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BBC iPlayer Beta Arrives; 10,000 People Complain to Gordon Brown

arstechnica.com — UK residents: the iPlayer beta is here. As it announced last month, the BBC launched a large-scale beta of its iPlayer catch-up software today. For such a compelling product, the iPlayer has certainly been dogged by its share of controversy; 12,000 people have already signed an e-petition to 10 Downing Street over the iPlayer's tie-in with Windows.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jul 28, 2007

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  • agilligan, on 10/10/2007, -1/+57Those of us in the UK feel the same way when streaming sites in the U.S. tell us to get lost.
  • thickdrummer, on 10/10/2007, -6/+50What makes this worse, is that the iPlayer is currently only available to Windows XP users, not just 'Windows' users as stated. This is unacceptable. What OS I use is of no relevance to whether or not I should be able to access BBC content. To the US diggers who may not know, in the UK we pay a TV license which directly funds the BBC. Which means that the BBC owe us a ***** universal 'iPlayer!'

    Sorry, slipped into fanboy mode for a second there.

    Anyway, this is an OS neutral issue, we should all be fighting for the cause!
  • abigsmurf, on 10/10/2007, -1/+36Congratulations, they use the British electoral roll to verify identities. You'll achieve nothing but invalidate the petition.

    This petition is for British citizens only! Overseas people don't have a right to have a say in something they don't pay the licence fee for and they certainly don't have a right to have a say in our politics
  • andr3, on 10/10/2007, -0/+34Now you know how the rest of the world feels about iTunes' Tv Shows.
  • mcmlxxii, on 10/10/2007, -1/+33"You pay to watch it on TV" - wrong. The licence fee pays for the BBC. It pays for BBC Online. It pays for the radio. It pays to make programmes. If the BBC is offering this service, trust me, we've paid for it. Let us not kid ourselves here, I paid for that content just as much as the guy next door with XP. How would you feel if when you bought your car, you were only allowed to fill up at Texaco garages, or if when you buy your toothbrush it only works with Colgate.

    The bottom line is not whether or not you use XP, it is the prinicple that a publicly funded organisation should not only not endorse one particular commercial brand, it should also be seen not to be doing so.
  • aservin, on 10/10/2007, -5/+33I do not complain in this case about DRM (I still think DRM is worthless) but I want to see the content that I have already paid (~130 GBP a year to watch TV) for in the OS platform of my preference.
  • Moniker42, on 10/10/2007, -12/+32Well, they better have it cross-platform soon, or I'll use a false name to sign the petition again ;)

    I hope 4oD learns from the BBC's example and does the same, but there's been such a public backlash because the BBC is seen as something of a public institution.
  • JohnP, on 10/10/2007, -3/+21What a *****.. The BBC announce a pioneering service using open source code, then they spend 4+ years pissing around, only to release THIS..

    What pisses me off more is the fact they chose utter morons to test the public alpha stage of this project. Maybe if they selected a better range of people these obvious issues would have been brought up YEARS ago.

    I love the BBC, but they have really missed the boat here, the only thing that rescues this service is the fact its nicely designed and has great TV on offer. I will use this 100x more than Joost, because these programs are AAA quality. But there is no excuse for releasing a windows only service, its a total ***** compared to their original goals.

    ( While typing this iPlayer library has spazzed out and wont run, so i guess it will need to be reinstalled, not that its an important piece of the service for the computer literate. )
  • agilligan, on 10/10/2007, -1/+19http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6245062.stm

    According to that, a mac version could be available later this year, with other platforms to follow.
  • TheRealPod, on 10/10/2007, -7/+23Why can't I use this in the US? I'd pay a buck a show just for the stream if it makes them feel better. Most of these shows never really come over anyway.
  • GMorgan, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14Actually the BBC campaigned hard to have internet services added to their list so that they could charge people who didn't have a TV but did have broadband for a TV license.

    In doing that they obligated themselves to provide the services to all who pay the fee. It is not a free add on, it is a core part of their service now.
  • tizz66, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9"but most people in the UK say they wish they didn't have to pay for the BBC."

