That’s changed with the release of an official iPlayer app. It’s potentially one of the biggest apps to ever hit the market, and it’s been released simultaneously with the iPad edition.

Boot up the app and it’s immediately obvious this is something special. Featured programmes sit at the top of the screen, and scrolling down sees more fade into view smoothly. Switch your phone around and you’re able to scroll horizontally through Auntie’s top content.

Click on a show and the familiar iPlayer layout appears, with options to share the the show over any social-networking apps you’ve got installed or add it to your favourites for later viewing. Graphics illustrate the programme’s channel, duration and availability on iPlayer, and there are eight links to recommend shows at the bottom of the screen – just scroll through them horizontally and click.

The Radio tab is designed along the same lines, with the latest shows, exclusive live performances and (for older listeners) episodes of The Archers available.

At the top of the app sits an unobtrusive little button that’s actually key to the iPlayer experience. Click it and you’re able to browse through numerous programme categories, from comedy and drama to sports and documentaries, as well as divide shows by their channels: all the main stations are supported alongside more obscure ones such as BBC Parliament, BBC Radio 1Xtra and BBC Radio 7.

And then there’s the live TV and radio options, which stream current content. None of iPlayer’s playback options work on 3G, but our office wireless network coped admirably, quickly streaming BBC at fine quality. While it’s not what you’d expect from the corporation’s HD channels – or, frankly, its SD broadcasting – it’s certainly watchable.

Some of the Beeb’s archived content, though, didn’t fare so well. Top at the time of writing was a David Attenborough documentary, Madagascar, which proved difficult to watch as the app kept stopping to buffer images. The latest episode of Panorama was the same. This could be down to increased launch demand peaks or a temporary glitch on our wireless network, but it’s a shame to see such an impressive app potentially scuppered by outside forces.

Official BBC apps have been a long time coming but, now the first has arrived, we’re still impressed: iPlayer mimics its desktop cousin superbly and – when your wireless connection plays ball – offers a smooth and responsive experience. It’s free and available in the Android Market right now as long as you’re running Android 2.2 or above.

Want more great Android apps? Check out our previous Android Apps of the Week or read our 36 Best Android Apps feature.

In the UK, BBC’s iPlayer has pushed the concept into the public consciousness, serving up all the TV-licence-funded goodness that any PC, Mac or Linux user could possibly ask for. Arguably one of the driving forces for the on-demand revolution, iPlayer has blossomed from a compelling concept into an intrinsic part of many people’s viewing habits. Freeing broadcasts from the confines of the living room, and allowing TV to sprawl freely wherever the internet is accessible; the on-demand revolution is set to change the face of televisual broadcasting forever.

Such bombast does, of course, conveniently sidestep the current issues. BBC’s iPlayer eschews the need for advertising as it’s funded entirely by the payments of UK TV licence holders. Other services aren’t so fortunate. SeeSaw is another service which is just starting to gather momentum, with shows plucked from ITV, Channel 4 and Five. Most of the existing content is free, but with the imminent arrival of popular US shows, SeeSaw is going to have to grapple with the thorny issue of pay per view charges. And not wanting to miss a piece of the action, Microsoft, with its recently announced MSN Video Player, has also decided to join the on-demand fray.

Even in their infancy, both sites boast an impressive roster of full-fat programming. Look past all the lightweight fluff, and MSN Video shares a fair amount of content with its rival in the on-demand playground, Seesaw. Spanning everything from car-crash classics such as Wife Swap to the really-couldn’t-be-any-more-annoying antics of Trinny and Susannah on What Not to Wear, through to a rich seam of UK comedy, there’s enough to whet any appetite. With entire series of The League of Gentlemen, Brass Eye, Marion and Geoff and Nathan Barley, just to mention a few, there’s enough to satisfy viewers until the desperate, nagging need for new content sets in.

