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BBC Releases P2P TV Client Test
evildeed writes "The BBC's Internet Media Player trial started today, and a few thousand lucky UK citizens now have a copy. The good news? Legal P2P downloads of quality shows. The bad news? Requires IE and Windows Media Player, and it's probably going to be UK-only. Oh well. One of the lucky few has uploaded screenshots and a brief review." The service was first announced back in may.
From http://www.bbc.co.uk/imp/help/index.shtml#fourteen :
14. When will I get iMP on Mac & Linux?
Currently, our supplier is working towards supporting a Mac and Linux version.
From the article:
iMP uses peer to peer distribution technology (P2P) to legally distribute these programmes.
Somebody is wrong, and I doubt it's the BBC in regards to their own technology.
Note to mods: I'm probably being sarcastic.
I am a mac user. By the handy debug menu, I can pretend to use Windows IE (assuming the Mac IE I have somewhere around gets denied too); I also downloaded WMP at some point when mplayer and VLC decided not to be able to play the newest wmv files.
14. When will I get iMP on Mac & Linux?
Currently, our supplier is working towards supporting a Mac and Linux version.
However, having realised I'd jumped a step in the system, I found out that I can't get in anyway, because they're doing a trial first. Points:
1). I thought the whole point of p2p was to have more people able to carry the load? Tie that in with
2). With a trial of 1000 users, the chances are damn slim that two of them will pick the same program to watch while they're both online (hence nearly everything will be downloaded from the central server during the trial anyway.
3). In response to an earlier point about the 7-day limit - this is a workable idea, because the DRM on the program being 7 days long means that it can be downloaded at any point in those 7 days - whether from the server or others - and becomes inviable after that limit. That fits with the original intention of a week-limit on viewability.
Browsing with +2 to insightful posts and a higher threshold makes the average post seen seem a lot more ingenious
Currently the BBC depends on the TV licence fee, and shows no commercal advertising. This is a very good thing.
Once a broadcaster starts depending on advertising for revenues, the overriding concern becomes viewer figures, rather than quality of output; thus ITV (the BBC's main commercial equivelent) shows programs like 'Celebrity Love Island' and 'TVs Naughtiest Blunders 16' at the same time as BBC shows Newsnight (fairly serious news and current affairs program).
The licence fee, despite many people not liking it, makes for independent and high-quality broadcasting; IMO arguably the best in the world.
-Chris
Being BBC content, there would be no advertisments anyway..
"The BBC sells these shows to networks in other countries. They're not going to be interested unless they have exclusivity."
/ index.jhtml
o _air_in.html
I don't think thats true. You can watch Comedy Centrals The Daily Show on the Internet:
http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show
Yet its shown on CNN here and Comedy Channel and its coming to the UK soon:
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/10/04/daily_show_t
So I don't see how that can be true, especially since it would be sold rather than given away free (like Daily Show). But more to the point, I *can't* get BBC here, its not available, only BBC World is available, so its not competiting in many markets with itself. They could (at minimim) sell it to markets where they don't have distribution deals.
>Watch a lot of TV
... but don't download stuff already via P2P
... but only Use IE and Windows
No, watch any TV
>... but only watch BBC programmes
No, watch any BBC programmes
>... and don't want to archive their favourite programmes
This is not unusual at all. Very few people archive TV.
>Have a fast internet connection
Lot of people have broadband, few know about/can be bothered with existing P2P.
>Are into new technology and gadgets
Again, no. It's *have access to IE and Windows*, not *only use*.
Very weird post indeed.
The BBC isn't allowed under it's charter to make money from advertising. They are supposed to form a neutral point on everything, including corporate interest.
That hasn't stopped some companies muscling into the popular TV shows to get their product placed - and recently are increasingly underfire about the whole thing.
That said - if you do pay the BBC TV/Radio licence - doesn't that entitle me to use of any content that they carry? For example if Radio 1 play a song on the radio - since my licence payment has already reembursed the artist for it - shouldn't I be allowed to listen again and again?
I don't see how it can be considered P2P. You download the media off of the BBC's servers,
Just because the BBC are seeding the files and there are very few other users in the trial to connect to (let alone any that might have the show you're after) means it's not a P2P network? So by your logic bittorrent, edonkey, winmx, etc all were never actually P2P networks until they gained X number of clients? I think not.
We have no adverts on the BBC. We pay a license fee for the right to watch TV and our reward is good quality programmes, no adverts and probably the worlds strongest news agency.
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
We also pay for the public services, yet it's still possible to watch almost any program online, no matter if you're outside the Netherlands. One side note for foreigners is that the viewing experience does improve significantly if you learn Dutch. But there are also lots of programs in English with Dutch subtitles.
I'm one of the lucky few who managed to get on the trial and, so far, have found it to be a positive step. I've only used it a small amount so far and have only 1 complaint. In order to download the key to watch any media files, it has to be viewed from within the BBC's player. If you try to watch something with straight WMP, it cannot download the key. After you've started watching something with the BBC player, the key has been downloaded and you are then free to watch using vanilla WMP. This makes the integration with my media software of choice (MediaPortal) less than seamless.
"Wrong. Taxes and T.V. license money both go towards paying for this to be developed and maintained. Now sit down. Idiot."
Before calling someone an idiot, I always advise people to check their facts. Such as in your case, where you seem to believe that the BBC gets tax money as well as the license fee. In fact, the only thing that the BBC does that is funded directly by the government is the BBC World Service, which isn't connected to any of this.
I like certain programmes that the BBC have, but after downloading iMP and actually LOOKING for something to watch I've realised that the BBC have very little to offer me (note the word "me") aside from maybe Watchdog, Dead Ringers and the odd news programme. I doubt I'll be using iMP very often. Sky seems like a much more worthwhile buy (Sky One, Bravo, Sky Movies, Sky Sports, Kids Channels etc). I'll definitely be getting me Sky+ box me thinks...