Learning on Screen is a membership organisation transforming post-16 education through moving image and sound. We have products and services to support that aim, and we are a registered charity in England (313582) and Scotland (SC054908)
Here you can find answers to some frequently asked questions that our users have asked, along with more technical tips for searching, and making off-air requests. You can also contact support by email: members@learningonscreen.ac.uk
BoB
FAQs about Learning on Screen’s on demand TV and radio player, Box of Broadcasts (BoB).
TRILT
Support for searching The Television & Radio Index for Learning and Teaching.
Off-air service
Everything you need to know about making and managing off-air requests.
Box of Broadcasts (BoB)
BoB is Learning on Screen’s on demand TV and radio service for education. BoB allows staff and students, at subscribing institutions, to record programmes from over 75 free-to-air channels and to search our archive of over 4 million broadcasts.
FAQs
Is there a fee for accessing BoB?
To subscribe, institutions must hold an ERA licence and Learning on Screen membership. If you’d like to join Learning on Screen and take out a BoB subscription, please send us an email at enquiries@learningonscreen.ac.uk, or sign up for a free trial.
How can I check if my institution has an ERA licence?
You can find this out within your university or college, or you can contact the Educational Recording Agency directly and they’ll be able to tell you.
What channels are available to record?
Currently, we’re capturing over 75 channels from a mix of Freeview and Freesat television, with ten channels available in foreign languages. All channels are potentially subject to change.
Are there terms and conditions for using BoB?
Yes, you can find our general terms and conditions on the Learning on Screen website, with PDFs of terms and conditions for membership and the BoB platform.
Can I embed programmes into a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) or presentation?
Embedding in a VLE
Yes, programmes and clips from BoB can be embedded within supported Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs).To do this, click the ‘Share’ button on a programme or clip and choose the “Embed” link option. This will generate code to allow the video to play directly within your VLE.
Using BoB content in presentations or other tools
Embedding is not supported in external platforms such as PowerPoint, Canva, Google Slides or Microsoft applications. This is due to authentication requirements, as access to BoB is limited to staff and students at member institutions.
However, you can still share content by using the generic share link or the “WAYFless Link”, which skips the manual login process for institutions with an SSO login setup. These links will open the programme in a new browser tab rather than playing directly within the slide or tool.
Can I access BoB off campus?
Yes, BoB operates under the terms and conditions of the ERA licence, so you can use it anywhere in the UK.
Can I use BoB overseas?
No, it’s not possible to access content in BoB when you’re overseas, under the terms and conditions of the ERA licence, and as detailed in our terms and conditions. The service uses geolocation software to block access from outside the UK.
Technical support
I’m new to BoB… where do I start?
BoB is intuitive and easy to use, so you may find you can start straight away. However, if you need a bit of help finding your feet take a look at our ‘how to’ videos or download our extensive user guide (PDF).
Can I share programmes?
Yes, but only with registered BoB users; simply send them the programme page URL as a link, or using the ‘share’ button from a programme or clip.
How do I use the programme guide?
The programme guide contains tiles for all the programmes available to watch or record. The five most popular channels are listed first, with all content automatically recorded after broadcast. Other channels will need to be requested by the user within 30 days of broadcast. If you need to plan ahead, recordings can be made seven days in advance too.
To navigate forward and backward in time, use the left and right arrow; scrolling vertically will reveal more channels. The colour of the action text represents the status of that programme:
- Blue (“Request programme”): available to record
- Amber (“Available soon”): scheduled to record and in the transcoding queue. Programmes can take up to 12 hours from the end of broadcast to become available for streaming.
- Green (“Available to watch”): available to watch now
To access a programme tile, click directly on the text and follow the on-screen instructions.
How do I search for broadcasts?
BoB searches the title, metadata and transcripts as well as the broadcast data of upcoming programmes. You can search for individual programmes by entering your keywords and clicking the search icon. You can also use the tick box filters under ‘search options’ to adjust your search to precise specifications.