Like any fledgling ventures, though, both services have their weaknesses. Head on over to the MSN Video Player website and the first thing you’ll notice  – beyond the bland, innocuous page design – is the vast amount of filler content. Movie trailers, music videos, brief news reports and interviews with vacuous Hollywood stars jostle for position, threatening to completely obscure the juicy viewing morsels elsewhere. It’s a far cry from SeeSaw’s efforts, where slick design and a simple, attractive layout combine with a notable absence of visual fluff and filler.

The price of all this free content is pretty miniscule, though, with both services keeping the bank balance steady with short 30-second advertising spots played before each full-length program. It’s like Spotify does video, obviously with vastly less content, but the burning question is: how will these services evolve? The cost of new content has to come from somewhere, and the question is whether viewers will soon find themselves bombarded by multiple adverts between each and every showing.

SeeSaw’s to be congratulated for boldly venturing into the realms of pay-per-view, but, if it was hoping to snare viewers with the lure of inexpensive gogglebox action, then they’re well wide of the mark. Grey’s Anatomy and Brothers and Sisters were both available at the time of writing for the princely sum of 99p per episode and £17.99 for an entire series. If that sounds reasonable, then buckle up, you’re in for a shock. That’s the cost to rent the episodes. Buy a single episode, and your 99p buys you the ability to watch it within 30 days. Buy a series, and you get 90 days. Once you start watching any episode, you have 48 hours to finish watching it before the rental expires. I think I’ll just go to Blockbuster, thanks.

Microsoft, however, has bigger plans. Internet broadcasting has allowed TV to break free from the lounge, but, as Microsoft is acutely aware, it’s the success of on-demand TV services such as MSN Video which could  eventually push subscribers away from the multi-channel, monthly subscription of Sky TV.

Just today, it announced that the MSN Video Player is seamlessly integrated into its Windows Media Center software. Fire up the TV guide, and MSN Video takes pride of place alongside Sky Player and the selection of traditional TV channels. It’s early days yet, but I’ve spent the past couple of weeks taking full advantage of all that free content, and you can colour me impressed.

Let’s face it, even if you’re a fully paid-up Sky subscriber with more channels than you know what to do with, there are still some evenings when you’d rather spoon out your own eyeballs than watch what’s on offer. Where you would have previously resigned yourself to watching some nondescript televisual dross to pass the time, brain cells dwindling by the nanosecond, classic series’ such as Ripping Yarns and vintage Doctor Who are now just a couple of mouse clicks, or prods of a Media Center remote away. It’s not revolutionary – there’s just not enough content available yet to be able to say that – but it’s a step forward, that’s for sure.

“How you can possibly enforce that?” asked the BBC man, somewhere in between the 96 daily reminders of how you can watch BBC News online. “We can and we will,” was the gist of the not particularly convincing reply. Still, it’s nice to see that, just as small businesses are putting the worst of the recession flames out, TV Licensing wants to open another can of petrol.

But why pick on small businesses? During his convoluted explanation of what you can and can’t do, the enforcer explained that you don’t need to buy a licence to watch BBC programmes on iPlayer after they are broadcast.

Can someone explain the logic of that to me? A small businessman that wants to watch Sky News during his lunch break has to pay £140 for the privilege, even though Sky (or any other commercial broadcaster) doesn’t see a penny of the licence revenue. Meanwhile, someone who wants to cherry pick the best of the BBC’s output and watch the HD streams on iPlayer can do so with impunity.

I can’t see any good reason why iPlayer viewers should be exempt from the TV licence just because they’re not watching it live. The programmes still cost the same to produce; in fact, they cost even more when you consider the bandwidth fees and other costs associated with maintaining the iPlayer.

If TV Licensing is so desperate for money that it needs to apply the thumbscrews on small businesses, perhaps it should tackle the iPlayer freeloaders first.

