Can the BBC Trust Butter Some Parsnips?
,----[ Quote ]
| This does matter, because if the catch-up service remains Windows only, it
| turns the BBC into a vector of Microsoft's DRM and products - hardly what the
| public broadcaster should be doing.
|
| Moreover, fine words butter no parsnips: can we trust the BBC Trust to follow
| through on this? If they don't, at least we can be sure that the OSC will be
| there with a sharp stick goading them to do so.
`----
http://opendotdotdot.blogspot.com/2007/12/can-bbc-trust-butter-some-parsnips.html
BBC's iPlayer comes to Macs and Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| But Anthony Rose, the BBC’s Head of Digital Media Technology, has now said
| the corporation is aiming to launch a download version for other
| platforms "including Macs" in 2008.
`----
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62035622,00.htm
Victory for an anti-iPlayer lobby?
Days ago:
BBC pinches hot new columnist from Microsoft
,----[ Quote ]
| In response to the BBC's move into business leader PR expert opinion, El Reg
| has decided to up the ante with a special video webinar on the secrets of
| success from the important leather-bound office of one of America's A-grade
| entrepreneurs:
|
| In conclusion: Any fool can quit. Don't be a fool. Stay in school.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/14/bill_gates_bbc_secrets/
Related:
Confused BBC tech chief: Only 600 Linux users visit our website
,----[ Quote
| Ooops. Highfield goes on to say that these users should be seen in the
| context of the vast majority, who run Windows.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/02/highfield_bbc_linux_website_users_bafflement/
BBC on the iPlayer
,----[ Quote ]
| An interesting podcast with Ashley Highfield, Director Future Media &
| Technology....Clearly there’s a vast amount of money to be made by
| selling “DRM” solutions to gullible old media companies. It is sad that the
| BBC, who don’t even have to protect their profits, do not have the collective
| brains to see through this scam. Perhaps there is light at the end of the
| tunnel? -- "Where do we go from here? … The solution then is to say either we
| look at a future beyond DRM or we’re going to find it very hard to put our
| content onto open source solutions."
|
| But he is just teasing - they don’t actually look at this future, so I guess
| their choice is to not put their content onto open source solutions!
|
| [...]
|
| I think he needs to add Parliament to his list of people to work better with,
| after the recent lunacy from Lord Triesman
`----
http://www.links.org/?p=269
Interview with Mark Taylor, Pres. of UK Open Source Consortium, by Sean Daly
,----[ Quote ]
| Q: Now, when you say a smoking gun, what exactly do you mean?
|
| Mark Taylor: Well, the -- (laughter) -- the thing is, the iPlayer is not what
| it claimed to be, it is built top-to-bottom on a Microsoft-only stack, the
| BBC management team who are responsible for the iPlayer are a checklist of
| senior employees from Microsoft who were involved with Windows Media. A
| gentleman called Erik Huggers who's responsible for the iPlayer project in
| the BBC, his immediately previous job was director at Microsoft for Europe,
| Middle East & Africa responsible for Windows Media. He presided over the
| division of Windows Media when it was the subject of the European
| Commission's antitrust case. He was the senior director responsible. He's now
| shown up responsible for the iPlayer project.
`----
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20071021231933899
BBC Corrupted
,----[ Quote ]
| Today the BBC made it official -- they have been corrupted by Microsoft. With
| today's launch of the iPlayer, the BBC Trust has failed in its most basic of
| duties and handed over to Microsoft sole control of the on-line distribution
| of BBC programming. From today, you will need to own a Microsoft operating
| system to view BBC programming on the web. This is akin to saying you must
| own a Sony TV set to watch BBC TV. And you must accept the Digital
| Restrictions Management (DRM) that the iPlayer imposes. You simply cannot be
| allowed to be in control of your computer according to the BBC.
`----
http://defectivebydesign.org/blog/BBCcorrupted
BBC iPlayer Protests
,----[ Quote ]
| Who are the people responsible for creating this mess?
|
| * Mark Thompson, BBC director general (DG)
| * Erik Huggers, group controller at BBC Future Media & Technology
| * Ashley Highfield, director of new media and technology
|
| Right now, there is very considerable concern within the BBC that the actions
| of the Director General and his team are sending the corporation in the wrong
| direction. The BBC has been embroiled in a number of recent controversies,
| all linked back to the DG's leadership.
