news.bbc.co.uk — Hundreds of episodes of BBC programmes will be made available for free on a file-sharing network for the first time, the corporation has announced. The move follows a deal between the commercial arm of the organisation, BBC Worldwide, and technology firm Azureus.
Dec 20, 2006 View in Crawl 4
lysdexiaDec 20, 2006
There is nothing progressive about the BBC- the y live in a fantasy world where funding is always there no matter how irrelevant or pysh their output becomes. That the rest of the world accepts BBC programmes as first-class - we here in the UK know how lax and puerile their output regularly is.And there is NO choice about funding it even if you do not watch a single minute of their corporate-speak broadcasting. None at all. They make Microsoft look like a communist outfit when it comes to scamming customers.Oh, sorry, clients.
tizz66Dec 20, 2006
"but you support the idea that we are forced to pay for something we do not want, like or even use?"I have private healthcare, but still have to pay for the NHS. I don't support the war, but I still have to pay for it. What's your point? We all pay for things that we don't want, but that's what living in a country that supports everyone is about.
mikedaulDec 20, 2006
(with the exception of live/event-based programming)
Closed AccountDec 20, 2006
'The new deal means that users of the software will be able to download high-quality versions of BBC programmes, including *Red Dwarf*, *Doctor Who* and the League of Gentleman. Classic series such as *Fawlty Towers* will also be available through a BBC "channel".'Don't know the exact years, but all of them are alteast 10-15 years old or more.. But mikedaul does have a point - a lot of the TV shows will be shot on film, which can theoretically be scanned at a high-res. Although the cameras/film they had 10-20 years ago doesn't look remotely as good as todays cameras (In some cases not as good as DV).. But, most of those shows listed don't need to be huge resolutions, since their great because of the *content*Anyway, It'd be *extremely* interesting if the BBC gave these away for free, totally unlikely - if nothing else, it'd cut down on DVD sales. But, ignoring the DVD sales, they are making very little money on Red Dwarf (For example), so giving it away, with advertising (which is slightly un-BBC-ish, but oh well) would be making money for old rope..- Ben
jforwardDec 21, 2006
I came in here to say exactly that.
blizDec 21, 2006
I wouldn't have clicked if not for the 'free' word...still...he should have...
zoxedDec 21, 2006
> They have other OS versions to download...But, AFAIK, this is their standard BT client; I assume Zudeo is/will be some derivative that include DRM, disables crossing of networks etc.
macgyver1138aDec 22, 2006
Why is everyone beating up on U.S. TV, yes commercials suck, but I've lived in Korea, Iraq, Germany, and yes the U.S., and trust me, if you like Sci-Fi (with any kind of special effects), U.S. TV is your only choice.I have to admit that the new Doctor Who and Torchwood look ok, but they are nothing compared to a 10 year old episode of Star-Trek, and the special effects of even a low-budget action/thriller like Buffy, make Life on Mars look lame. Korea has only game shows and soap operas, Germany has soap-operas and German versions of American TV , and Iraq is soap-operas. Let us not forget all the damn ring-tone commercials that all of Europe have to endure. It's those commercials we all hate that pay for the high production value we Americans enjoy (even though they all get muted by myself or my well trained daughter in less then 2 seconds).I love what the BBC is trying to do, and would love the US to follow suit, but they won't, EVER. Our country's laws are re-written at will by the companies that bring us that same great programming. If you don't believe me, ask yourself why Americans won't have ANYTHING go into public-domain until the year 2019, that's right in the year 2019 Americans will be able to watch things from 1928 fall into public domain thanks to Disney getting all copyrights extended for 25 more years. BBCs programming isn't that great, but at least the Brits aren't expected to pay for it for 90 years.