> After hearing that bbc wordwide is to sell shows on itunes,
> the whole iplayer keeps all the bbc stuff together argument,
> seems to be breaking up into little bits of hypocrisy.
I'm just waiting for my [EMAIL PROTECTED] iTunes login
to drop into my Inbox so I can download all of these shows for gratis ;)
I am looking forward to the convergence aspect of the iPlayer - as I drift
further and further away from static TV viewing, I will relish the
opportunity to be able to stream any of the BBC TV or radio channels in high
quality (H264! H264!) directly via my PC, whilst being able to download
previous shows and transfer them to my media player, all in the same
platform.
DRM and usability of the content we're given is going to be the major bone
of contention, like anything - the rights holders will keep holding on for
short periods of viewing tied in with the subsequent for-money download
availability, talon and claw, until the bitter end - but one day, stuff will
just be 'there', to watch 'whenever', regardless of age. The ephemeral
'content cloud'... I wonder if I've coined a phrase there... Nope, but I
might hijack it for my own ends (i.e., my little blog where I rant/ramble
about this kind of thing). That's given me a good topic for a new post.
Anyway, back on target: it's fair enough that the BBC wants to appease the
rights holders by making them available to purchase after their free window
has expired, and while I will never buy the stuff off iTunes (bittorrented
xvids after 7 days anyone?) it's a step in the right direction to coaxing
the stuffy old-skool rights-holders and collection agencies into agreeing to
make their content available online digitally indefinitely. iTunes is but a
bend in the river with regards to digital content distribution, as far as
I'm concerned. In five years, it'll be just one player in a large,
data-wealthy arena of free market trade in digital content - or if it is
still around, it won't be around as we know it.
Brings an interesting meaning to the term Digital Economy, doesn't it?
Anyway, I can see exactly how (for me, at least) the concept and platform
that is the iPlayer is going to be my future incarnation of my browser start
page. I already have almost the same functionality, but disparate, and I
look forward to seeing the BBC bring it all together for the greater benefit
of the consumers of its output. I'm seeing interactivity-enabling,
short-range wireless modules for Olinda to tie its playback features into
the iPlayer API through a PC... A subscription-based, BBC Content
Distribution Network ('BBCDN', anyone?) through which you synchronise all
your devices with your personalised, individual listening and viewing
preferences, and of course the quality is assuredly high as you're getting
it direct from source... The future is bright, if a little confusing at the
moment.
I don't see how any of these concepts are too far-fetched, nor do I think
that the somewhat fractured approach the BBC (and others) is the worst way
to go. In 8-10 years, we'll look back on this period in time and realise how
really, all we're doing right now is experimenting in the sandpit. The best
is yet to come.
---
(And slightly offtopic, your dose of buzzwords for the day: "We are now an
information society in a knowledge economy. This page lists and rates
electronic resources related to the field [of knowledge based economy]"...
Four buzzwords in the space of a breath! -
www.egovmonitor.com/features/riley07.html)
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