Is it possible to make get_iplayer download or convert tv to mpeg 1 or 2 please.

Technically, you could use --command to launch your CLI transcoder of choice. Someone else may point out that it is possible to do something similar with --ffmpeg-tv-opts, but that option wouldn't retain the original file. Also, that option will be removed in the near future. It is best to transcode properly outside of get_iplayer. You'll be able to experiment and ultimately get better results.

EDIT: Transcoding could probably be made to run asynchronously from get_iplayer using start in your command string , but it's still not worth the bother.