BT Option 1 isn’t the worst service when it comes to strangling connections, however. Not by a long chalk. Take BT-owned PlusNet example. Its “Unlimited” account offers a maximum bandwidth of only 256Kbits/sec from download sites during peak hours (6pm-11pm) while peer-to-peer traffic is granted a paltry maximum of 128Kbits/sec from 6pm-10pm. Try downloading a 1.5GB HD show from iPlayer during peak hours on that connection and it will probably arrive a couple of hours after you’ve gone to bed.

Other ISPs pull similar ruses (you can find out what your ISP is up to in this month’s mag). Perhaps now the BBC has taken an interest, we’ll get a frank and open debate about the murky practice of traffic shaping.

Here are five ways to ensure you’re not stuck watching re-runs of The Vicar of Dibley this Christmas.

1. GET THE ULTIMATE TV GUIDE

The Radio Times might have been good enough to keep you abreast of all the top TV in the days when Channel 4 was considered exotic, but it simply doesn’t cut the mustard now there’s a zillion or two channels on the Sky schedules.

The immensly powerful DigiGuide, on the other hand, will make light work of sorting the unmissable gems from the Jamie Olivers. This Windows application contains listing from over 500 UK television channels, but tailors your listings depending on your particular TV set up (Sky, Freeview or terrestrial) and region, so that you only see the programmes you’ll actually be able to watch.

Shows can be searched for by programme name, genre or even the actors involved. Search for Gavin and Stacey, for example, and you’ll instantly be presented with the time and channel of the Christmas Day special, and all the re-runs of previous series being shown on the various satellite channels over the next few weeks. Shows can be stored as favourites, with desktop alerts every time the show’s about to start, or even SMS alerts to your mobile phone – which are free until the end of the year.

DigiGuide recommends programmes based on your personal tastes, which are established during the painless set-up routine. Not bothered about sport? Sling the slider to the left and the My TV recommendations will omit any mention of the Boxing Day footy. If that seems a bit broad brushstroke, the genre filters allow you to choose which specific sports or types of film you’re interested in, making it easy for cricket-loving horror fans to get a highly-personalised schedule.

DigiGuide costs £14.99 for a year’s subscription, but you can download the full Windows client for a 30-day trial, which will easily see you through the Christmas period.  

2. SET THE SKY+ FROM AFAR

There’s little more annoying than arriving at Gran’s on Boxing Day and realising you forgot to set the Sky+ for the cracking movie on Film Four. Thankfully, Sky+ has a fallback for the absent-minded. Remote Record allows you to set the PVR using an electronic programme guide (EPG) on the Sky website or on your smartphone – check the Sky website for a list of compatible handsets.

If you’re smartphone’s not on the list, you can still set your Sky+ to record a show via text message. Register your Sky account with the service  and type a text message in the following format, including the full stops: Programme title. Channel (name or number). DD/MM. HH:HH

For example: EastEnders. BBC1. 25/12. 20:00

Then send a text to 61759. We’ve heard that the text service can be a little patchy, so opt for the online or smartphone EPG if you can.

3. CATCH UP ON YOUR MOBILE

If you’d rather pluck your toenails out with a teaspoon than sit down with the family to watch Noel’s Christmas Presents, seek sanctuary with your mobile gadgets. The BBC iPlayer is now compatible with a number of mobile devices, allowing you to catch up with most of the TV shows broadcast on the Beeb’s various channels over the past week. 

Officially supported mobiles include the iPhone, Nokia N85 and N96, Samsung Omnia and Sony Ericsson C905. Some enterprising Symbian fans have found a way to gently hack the iPlayer to work on other S60 smartphones – click here for details.

Portable media players including the Creative Zen, Sony Walkman E and S Series, and various Archos devices are also iPlayer compatible, allowing you to load the device up with downloads for those arduous motorway slogs. Make sure you select the “For Media Player” option when downloading shows from the iPlayer website, then simply drag and drop the files on to your media player.

4. TAKE YOUR TV WITH YOU

What happens if you want to watch the Boxing Day clash between Stoke and Man Utd, but are heading off to see family who don’t have Sky? With a couple of handy set-top gadgets, you can take your TV with you.

