[SWLUG] BBC's "iPlayer"

[Steve Hill]

On Thu, 28 Jun 2007, Dave Cridland wrote:

> Or, you could look to earlier parallels. BBC TV started off with the
> 30-line Baird system, moving later to alternating between the (then
> 240-line) Baird system and the newer EMI/Marconi 405-line system -
> Baird's was dropped in '37, the 405-line apparently continued up
> until '85, before only the 625-line PAL system remained, up until DVB
> started, when once again, multiple systems are deployed and in use.
> And guess what - the old PAL system will, eventually, be dropped too.

The significant difference here is they are all open systems - None of 
them artificially restrict the viewer to use a product which is only 
available from a single manufacturer and someone with the suitable skills 
can construct a receiver for all of them from the published specs. 
(Although, yes I am aware that when the BBC first started broadcasting on 
DVB-S they were using the propriatory VideoGuard system - thankfully that 
is ancient history now and hopefully they will start transmitting MHEG-5 
versions of their OpenTV applications over DVB-S next year when FreeSat 
launches).

> Basically, the BBC is, I think, trying to reach the maximum audience
> with the minimum outlay of its public funds, which seems like a
> reasonable start. Given their history with TV broadcasting, I'm quite
> sure they'll get something else for Mac and Linux users, if they
> decide there's sufficient market.

Surely reaching the maximum audiance for the minimum outlay would involve 
using existing Free formats instead of licencing DRM from Microsoft?

-- 

  - Steve
    xmpp:steve at nexusuk.org   sip:steve at nexusuk.org   http://www.nexusuk.org/

      Servatis a periculum, servatis a maleficum - Whisper, Evanescence