[Sussex] [OFF TOPIC] A Plea to the Myth community.

[Steve Dobson]

Mark

On Tue, Nov 29, 2005 at 05:55:02PM +0000, Mark Harrison (Groups) wrote:
> On Tue, 2005-11-29 at 15:53 +0000, Steve Dobson wrote:
> 
> > I agree, but I don't think Strictly Come Dancing is.  It is:
> >   a). Live,
> >   b). Shoot in Studio 1 (London), and
> >   c). The Saturday shows are available online for free download.
> > 
> > Because of these facts I think you'll find it is owned by the BBC.
> > But I need to check the copyright on the shows.
> 
> You are almost certainly right. I was trying to make a general point,
> rather than a specific one about Strictly Come Dancing.

But Nik was asking about one programme, so I limited my posting to the
subject matter.

> > To me the "free argument" appears to be the one required by law!
> 
> Alas, not as I understand it. There is no requirement on the BBC to
> provide "capability to receive", only to provide a service "capable of
> being received."

While this maybe technically correct I see that answer as one that would
be used by some slimy lawyer to get it's client off the hook.  I would
not expected it of a public organisation that sees it's role as to provide
services for all sections of the British community.

Programmes like "See Hear" or the Asian Network are hardly targeted
to majority of the British people, but they are still being produced.
And from what I've seen by watching "See Hear", they are not second
rate jobs, just put out fill a tick box that the charter says must
be done.

> For example, the broadcasts currently on Digital TV are not available to
> those with only analogue TV aerial-based receivers, nor are those on DAB
> available to those with only analogue radio receivers.

That is hardly a very good point.  The radio spectrum here (and in most
of the Western world) is full.  Look at the problems they hard with the
Channel Five assignment of broadcast frequencies.  Yes it was also a 
government mistake, but that mistake was made because it was a difficult
problem.  Terrestrial analogue transmissions are too wasteful of the
spectrum.  I am more than prepared to believe that the BBC would
transmit these channels in analog if the space was there.

After all, the channels you are referring to are provided for free to
households that pay the license fee where the broadcaster has accepted
the feed from the Beeb. This is much the same as the roads are free to
use to all who pays their car tax.

> For that matter, the analogue TV broadcasts are only available to those
> with PAL-capable equipment.

And when was the last time you saw a NTSC or SCAM only TV for sale in
Dixons or Currys?  As PAL is the standard for the UK that it is hardly
surprising that the BBC uses PAL as the standard to transmit in.
Especially when the spectrum is so full.

> The precedent that the BBC may produce programming that is only
> available to those with a particular technological solution, and
> excludes those who have adopted a different technology, is well
> established.

I do not see that at all.  Quite the opposite.  I can watch BBC
Scotland (941 on my Sky box) or BBC Wales or NI or ...  I can't
watch the commercial stations - only "ITV1 Mer SE" is available
and yet there are spare channels available on my Sky box.  These
channels aren't even available for me at a fee.  There must be
more people living in the "BBC S East" region than live in 
Scotland (and probably Wales combined) and yet all regions broadcasts
that the BBC makes are available.

If you're going to put forward the argument that the BBC is being
selective in the technologies it uses you're going to have to do
better than you have so far.

Now I am not making the argument that BBC will make everything available
on every format.  Clearly that is ridiculous.  But I do expect, and I
believe it is happening, that the BBC selects technologies (note the
plural) that allow their content to be available to the widest
audience possible.

Steve
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: Digital signature
Url : http://mailman.lug.org.uk/pipermail/sussex/attachments/20051129/a22c5dce/attachment.pgp