Category: BBC

BBC Trust: iPlayer On Linux And Mac A Must

BBC Trust Want iPlayer Mac And Linux Support: OSCThe Open Source Consortium (OSC), the organisation leading the charge to make the BBC iPlayer open to all platforms, not just Microsoft Windows, met with the BBC Trust yesterday to find that there was a lot of agreement in their ambitions.

(The BBC Trust has now issued a statement.)

Speaking to Mark Taylor of the OSC straight after the BBC Trust meeting, I learnt that The Trust had declared that they “share the vision” of the OSC. Not surprisingly the OSC representatives felt very buoyant but the very positive meeting.
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Ben Lavender, iPlayer Inventor Leaving BBC Today

Ben Lavender, the person who came up with the idea behind the BBC iPlayer, originally called iMP, is leaving the BBC this afternoon.

We’d been told about the news a while back, but have held off until the information was public. Looking at his Linkedin profile, we see that it now shows his new role, as Group Digital & Product Director at LoveFilm.
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BBC Trust To Listen On iPlayer Going Open Source

BBC Trust To Listen On iPlayer Going Open SourceFinally the BBC Trust appears to be open to talking about the iPlayer going Open Source.

Good to see that the BBC Trust is to take representation from the Open Source Consortium (OSC) regarding their concerns about the fact that the BBC iPlayer is currently dependent on Microsoft’s Windows DRM.

The OSC made an official complaint to the BBC Trust in January this year but did not hear back from them until now. Quite unlike Ofcom and the old DTI, who they did get replies from.
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BBC iPlayer To Finally Launch

BBC iPlayer Finally LaunchedThis morning, BBC boss Mark Thompson announced that the corporation’s long-awaited iPlayer on-demand TV service would launch, as an open public beta, on 27 July this year.

Unveiling details of the peer-to-peer download service, Thompson predicted that the iPlayer (nee iMP) would be “at least as big a redefinition of broadcast TV as colour TV was 40 years ago.”
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Alan Johnston Video Online

Alan Johnston Video OnlineMuch relief for the relatives and friends of BBC Journalist Alan Johnson as a video of him speaking, apparently in good health, has appeared on the Internet.

Many sites are now carrying it, like the BBC itself and The Telegraph, but in typical media fashion they have chosen to edit the video. We’ve embedding the video below.

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First BBC Show Broadcasting In Second Life Tonight

First BBC Show Broadcasting In Second Life TonightTonight sees the first BBC TV programme broadcast in Second Life – The Money Programme.

Not surprisingly, the subject will be virtual worlds with two sections being covered – free to enter worlds like Second Life and pay for services, or Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMORPG), like World of Warcraft.
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BBC Condone Torrent Downloads In Trial?

BBC Condone Torrent Downloads In Trial?The BBC have been running three, weekly pieces reporting on the impact and progress of a four person UK family when starting to live their Digital- Lifestyles. So much so that they’ve got into Torrents already!

They been given a flat screen, Sky HD, Windows Media, Apple TV, Sono and the inevitable iPods (Apple must be rather chuffed). All of these bits have been linked together using a wireless network which is whizzing the data around for them.
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BBC iPlayer On-Demand Service Gets Green Light

BBC iPlayer On-Demand Service Gets Green LightThe BBC Trust has given the go ahead for the BBC’s iPlayer service (iMP).

Expected to launch later this year, the iPlayer service lets punters watch TV shows online seven days after the initial broadcast, with viewers also able to download and store programmes on their PCs for up to 30 days.
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BBC TV & Radio Trial On UK 3G

The BBC are going to start of a trial to syndicate a range of its television channels and radio networks via 3G to mobile phones within the month.

BBC TV & Radio Trial On UK 3GThree UK operators will be taking part, Orange, Vodafone and 3 giving subscribers to the trial the ability to watch BBC One, BBC News 24 and BBC Three streamed on their mobiles. Beyond some sports programmes and programmes where they don’t have the necessary rights.

As well as the TV channels, eight radio stations will also be included – Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4, 6 Music, BBC 7 and Asian Network.

Appropriately enough the announcement by Richard Halton, BBC Controller of Business Strategy, was made at the Broadcast Mobile TV Congress.

The BBC haven’t done a great deal of content on mobiles, not that they’re not keen on it, as you’ll be able to tell from the comments of Richard Halton, “The BBC believes that mobile content is an important part of the broadcasting landscape and is looking at ways in which mobile devices will shape services of the future for licence fee payers.”

They hope to learn lots from this trial, as Ashley Highfield, Director of Future Media and Technology at the BBC said, “The findings, combined with quantitative and qualitative consumer research, will inform the BBC’s future mobile strategy.”

We’ll keep our eyes on this.