mostfoolhardy.org

The BBC appear to still be convinced that only windows XP users deserve the ability to watch television over the internet. This is in part due to their settling on Windows Media Video with DRM as the apt way for them to deliver this; it seems all the stranger that they’ve chosen this as the BBC already have a perfectly serviceable codec, which is self-acclaimed to be well suited to internet streaming.

To me, the BBC seems like the perfect institution to develop a DRM technology which is moderately open and least inconvenient to the user- although I cannot see the difference between them broadcasting an open MPEG2 stream using DVB and them broadcasting an open MPEG4 one using http.

I know that there are major legal differences between broadcasting it over the internet and over DVB, and that the files can be downloaded in faster than real time, but this does not have to be combatted by a completely opaque, utterly intrusive platform which will eventually lead to a locked down media file which can only be watched at it’s leisure and the viewers expense.

It seems to me as if the BBC is in a unique position here, where they have the chance to be able to redefine internet television with an open standard which allows all broadcasters to reach their audiences using whatever platform, whatever player. If this becomes the new distribution platform for television- then copyright law in Great Britain should recognise it as analogous to television and appreciate that it will have the same problem with copying that modern television does- which are insignificant to the BBCs DVD sales.

And I’m not the only person who would buy something I especially enjoyed on DVD, because the BBC have some really great stuff, and after all, every television owner in the country paid for it.

Anyway, to those of you unlucky enough to be using WINXP: gorge yourself on some telly.