    Another person pulling ***** figures from nowhere. Something in the region of 80% of people are fine with the TV license.
  • thecosmicpope, on 10/10/2007, -7/+16The BBC has said from Day 1 that Mac OS versions and other versions will be available in the future, however this clearly isn't enough for some people.
  • fragsta, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9"Why can't I use this in the US? I'd pay a buck a show just for the stream if it makes them feel better. Most of these shows never really come over anyway."

    For whatever the same reasons why we can't use your streaming TV things in the UK.
  • 7952, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7But there isn't on windows either. Or on any platform. Effective DRM is impossible. All they have to do is create software that provides technical barriers to copying.
  • richard2, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7How many times must it be said: DRM offers no real protection because it is fundamentally flawed can therefore be easily removed.

    Idiot.
  • oojamaflip2006, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7This really ***** annoys me, 10,000 people write to Gordon Brown because the BBC because of a proprietary video player. ***** first world problem. Why don't we start protesting about all the people that are alienated, killed and impoverished because of the 'first world'.
  • MAG1CO, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8I never watch tv - it's always at inconvenient times and so on. But the BBC has some really good programmes on sometimes, this this should save me a bit of bit-torrenting when it finally comes out for OSX...
  • anti-net, on 10/10/2007, -5/+11http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/
    UK Residents: Complain, its what were really really good at.
  • richard2, on 10/10/2007, -7/+13It's not acceptable because it has been possible to create videos which can be played on all major platforms for a very long time.

    This entirely avoidable situation is a result of the BBC's misguided insistence on pseudo-protecting the content in question using DRM.
  • karlatkinson, on 10/10/2007, -6/+12This whole launch has been a total farce.
    The media reported it was 'launching' yet it is only a public beta in which even those with the exact requirements still have to wait possible months.
  • Cregaune, on 10/10/2007, -3/+9The most amazing thing about this launch is that the BBC have managed to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. I've been a beta tester on TWO of their betas for the 'iPlayer' and the whole thing was run as a farce. During that time the simplest of bugs took weeks/months to sort out. Briefing emails looked like they were written by a 4th grader. The quality (bit rate/resolution) of the programmes is pretty awful. The thing is still bug-ridden.

    Then they announced that they would go live on July 27th. See the link here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6245062.stm
    Notice that there's no mention of 'beta' or 'extended beta'. Obviously they meant 'live'; and if they didn't then they were being coy. What's basically happened is that they've moved the goal posts because the whole project is still a mess. I can't understand why there isn't more of a furore about this so-called beta 'launch' in the press.
  • tizz66, on 10/10/2007, -4/+9Misguided? Go and learn some of the facts you *****. Here, I'll spell it out for you.

    1) The BBC does not own the rights to the content they are offering, and therefore the rights holders will want some effort in protecting the content.

    2) The BBC is not permitted to damage commercial interests. By allowing people to have the downloads forever, it has already been determined that this could damage the market for DVR's, for other commercial broadcasters and for DVD's. Quite simply under UK law and the BBC's mandate, it cannot do that. That is one of the crucial conditions of its approval. This is not the BBC's fault, its hands are tied.

    Nothing pisses me off more than people bitching without knowing the facts. Go and do some ***** research.
  • curunculus, on 10/10/2007, -4/+9But you still have to pay £130 per year if you have any other brand of television.
  • kazamx, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7Your wrong, go and check the terms of service again. I too would like it without DRM, but they can't.

    You say they should release it for free without DRM. What about Hollywood movies? The BBC can't give them away. Yes your licence fee went to pay for it on BBC1 but they only rented it from the copyright holder. They rented it with terms and conditions. The same goes for many BBC shows, they are not made by the BBC. They are made by independent production companies, the BBC rents these programmes. Again they can only use them in the ways granted by the copyright holder.
  • B0jangles, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8What use is a poxy petition? Two million people protested in the streets of London against the Iraq war. That did alot?

    Besides is it not easier to simply torrent the great BBC shows? No DRM and higher resolution videos.
  • 7952, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8I have just downloaded 4 tv shows legally. Its slow and feels like beta quality software. But it is still awesome that the beeb are doing this. I am very happy.
  • ultrafez, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6That's because it IS beta software...
  • Gullop, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7wtf have microsoft done?
  • JohnP, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6***** you smelly kook.
  • plingboot, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6> Its main obligation is to fufill its public service remit,

    By offering their services to only a proportion of the public, they are not fulfilling their remit. It's a pretty blatant disregard of their remit actually.