You can also use ‘AND’, ‘OR’, and ‘NOT’ search language to find the content you need. For example, if you need to find a film or TV adaption of the novel Frankenstein, you can search for: ‘Frankenstein’ AND ‘adaption’.
For more in-depth searches, try using TRILT.
Accessibility searches
Doing a search for a topic and including the term “sign zone” returns results showing programmes using sign language, ie ‘medicine “sign zone”’ or ‘engineering “sign zone”’.
This can be done with or without transcript searching, and gives a starting point for an accessible subject-themed collection, either to dip into or make more targeted playlists.
How do I search for playlists?
BoB users can explore over 160,000 publicly available playlists made by other users. Just click the ‘playlist’ option in the search panel and input your keywords. You can search for playlists by title or by contents, and you can limit searching to your institution or widen it up to the entire community of BoB users.
How do I request a programme within BoB?
Either select a programme from the guide and click ‘request programme’, or, use the search bar to look for programmes using keywords. Filter the results with the custom date range and again, click ‘request programme’. Once requested, you’ll find the programme in My BoB.
What is My BoB?
Everything you record is automatically sent there and it’s where you will find your clips and playlists.
How do I watch programmes I’ve requested?
Once a programme’s been requested, you will be notified via email and you can find all your requested programmes in “My BoB” under the “Requested” tab.
How many requests can I make a day?
You can make 20 requests a day and unlimited clips.
What if a programme isn’t playing?
If you’re experiencing issues with one or several of our programmes, please try the following quick checks on your end:
- Clear your browser’s cookies and cache.
- Try streaming the programme using a different browser or device.
- Check your internet connection or, if you’re on a campus network, ask your IT department whether there are any local connectivity issues. In most cases, these issues are linked to local connectivity.
If you’ve tried the steps above and the problem continues, please click “Report problems with this programme” on the BoB programme page and select the type of problem you’re encountering. Our team will review the issue and get back to you as soon as possible.
A programme is incomplete or isn’t matching the title and description. Is there another version?
You can search for another version of a programme by clicking the ‘search for repeats’ link under the programme description.
If no suitable repeats are available, you can search for the programme title on TRILT. The advanced search functionality on TRILT allows you to filter specifically for programmes on BoB (“Available on BoB”) or for listings that are available to request through our off-air service (“Recorded by BUFVC”). Find out more about off-air requests.
In certain cases we can also replace incomplete or incorrect recordings if there is no suitable alternative available. Please reach out at members@learningonscreen.ac.uk and let us know the course, module, class, or teaching context the programme is needed for.
This helps us prioritise and make best use of our limited capacity, as fixing programme issues often involves a fair amount of manual work.
Can I upload my own video content to BoB?
BoB is a media player for broadcast film, TV and radio, so uploading your own video content isn’t a feature we offer.
Can I request uploads of Learning on Screen off-air recordings to BoB?
Yes, use our off-air service, or contact us at members@learningonscreen.ac.uk to request off-air uploads.
Does BoB work with all browsers?
In order to use BoB you need to have a modern browser installed. Earlier versions of these browsers may work but are not supported.
We recommend:
- Internet Explorer 11 – Windows 8 (and above)
- Edge 12 (or later)
- Mozilla Firefox 44 (or later)
- Safari 8 (or later)
- Google Chrome 49 (or later)
Which devices is BoB available on?
BoB works across a large set of devices,including those running iOS 7.1+, Android 4.4+, Windows Phone 8.1+, and Windows Mobile 11+.
How do I update my personal details?
If you’re logging in to BoB using a university username and need to change your password, you’ll need to contact your BoB member rep. To update your name or email address, just go to the account details section in BoB.
Why do you ask for my email address?
It’s just so we know which institution you’re from and so we can keep you updated with important service information. Your clips and playlists are also associated with your email address.
As member representatives, where can we find promotional material to use internally?
BoB member reps can request promotional materials to share with peers, students and staff by sending an email to members@learningonscreen.ac.uk.