Devices such as the Slingbox Pro and Sony’s Location Free attach to your TV’s set-top-box, and beam the signal over the internet to a laptop, smartphone or Sony PSP, wherever you may be (as long as you can get a decent internet connection at your destination, of course). See the current issue of PC Pro (with the main cover-line, Netbooks from £115) for an in-depth guide to setting up a Slingbox.

If it’s too late to run down the shops for dedicated hardware, software such as Orb MyTV and WebGuide, used in conjunction with a TV-tuner equipped PC, will allow you to stream live or recorded content over the internet. Alternatively, GoToMyPC will provide remote access to your PC from wherever you are in the world, allowing you to catch up on the latest iPlayer shows even if you’re in normally off-limits foreign climes over Christmas.

5.  SEEK OUT ALTERNATIVES

It’s all well and good having 13,505 channels on Sky and cable, but when most of them are showing round-the-clock re-runs of Frasier and Changing Rooms, it can still leave you yearning for a little variety.

Why not try a few of the more eclectic online alternatives? The recently-revamped Joost is getting into the Christmas spirit with the superb Stressed Eric Nativity, as wide selection of old Laurel and Hardy movies and not an X-Factor winner in sight with a wide selection of indie music videos.

The decidedly edgier Babelgum hosts a selection of indie films, live music performances from bands such as the Kaiser Chiefs and Dizzee Rascal, as well as some classic motorsport documentaries featuring Stirling Moss and James Hunt. You’ll need to download the dedicated player software to watch show, however.

The excellent Miro player, meanwhile, offers a bevy of videos from the NASA archives, a selection of classic clips from the Monty Python team and a quite frightening video of the singer Grace Jones. 

Since the dark days of November 2007, I’m pleased to say the iPlayer has improved almost beyond recognition. The website interface is now much cleaner and finding the particular episode of a series that you want to watch is no longer a case of randomly clicking on identical boxes and hoping for the best. Shows can now be streamed in either standard or “high-quality” versions if you can’t be bothered to wait for the download (although downloads still offers much greater picture quality), and devices such as media players, games consoles and phones are now well supported with dedicated downloads.   

If the truth be told, the BBC has turned what was looking like a multi-million lame duck into one of the most popular internet services this country has ever seen – and deserves credit for doing so.

Which makes it all the more galling that the next evolution of the iPlayer looks set to undo much of the good work.

Early next year, the BBC will replace the current iPlayer with a cross-platform version based on Adobe’s AIR platform. That good news is that this will make it easier for Macs and Linux users to use the iPlayer, and will also include new content such as HD video and podcasts. Although it will almost certainly mean we pick up the tab with more expensive broadband tariffs, as ISPs pass on the costs of the extra bandwidth required for a service that already accounts for around 10% of all UK internet traffic at peak hours.

The BBC also plans to hop needlessly on to the social networking bandwagon, in what iPlayer chief Anthony Rose is already painfully describing as “Broadcast 2.0”. This means the iPlayer will be turned into a pseudo-Facebook, with viewers able to see what their friends are watching, “chat” about shows as they watch them, and rate shows – or even parts of shows – they’ve watched. “Next year, it’s your friends who are going to choose what you watch,” Rose claims. Give me strength.

Worse still, the iPlayer’s going to start nagging you to watch shows. “You’ll see a System Tray pop-up: Top Gear, next episode now out,” Rose proudly proclaims in today’s Guardian, seemingly unaware that even Microsoft has decided that pop-up bubbles from the System Tray are more irritating  than re-runs of Holby City, and dumped them for Windows 7.

Having transformed the iPlayer into an invaluable public service, the BBC looks set to break the golden rule of fixing something that now isn’t broken.  