`----
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/iPlayerProtest
What tricks is the BBC up to with Microsoft?
,----[ Quote ]
| The twin elephants in the meeting room will be Microsoft's Silverlight and
| PlayReady.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/16/silverlight_iplayer_playready/
BBC's iPlayer's Prospects Looking Bleak
,----[ Quote ]
| "The future of iPlayer, the BBC's new online on-demand system for delivering
| content, is continuing to look bleaker. With ISPs threatening to throttle the
| content delivered through the iPlayer, consumers petitioning the UK
| government and the BBC to drop the DRM and Microsoft-only technology, and
| threatened legal action from the OSC, the last thing the BBC wanted to see
| today was street protests at their office and at the BBC Media Complex
| accompanied by a report issued by DefectiveByDesign about their association
| with Microsoft."
`----
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/15/1721229&from=rss
BBC iPlayer protest report
,----[ Quote
| First on site with me is Tom Chance, Green Party spokesperson on Free
| Software. He has organized for Dr Derek Wall, lead spokesperson for the Green
| Party to join us and make some statements about BBC iPlayer and the Microsoft
| lock-in it establishes.
|
| [...]
|
| We have 1500 fliers to distribute, that focus on the key issue with the
| iPlayer, and why $130 Million and 4 years of development don't get you much
| when you choose Microsoft DRM.
`----
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/iPlayerProtestReport
Anti-DRM Protesters call on the BBC to eliminate DRM from the iPlayer
,----[ Quote ]
| London and Manchester, England – Two weeks after the BBC officially launched
| the iPlayer, protesters wearing bright yellow Hazmat suits gathered outside
| BBC Television Center in London and BBC headquarters in Manchester to demand
| that Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) be eliminated from the BBC.
|
| The BBC have developed the "iPlayer" at a cost to the BBC license fee payer
| of £130 Million and rising.
|
| [...]
|
| FSF Executive Director attending the protest spoke about the corrupting
| influence of Microsoft, "BBC values have been corrupted because BBC
| Executives are too closely associated with Microsoft. BBC values have been
| corrupted because the iPlayer uses proprietary software and standards made
| under an exclusive deal with Microsoft. BBC values have been corrupted
| because license fee payers must now own a Microsoft operating system to
| download BBC programming. BBC values have been corrupted because license fee
| payers must accept DRM technologies that spy and monitor on the digital files
| held on their computers. We are here today to help BBC Director General Mark
| Thompson, clean up this DRM mess, and to encourage the BBC Trust to reverse
| course and eliminate DRM from the BBC iPlayer"
`----
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/general/11186/anti-drm-protesters-call-bbc-eliminate-drm-iplayer
Internet groups warn BBC over iPlayer plans
,----[ Quote ]
| Some of the companies involved have told the BBC that they will consider
| limiting the bandwidth available to iPlayer – a process known as traffic
| shaping. The measure would limit the number of consumers who could access the
| iPlayer at any one time.
`----
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2856766.ece
Lobby Group: Microsoft Too Close to BBC
,----[ Quote ]
| A software lobby group is campaigning to highlight the role of software giant
| Microsoft Corp. in the British Broadcasting Corp.'s digital media strategy by
| petitioning Great Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown to address the issue.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070803/microsoft_bbc.html?.v=1
Beeb slammed for 'fawning' to Bill Gates
,----[ Quote ]
| BBC viewers have flooded the corporation with complaints over how it
| covered the launch of Microsoft Vista earlier this week.
|
| In one cringingly servile interview worthy of Uriah Heep, the
| Beeb's news presenter Hugh Edwards even thanked Gates at the
| end of it, presumably in appreciation at being allowed to give
| the Vole vast coverage for free.
|
| In other TV news items presenters excitedly explained how Vistac
| ould be obtained and installed - details courtesy of the BBC's
| website.
|
| But British viewers, currently forced to pay a £131.50 licence
| fee to maintain the BBC's "impartiality", were less than impressed.
|
| Scores got in touch to complain that so much was Auntie up Bill's
| bum that you could barely see her corset.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37411
http://slated.org/bbc_microsoft_bias
|
|