I found distressing and/or inappropriate content in BoB, what should I do?
Please be aware that some archive content accessed via BoB may contain language, images, depictions, views and/ or mistreatment of people or cultures, liable to cause harm, distress and/or offence. BoB is an educational resource (operating in a similar way to an academic library) providing archived material for teaching, learning and research purposes and all content is only accessible via academic authentication. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact and learn from it in order to create a more inclusive and safer future.
If you find an inappropriate image in the search results or appearing as a cover image, we may be able to change the image. These thumbnails and cover images are automatically generated but can usually be manually adjusted.
If you have concerns about a programme, thumbnail or cover image, please email members@learningonscreen.ac.uk .
Television and Radio Index for Learning and Teaching (TRILT)
A continuously updated archive of programme information and schedules for all UK film, radio and TV broadcasts, and an index to the over 800,000 hours of off-air television and radio that we have recorded for member access since 1998. TRILT includes descriptions, keywords, bibliographies, weblinks and indications of sources of post-transmission copies, including if a programme is available to play on BoB.
Using TRILT search
Starting with basic search, just enter your search terms (the word or phrase that describes what you’re looking for) into the search box, and click the search button. You can use special language and symbols to refine the words you use in the search box.
You can refine any basic search using the drop-down menus.
You can use ‘sort by’ and ‘results per page’ to decide how you wish to see the search results which are returned.
If you need to refine your search, try using advanced search. Select this option at the bottom of the search page. In Advanced Search, you can carry out up to three searches, to return one set of refined results. Each search can be across all fields, or can be refined to a search of one field in the database using the drop-down menu next to the search box.
In each of the three search boxes, you can use special words and symbols to refine the text you put in each search box. These are: ‘and’, ‘or’ and ‘not’; some symbols like speech marks “; and asterisk for a ‘stem search’.
You can also use the ‘and’, ‘or’ and ‘not’ drop-down menus to build a relationship between each of the three search boxes as well.
You can use ‘sort by’ and ‘results per page’ to decide how you wish to see the search results which are returned.
Once you have selected ‘Advanced Search’ the database will assume you want to use this option every time you choose ‘Search’ from the menu or to start a ‘New Search’ from the search page. To return to the simpler option, click ‘Basic Search’ at the bottom of the search page.
Searches are not case sensitive — so ‘London England’ is the same as ‘london enGlaNd’ or ‘LONDON ENGLAND’.
Using And, Or and Not
The term ‘and’ narrows a search, retrieving only results including all of the words you have used. In our search, we always assume that if you have included multiple words you mean ‘and’, so you don’t need to include it.
The term ‘or’ broadens a search, retrieving results including at least one of the words you have used, but not necessarily both.
The term ‘not’ allows you to exclude words from a search, and is useful where a word has more than one meaning.
Symbols in search
The use of “speech marks” around your search phrase will help you to narrow your search to find results that contain the exact phrase you’re looking for. While a search using ‘and’ will look for those two words anywhere in results, a search using speech marks will find those two words together, side-by-side.
You can also use parentheses (brackets) alongside And, Or and Not to refine your search. For example, entering the search expression ‘(hip or knee) and arthroplasty’ will retrieve results containing the terms ‘hip and arthroplasty’ or the terms ‘knee and arthroplasty’.
Stem search
A Stem search can help you find variations on your search terms. An asterisk * is used for a stem search, and will help you find words starting with your search term; for example, earth* will return results for ‘earth’ and ‘earthquake’ and so on.
Stop words
Some words will be ignored if you use them, because they don’t help refine your search and mean it will take longer to get you results. These are called ‘stop words’.
Stop words include: and, are, for, he’s, i’d, i’ll, i’m, i’ve, isn’t, it’d, it’ll, it’s, its, off, she, than, that, that’s, thats, the, this, was. All words of one character are also stop words, for example, ‘I‘ or ‘a‘.
Once you’ve clicked the search button, results will be shown in a list below the search form. Results are shown as a list of records from the database, with a title and a brief summary text.