The BBC’s Where To Get iPlayer page suggests getting the service to run on any MCE (or Home Media Hub as the Beeb calls them) should be a piece of cake. Simply download the programmes as normal on your PC, open Windows Media Center and add the iPlayer downloads folder to your Media Center library, then jump on to your MCE device and simply play back the relevant files from the comfort of your TV. Robert is your dad’s brother.

Except it doesn’t work on the Xbox 360. Well, at least not my Xbox 360, nor those of a couple of colleagues I’ve spoken to. Although judging by numerous internet forums, it seems to work flawlessly for some people. When I click on downloaded programmes using the Xbox 360’s MCE, however, I’m presented with a blue screen displaying the message:

“Video Error. Files needed to display video are not installed or not working correctly.”

This is, of course, complete bunkum. Other, non-DRM protected videos stream perfectly happily from my Vista laptop to the Xbox 360 MCE. It’s only those pesky iPlayer files that produce the error message.

So I’ve found a couple of ways around the problem. The first is a doddle. Instead of choosing the Download To Computer option from the iPlayer service, go for Download For Media Players. This bypasses the iPlayer App on your PC and simply downloads the video like any other file. Save the video to a folder that’s monitored by your Xbox MCE (the default Videos folder should work fine) and it plays back perfectly.

The problem with choosing the Media Player files is that they are designed for portable players, so the video is heavily compressed. Even on my relatively modest 28in screen in the lounge, the picture quality is horribly patchy.

So, with the help of a couple of internet forums, I’ve found a way to watch the higher quality Computer downloads on the Xbox. Here’s how you do it:

1.  Make sure you have Windows Media Player 11 downloaded on your PC.

2. In Windows Media Player, click Library | Media Sharing and make sure that it’s set up to share video with your Xbox 360.

3. Download the programme of your choice using the Download To Computer option from the iPlayer website.

4. Once it’s downloaded, play the programme for a few seconds in the iPlayer app on your PC so that the appropriate DRM licence is downloaded (make sure you play past the BBC ident, or the licence won’t be downloaded).

5. Now for the bizarre part. Make a copy of the programme you’ve just downloaded (you will find it in C:\Users\Public\Videos\My Deliveries on a Vista PC) and plonk it in your Videos folder (or any other folder monitored by your MCE).  Now rename it to something a little more friendly – the iPlayer downloads are given hideously long filenames by default.

6. Navigate to the folder you just copied the video to on your Xbox 360 MCE, and the video should play.

7. The video will be in the old-school 4:3 format, but if you click on the X button on the Xbox 360 controller and select the Zoom option, you can fill the screen.  Whilst not quite Sky+ quality, the video is perfectly watchable.

So there you have it, the iPlayer on the Xbox 360 – albeit with a little bit of faffing around. I’d be interested to hear your experience of watching the iPlayer on the Xbox 360, particularly if you can get it to work without the seven-step procedure outlined above. One theory I’ve seen floated on forums is that it works flawlessly with Windows XP MCE PCs but not Vista. Let me know your thoughts on the comments below.

Opposite me, David Bayon is picking away at his salad while watching the gymnastics (he’d like me to write that he was watching something manly, but we all know the truth). Jon Bray was watching the long jump. And to follow a whim, I fired up the table tennis highlights. We have, somehow, slipped with barely a murmur into on-demand internet TV, and it’s fantastic.

Even the resolution is high enough to impress. Bayon (now switching his attention to athletics) has just exclaimed “you can see her heart beating” as he watched one of the 400m runners stand ready for the race.

It takes something like the Olympics to show us how far technology has come. The BBC iPlayer has been around in one form or other for the last two years, and we’ve become used to it. But do you remember how you last watched the Olympics? If you’re anything like me, it was mainly via a highlights programme on terrestrial TV. I’d have been lucky to see two minutes of table tennis. If I wanted to, I could watch 50 minutes’ worth, or fast forward to precisely the match I was interested in.

Now we’re all casually firing up our browsers, streaming live or pre-recorded events direct to our display. Makes you wonder how far things will have improved by London 2012.