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Save the BBC from Windows DRM! (Linux Journal)
Glyn Moody looks at
technological choices made by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
"The BBC has a long and glorious past as a technological innovator.
Throughout the history of broadcasting, it has often been the first to
develop and promote new technologies. Sadly, it seems now to be teetering
on the brink of making technical choices that will not only damage its own
reputation as a world-class institution, but which will also have serious
knock-on consequences for free software."
(Log in to post comments)
Careful about the BBC structure! Posted Feb 16, 2007 23:00 UTC (Fri) by csamuel (subscriber, #2624) [Link] To regurgitate (and edit slightly) my comment from the LJ article.. You need to realise that the consultation exercise is being run by the BBC Trust, who have replaced the Board of Governors as overseers, about a proposal being made by the BBC Executive. My reading is that the Trust want to do the right thing, but have some misconceptions about the usefulness and palatability of DRM, and need constructive criticism of the BBC Executives proposal. As a friend of mine wrote: The BBC Trustees are pushing to the Executive to drop the Microsoft requirement and go platform-agnostic. I recommend we all support them in this. So please keep this in mind if you do comment, the last thing we need are inflammatory rants!
Careful about the BBC structure! Posted Feb 19, 2007 13:30 UTC (Mon) by mmarq (guest, #2332) [Link] "" So please keep this in mind if you do comment, the last thing we need are inflammatory rants! ""
No it will fun to watch!... well, maybe not for the victims...
I belive "one" solution is for BBC to ask a "guarantee" from MS for their installed software. The idea is that since MS through DRM is going to superintend those systems, the least they can do is to take full responsability for what that DRM stuff will do!
Ha... i think for a news outlet like BBC, every minute that those systems are going to be offline or uncooperative, dosent amount to a large $$$ amount!... at least for MS, anyway!
The part deserving "inflammatory rants" is the psychologic "mania" that the strategic planners at Redmond have, of beliving that the system/network administrators exist to take the fall for them, and clean the mess afterwards.
Careful about the BBC structure! Posted Feb 19, 2007 15:53 UTC (Mon) by hawk (subscriber, #3195) [Link] On the other hand, if Microsoft would agree to do such a guarantee deal, consider how Microsoft would be able to use that as a FUD/marketing thing.They could say that it clearly shows why their DRM solution is superior to any alternatives, as there is a strong backing of it.
From a technical standpoint it might not make any real difference, and the DRM may be intrusive and generally bad, but I'm sure such a deal would be attractive to a lot of Pointy Haired Bosses...
Careful about the BBC structure! Posted Feb 19, 2007 23:44 UTC (Mon) by mmarq (guest, #2332) [Link] ""...consider how Microsoft would be able to use that as a FUD/marketing thing. They could say that it clearly shows why their DRM solution is superior to any alternatives, as there is a strong backing of it. ""
That could cost them several(10s) Million in the process, and severely weaken their FUD efectiveness. But dont worry because they'll do tremendous FUD campaingns anyway, only at a much reduced cost.
"" From a technical standpoint it might not make any real difference ""
Oh yes it might. It could show real weakenesses that are now hiden by the technical ability of thounsands of administrators... im sure MS will never risk that. The rest, the rest is FUD.
Save the BBC from Windows DRM! (Linux Journal) Posted Feb 17, 2007 21:38 UTC (Sat) by debacle (subscriber, #7114) [Link] If I understand things correctly, the BBC currently expects that one uses a proprietary application to listen to their Audio on Demand programme, right? So, as a free software user, I'm already out anyway. Why should I care, which specific proprietary solution they decide for?
Save the BBC from Windows DRM! (Linux Journal) Posted Feb 18, 2007 22:25 UTC (Sun) by wookey (subscriber, #5501) [Link] This is true (realplayer), but it is at least a proprietary app that is available on a wide range of platforms (and free players exist too).
Are there any mechanisms or free alternatives that will allow playing of MS DRM10 files on GNU/Linux?
I shall certainly read up on this and send them a educative missive. I was really excitied about the creative archive a year or so ago, but the beeb seems to have been back-pedalling ever since. As a rare outfit which is _not_ funded by per-program sales, they are in an excellent position to show the power of just distributing stuff and not making life difficult for everybody. Missing that opportunity would be a huge mistake.
Save the BBC from Windows DRM! (Linux Journal) Posted Feb 19, 2007 9:08 UTC (Mon) by debacle (subscriber, #7114) [Link] Oops, sorry, I was (am) not aware of free players for REAL files. More than one time I stumbled across .R?M files and still don't know how to listen. Could you please point me to a free REAL player? I do, however, not care at all, whether a proprietary media player is available on GNU/Linux or not. As long as there are no free alternatives, it means the music/film/culture is locked into sth. one cannot control. From one day to the next, the supplier could change the format and not support your OS of choice anymore, or they do not support Linux on ARM or Sparc, or they start to "phone home", or they make you "pay per listen" or whatever.
