BoB (Box of Broadcasts) Quick Guide

BoB is an online streaming service available to UEL students and staff based in the UK. It covers a wide number of TV and radio channels with programmes dating back to 2007.

It allows you to search for programmes, set recordings and create clips. Any recordings can also be added to playlists and accessed from your personal area in BoB.

How do I access BoB?

  1. Go to the Library and Learning Services website:
  2. Click Databases and E-journals (on the right hand side of the screen)
  3. Choose B for BoB from the Database A-Z list
  4. Select the On- or Off-Campus link (you will need to use your Athens account in order to access BoB, for more information see

What happens the first time I sign in?

The first time you log in and access BoB, you will need to fill out a short form. Enter your UEL email address (e.g. ) here. Agree to the BoB terms of reference and click Save. This will register your BoB account and allow you to make recordings and clips.

Searching BoB

  • Click the Search link to look for a programme
  • Enter a show (e.g. BBC News) and click search
  • The results shown will be in relevance order. You can sort these using the Sort by drop-down box
  • You can also filter results with the options on the left-hand side of the screen (e.g. by channel, language etc.)

Clips

  • You can also create a clip from a programme. To do this:
  • Click a link to begin watching a show
  • Click the create clip button
  • Select a portion of the programme for your clip – this is indicated by the blue bar
  • Click Save clip when you’re done
  • This will add your clip to the My BoB area

My BoB

  • My BoB is your personal area of the website, and contains your saved clips, programmes and any playlists you’ve created
  • To save a clip or programme to a playlist, click the Add to playlist link and either choose an existing playlist or create a new one
  • If you want to delete a clip you have made or a programme you have recorded, click the remove link

Recording a programme

  • There are two ways to set a programme to record on BoB
  1. Through the Programme guide
  • Click the Programme guide link
  • Channel content from today is selected by default. You can choose different dates from the top of the screen or by clicking the calendar icon on the right-hand side
  • Scroll through to find a programme and click on it
  • Click the Request programme button. This will set the programme to record and add it to the Programmes section of My BoB
  1. Through the Search
  • Search for a programme as described above
  • On the left-hand side of the screen, click Available to order
  • Find the programme you want to record and click Request programme and order
  • This will set the programme to record and add it to the Programmes section of My BoB

How many programmes can I request?

  • Users are limited to 5 programme requests per day. However, all it takes for a programme to become available is for one person to request it, so most popular shows are likely to be available from BoB shortly after broadcast

Other features

  • BoB also features a citation guide. To use this, click How do I cite this when you are watching a programme
  • A transcript also appears for most programmes on the right-hand side of the screen

Remember: BoB is only available to educational users based in the UK. It is only to be used for non-commercial purposes, so you must not share programmes externally. Although you can create clips, they cannot be modified or edited in any way (e.g. by adding sound effects).

October 2014 (RK)