How the list is shown is controlled by how you set ‘sort by’ and ‘results per page’ on the search form. To view a record from your search results, click the title.
The number of pages of results is shown in a bar above the individual results; if you have more than one page, click ‘Previous’ or ‘Next’ to move between result pages rather than your browser buttons or you risk losing your search.
Learning on Screen’s off-air service
The off-air service is a way for members and subscribers to request archive copies of radio and television programmes found using the TRILT search. These programmes are then playable by subscribers using BoB.
FAQs
What channels do you record?
Learning on Screen currently records dozens of channels, hundreds of programmes and has an archive of thousands of hours or programming totalling 5 petabytes of data.
How many off-air requests can my institution make if it is a Learning on Screen member?
Every member institution with an active Box of Broadcasts subscription can make a total of 50 off-air requests per membership year. Requests made by students and staff have to be reviewed by the institution’s Off-Air Representative before being reviewed by our team.
My institution will not order something for me, can I order something myself?
We can only fulfil off-air requests that have been approved by your institution’s Off-Air Representative. If you need the recording for study or teaching, you can include additional information when making the request so that they can prioritise it accordingly.
If I place an order online, will my institution automatically request it?
The request will be sent to your institution’s Off-Air Representative who will determine whether the order will be placed as each institution has a limited number of requests per membership year.
Many institutions will only respond to requests from members of teaching staff so, if you are a student requiring access to formerly broadcast content, we recommend you refer to your tutor or subject librarian for advice on policy before making a request.
How will I know what action my Learning on Screen Off-Air Representative has taken?
You will receive an email to let you know if your request has been ordered, declined or put on hold. If your order has been put on hold, your representative will be deciding whether or not to place or decline the order. They may be checking whether your institution already has a copy of the programme available from local academic services or the library before using the Learning on Screen service.
When will my requested programme be available?
Our team will aim to upload the requested programme to BoB within 6 weeks. Some of our content has to be fetched from our physical archive and digitised by our digitisation partner which can result in longer processing times, but we will do our best to complete the upload as swiftly as possible.
Off-Air Representatives
Off-Air Representatives (or Off-Air Reps) are responsible for handling off-air recording requests. If there is a programme that does not carry the Learning on Screen logo but you believe the Learning on Screen should have a copy i.e. it was shown after 1st June 1998 on BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, ITV, Channel 4 or Five, please contact us: members@learningonscreen.ac.uk
View orders
This section summarises the institution’s off-air information and allows the Off-Air Representative to manage off-air Requests from users, including an explanation of each of the fields:
- Institution: The name of your institution
- Type: The membership you hold with Learning on Screen.
- Annual quota: The number of requests your institution is entitled to in the current academic year.
- Quota remaining: Indicating the number of requests your institution has left in the current academic year. Numbers in brackets refer to requests that have been received by Learning on Screen but which have not yet been fulfilled. Every time the Learning on Screen fulfils and sends an order, both numbers decrease by one.
- Off-Air Reps: The name(s) of the Off-Air Representative(s) for your institution.
Show requests
This section allows you to filter orders by their status:
- Requested: programmes that users in your institution have asked for. These programmes will not be ordered until you confirm and pass the order to the Learning on Screen by pressing the ‘place’ button at the bottom of the page.
- Hold: Programme requests that you are not sure about ordering (if, for example, you are nearing the end of your entitlement).
- Ordered: Programme requests that you have ordered from the Learning on Screen off-air service.
- Declined: Programme requests that you have decided not to order from the Learning on Screen off-air service.
- Received by Learning on Screen: Programme requests that the Learning on Screen off-air service has received and is dealing with.
- Sent by Learning on Screen: Programmes requests that the Learning on Screen off-air service has processed and dispatched to you.
- Cancelled by Learning on Screen: Programme requests that the Learning on Screen off-air service was unable to provide, or that you no longer want.