Save the BBC from Windows DRM! (Linux Journal) Posted Feb 19, 2007 16:55 UTC (Mon) by odie (guest, #738) [Link] Any reasonably recent free player should be able to play Real media files, as most of them use ffmpeg. Perhaps not all of them handle the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), but I know MPlayer does.
Save the BBC from Windows DRM! (Linux Journal) Posted Feb 19, 2007 20:51 UTC (Mon) by debacle (subscriber, #7114) [Link] I tried to play some REAL files from bbc.co.uk using mplayer, but only some of them work. In one case it could not resolve a network address, in another case it seemed to want a '.dll' file - on a GNU/Linux system! This one works, however: mplayer rtsp://rmv8.bbc.net.uk/bbc7/1300_mon.ra
Thanks for the hint and thanks to the BBC for providing audio that is accessible using free software!
excellent letter you can use Posted Feb 17, 2007 23:35 UTC (Sat) by louie (subscriber, #3285) [Link] Paul Cooper wrote an excellent blog post on this subject; I recommend any BBC license payer who might write to the BBC read his post for ideas.
Public broadcasters have the "we known best" attitude Posted Feb 19, 2007 8:37 UTC (Mon) by eru (subscriber, #2753) [Link] Here in Finland our local publicly funded broadcaster (supported by TV fees, like BBC) went with Windows codecs when it launched last year an archive of its old TV programs (http://www.yle.fi/elavaarkisto/). The expected uproar of free software users ensued, followed by the usual explanations how the MS codecs are the only cost-effective way (works best, they supposedly would have to get people who understand open formats and then would have to provide the material in multiple formats), and allows DRM (which they currently don't use but might want to in the future for some material and open formats of course won't support any of that). I don't really expect the sitation to improve. The traditional attitude of institutions like YLE and BBC is that they broadcast, you either listen or don't. Listener feedback would have to be very dramatic to have any effect, there just isn't enough non-Windows users to make a difference.That attitide just accelerates their demise in the face of multiple competing media.
Public broadcasters have the "we known best" attitude Posted Feb 19, 2007 12:27 UTC (Mon) by lamikr (subscriber, #2289) [Link] Do you know has there been any groups attempts to get the YLE to switch their minds from this?
I believe that Mikael Junger is the lead man pushing the idea of internet television in YLE, nothing bad it that. Unfortunately worked in Microsoft before he was selected to chief executive of YLE, so he may still has some fixations to Microsoft related technologies in his mind. So to get any progress on this, there would be needed some very easy "clip, convert and push " free media technology to get this accepted...
Board of YLE is selected among the people in the finish parliament, and there will be a parliament elections in this spring, so this could be the another way to create some pressure on this. I think it would be nice to see some politicians saying their opinions considering the open source and open media related issues. Unfortunately this does not belong to one of the hot topics, actually J.Kasvi seems to be the only politician people I know, that I know who even try to raise this topic up.
Mika
Public broadcasters have the "we known best" attitude Posted Feb 19, 2007 14:01 UTC (Mon) by eru (subscriber, #2753) [Link] Do you know has there been any groups attempts to get the YLE to switch their minds from this?I don't known. EFFI (Electronic Frontier Finland) did set up a web page discussing open video formats shortly after YLE started their archive (see http://www.effi.org/sananvapaus/videotiedostomuoto.html), so one would assume they also sent their opinion to YLE. Personally I did give a piece of my mind on their feedback form (very politely), but never got any acknowledgement anyone even read it. To to get any progress on this, there would be needed some very easy "clip, convert and push " free media technology to get this accepted... Yes. In the Windows world, people put up with all the myriad proprietary codecs because they either are supplied with the OS (like WMV, various Cinepac and Indeo version etc), or easy to install from the vendor site, with just a point and a click. I wonder if there is any truly free-as-in-freedom codec + media player for Windows that is this easy? If not, convincing YLE and the like is that much harder. They don't want to be in the software distribution and support business, even if it is free software. Board of YLE is selected among the people in the finish parliament, and there will be a parliament elections in this spring, so this could be the another way to create some pressure on this. I think it would be nice to see some politicians saying their opinions considering the open source and open media related issues. Unfortunately this does not belong to one of the hot topics, actually J.Kasvi seems to be the only politician people I know, that I know who even try to raise this topic up. See also http://www.vaalimasinointi.org/. (Too bad I cannot stomach voting for the liberalistic party, even if these otherwise great guys are really independents. They are still running on its list, so unless they are the top vote-gatherers on their list, my vote might wind up benefiting some right-wing nut).
I have replied to the consultation... Posted Feb 19, 2007 9:34 UTC (Mon) by mattaw (subscriber, #24923) [Link] As a Brit, and license payer.
I told the Beeb that they are not in the business of selling microsoft software, rather in reaching the largest number of people.
I then suggested that they would lose the mobile market, apple and linux users which was discriminatory.
Followed up with the point it would force people like me to access their media illegally.
I also suggested they would be regarded as fairly incompetent :)
Hope it helps,
Matthew
I have replied to the consultation... Posted Feb 22, 2007 15:36 UTC (Thu) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link] Because telling people they're incompetent is a *really good* way to get them to listen to you...
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