The BBC has launched a new portal for its TV catchup service iPlayer on mobile to support a wider range of mobile phones, including the Samsung Omnia and the Sony (NYSE: SNE) Ericsson (NSDQ: ERIC) Xperia X1. Starting next week, the new portal, which includes live TV and radio alongside its catch up services, will also support the Sony Ericsson C905. Currently, the very popular iPlayer is available through an iPhone site and through a specific Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 96 application.

The Beeb also said the new portal, currently in beta, would introduce a new feature—offering access to ‘Live’ BBC TV & Radio. But it turns out that the new site uses the existing simulcast audio and video encodings from the Live TV & Radio site launched in October, and will use the existing TV on-demand encodings produced for the Nokia N96 widget. “This brings me to a temporary deficiency in the new offering - the existing radio on-demand encodings aren’t compatible with the devices we’re supporting in the new site,” writes BBC’s mobile technology head Jon Billings.

The BBC has also updated its Nokia application, built for the N96. It now supports Nokia’s N85 handset and is looking into adding support for “one or two more” future Nokia devices. Sounds like the N97 expected to launch next year might be a candidate.