edsib1:
Freeview bitrates are typically in the range 3000-8000kbps mpeg2
Iplayer is 800kbs or 1500kbps using h264 codec for higher quality. H264 isabout twice as efficient as mpeg2.
So iplayer higher quality is as good as some of the poorer terrestrial SD channels eg itv3, but not as good as the primary SD channels eg bbc1.
iPlayer on Virgin Media runs at 3000 Kbps for SD streams, using the H264 codec. As this is twice as efficient as mpeg2, it's equivalent to 6000 Kbps, which is pretty good, only just below BBC1. The HD streams are at an even higher bit rate.