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BBC Brings DRM-Free Content To Linux Users

Posted by timothy on from the gnu-linux dept.

eldavojohn writes "The BBC is planning to release some of its programmes to users of GNU & Linux. You won't see Doctor Who or Dragons' Den on there anytime soon, but they have been working with Canonical & Collabora on getting this out there for Totem users. The developer blog mentions that the sheer number of options in the open source world actually makes this difficult to accomplish."

2 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. Little new? by abigsmurf · · Score: 1, Flamebait
    Seems to be almost entirely radio programs.

    However they've offered DRM free streams and podcasts for years now, are they just intergrating these into iplayer?

    Someone needs to invest in an open source DRM mechanism. You have people like the BBC who have good intentions regarding the availability of content but the lack of any DRM at all means their hands are tied when it comes to Linux.

    If some of the more talented OSS devs got off their high horse, they'd realise that if they were the first to create a true secure DRM format, they would be free to shape it in a way that is best for consumers whilst still being good for content producers. Being first would mean the chances of adoption were much greater.

    1. Re:Little new? by abigsmurf · · Score: 0, Flamebait
      There are plenty of encryption mechanisms out there where people know exactly how they work yet are unable to break them without insane amounts of computational power.

      A private key system with a truly random engine behind key generation could potentially be as tough to crack as a closed source one.