[SWLUG] New protest and petition against BBC's Windows-only iPlayer

[Vladimir Zlatanov]

>
> While I may disagree with the general principal of DRM, you cannot
> compare DVB broadcasting with IP networks.

Not really...

You can compare them.

IP content payload is a superset of the payload of DVB. So IP can carry the
same stuff that DVB can.

True different carrier protocols (methods), but that is not that relevant,
since you have IP broadcasting technologies, which are similar to TV
channels, that is you somehow enumerate content streams. The fact that they
can be personalised, is irrelevant.

The only true difference in the context of 'preventing piracy', which is
what DRM is supposedly about, is that using IP it is easier to setup an
automatic retransmission. That's all.

Any computer with a DVB/T card bout over the counter, using off-the-shelf
software for any OS can be set-up to record and/or retransmit the recieved
content over IP. uknova? isn't that a proof that it is possible?

It is (nearly) the same argument as the analogue hole in DRM. The
technologies differ, but the pattern is the same.

DRM is broken and breakable by design:
* it is not a protection against piracy - since the circumvention of all
currently known forms is trivial
* it puts a presumption like - everyone is a possible offender ( pirate ) -
is that ethical?
in the BBC iPlayer case the ethical arguments go further as Steve puts them
 so eloquently:
* the technology used is not open to third party implementations - i.e. a
tie in to one vendor. If they used a DRM which is open, that is anyone can
have the knowledge to implement it, then there would be no technical or
'public contract' problem. a player would very soon exist on all platforms.
The ethical issues will still exist, but that is yet another fight....

BBC does have licensing and revenue issues - DVD issues, licesing to foreign
brodcasters, BBC America.... Well they have to deal with it one way or
another. Unfortunately somebody there made the wrong choice. Restricting
access by UK IP, individual watermarking, TV license number based access are
a few alternative approaches that spring to mind without having to strain my
brains too much
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