it sounds great and just what I need, unfortunately most of the technical 'stuff' I didn't understand.  I might have downloaded the site you recommended but it looks exactly the same as the new BBC.  So I have the option of paying someone to come out and actually do it for me or upping my broadband to unlimited.  Almost wish I could stop paying for tv licence to cover cost of extra payments (I know the extra is nowhere near as expensive as a tv licence) but I get a free one.
Thanks everyone.