    >They've already recognised the petition's existence on their own website.

    Well then the petition has worked... but it won't do any harm to keep pushing the issue, will it?

    Complaining to Gordon Brown will get this more publicity, maybe questions asked in parliament? and just more pressure on the bbc to sort this out. Remember the government does set the license fee and enforces it - so government do have an interest in this.
  • GMorgan, on 10/10/2007, -4/+8I don't understand why they didn't just make a flipping Java implementation. There are issues with using the VM to get around DRM but you will always have some way around.
  • turquoisefish, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Ummm, that would kill the radio station. I can tell by your name that you have an agenda so I can't be bothered to argue.
  • ultrafez, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4No they won't... most people use Windows anyway, so why would they be bothered that it wasn't available on mac?

    But don't get me wrong, I still think it should be truly multi-platform.
  • richardiscool, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Youtube don't pay for their content, retard.
  • paulstringer, on 10/10/2007, -4/+8It's a total sham that they plan to bring Mac / Linux support - they're lying to keep the trust happy. They've built the entire thing on Windows DRM which will never ever work on other platform. Unless they plan on dropping everything they've just put together and either developing there own DRM or dropping DRM there lying. Get ready for the 'technological challenging' reasons every six months about why it's still not on other platforms.
  • abigsmurf, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5I would love to see a Java based media player handle HD content.

    They have a finalised plan: get the platform up and running, stress test it, then concentrate on the end user. You seem to forget that the vast majority of the work involved in this system is server side. It's not hard to create a media player but it is hard to make a system that can deliver protected media to hundreds of thousands of people at once 24/7.
  • moneyballs2, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5It has so many bugs and problems.

    One minute it says Windows media player isn't installed, the next it says "Temporary Problem" or some unknown error like that, but the thing is I don't think they understand the word "Temporary" it seems to be ALL THE TIME
  • abigsmurf, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5I'd say this situation would be avoidable if the OSS people would get a clue and create an open source DRM solution. The BBC HAVE to use DRM, they're required to.
  • theblacknight, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4The correct word you were looking for is bi-platform. They indicate that they will eventually make it available for Mac OS X, but Linux users are f***ed. This is why some of us are upset.
  • inactive, on 10/10/2007, -4/+7I am SICK TO DEATH of this story coming up time and time again.

    BBC IS DEVELOPING A SOLUTION FOR OTHER PLATFORMS. If the BBC waited until this was done before launching then NO ONE would be viewing VOD today. I'm happy to use Windows for the time being because it means it's here NOW and not in a year or two when they finally get the system for other OSs done.
  • Septimus, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3There are some. They don't last long, development dies rapidly. Even in education circles. This is due to the particular agenda of most OSS devs. DRM can not have any practical use, which is actually *****.
  • meatmcguffin, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Will there be some sort of a queue?

    Hope so!
  • jawngee, on 10/10/2007, -9/+12Yeah I'm sure India felt the same way.
  • pidmin, on 10/10/2007, -4/+7Why complain to Gordon Brown? The BBC is state-owned, but operates completely independently from the government. Its main obligation is to fufill its public service remit, which they do...

    ... I doubt the PM would step in over something this significant - the Beeb themselves will take notice and make the change. They've already recognised the petition's existence on their own website - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6913297.stm
  • Kinjiru, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3You have to be a British citizen to sign it....
  • jamesweston, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3There will not be a technical reason for BBC iPlayer from working on windows vista. The same goes for 4oD i got a hacked installer to skip the OS Version check and it now works fine on windows vista.
  • inactive, on 10/10/2007, -4/+7This is Digg.

    Anything pro-MS is EVIL. EVIL.
  • Optimaximal, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4So maybe it's the media (including BBC News) that is reporting it wrong? I don't see anything on the BBC site stating it's anything but Beta.
  • EnergyFlash, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I received an invite from the BBC yesterday and i still haven't been able to watch a single TV show. People are having all kinds of issues with the iPlayer, everything from DRM license issues to iPlayer not being able to find WMP. If you're even remotely interested in this my advice to you is wait until the bugs are ironed out, however i fear that's going to take so long their target of a 'multi-platform service' by the end of this year is way off the mark.
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