- All: Orders in all categories
- The default setting filters the list so only requested items are visible. These are new requests that have not yet been actioned.
- Academic year: The default position is ‘Current’, which will show any programmes requested in this academic year. ‘History’ will show any requests from previous academic years.
- Results per page: The default position is 10 results per page. This can be increased to 30, 50 or 100 using the dropdown menu.
Records
Each request has four pieces of information:
- Order ID and date: The date on which the request was made and its unique order number. This number is also the link that you should click on to take you to the full programme record, where you can take action on a request.
- Status: What stage the request is at.
- Requestor: The name of the person who has placed the request and also indicates their occupation. If the requestor is a student, their subject discipline will also be listed.
- Programme details: Basic transmission information about the request: Title; TRILT ID; Channel; Broadcast Date and Time.
Programme request
Information about the requestor, information about the programme request and information about your institution’s off-air account:
- Requesting institution: Your institution. In most cases this is automatically generated by the three letter Open Athens prefix that identifies your institution
- Requestor: Name of the person who has placed the request
- Requestor email: Email address of the person who has placed the request
- Requestor phone number: Phone number of the person who has placed the request will be listed here, if known
- Requestor occupation: Requestors are given seven options to choose from:
- Academic related Staff
- Teaching staff
- Technical staff
- Full-time researcher
- Part-time researcher
- Postgraduate student
- Undergraduate student: If either of the student options are chosen, requestors are prompted to enter their subject discipline.
- Off-Air Rep: the name(s) of the Off-Air Representative(s) for your institution
- Order status: What stage the request is at.
- Annual quota: he number of requests your institution is entitled to in the current academic year
- Quota remaining: The number of requests your institution has left in the current academic year.
- Programme information: Transmission information about the request
- Notification message: The requestor will be notified by email when any action is taken with the programme request (place order, hold order or decline order). To personalise the text, type your message in the notification message text box. For example, ‘I’m declining this request because we already have the programme in the library.’ The text from this box will be appended to the automated message.
- Here is an example of the automated message with the appended notification text:
Dear John,
Your order, number 1000084, for the programme “It’s My Life”, broadcast on ITV1 London on 4 September 2006 at 12:15 AM, has been declined.
I’m declining this request because we already have the programme in the library
Disclaimer: Where orders have been accepted Learning on Screen reserves the right to supply a copy of the requested programme from a different broadcast date and/or channel to the one listed.
- Additional information: Text box that has two functions:
- Firstly, it can be used by the requestor to send their Off-Air Representative further information about their requirements. For example, “I need this programme by the 13th January to use in a lecture”. Off air representatives can delete or amend the additional information that was provided by the requestor before sending an order to Learning on Screen
- Secondly, it can be used by the Off-Air Representative to send information regarding a programme request to Learning on Screen. For example, “I would like a BSL / signed version if possible”.
- Action: As an Off-Air Rep, each programme request has to be dealt with individually, and you have three options:
- Decline a request
- Place a request on hold
- Order the requested programme
As soon as you choose one of these options, an automated email will be sent to the requestor informing him/her of your decision, so it is important that you have filled in all necessary information before actioning the request.
Re-opening a request
If you have declined a request and then decide that you would like to place the order after all, then you can reopen the order. To do this, filter your orders to find only declined orders. From this list you should choose the programme that you wish to reopen. At the bottom of the Programme Request page there are two buttons: “Reopen order” and “Save Order Details”. Click on the “Reopen order” button and you will be able to choose from the three actions (place, decline, on hold) again.
Save order details
Use this button to save any changes you make to an order. If you make changes to an inactive order (one that is on hold, declined or has not yet been actioned) then the changes will be saved but no notification will be sent to any party.
If, however, you make changes to an order that has been sent to Learning on Screen (requested) but has not yet been marked as “received by Learning on Screen”, then this information will be added to your order. You can use this function to modify or cancel orders.
Once orders have been marked as “received by Learning on Screen” they cannot be changed via the online system and the “Save Order Details” button will disappear from the screen.