Thursday
Feb012007
A "Call to Arms" for UK Mac and Linux Users
Thursday, February 1, 2007 at 9:30AM 
The BBC Trust is carrying out its first Public Value Test (PVT) – a new procedure that must be applied when the Trust considers applications from BBC management for the approval of new BBC services.
The first PVT concerns the BBC’s proposed on-demand services.
Here you can find out how to take part in the public consultation on the BBC Trust’s provisional conclusions.
I took part in the pilot of the BBCs on demand service quite a while ago now. I had to use a PC as the BBC had created a Windows only media player and relied heavily on Microsofts DRM to protect the shows.
It was pretty bad.
In fact I had so much trouble with the DRM I eventually stopped using it.
The BBC are now moving forward and have started a public consultation on certain aspects of the service.
There is a question in the consultation that needs to be answered by every Mac and Linux user in the UK, and that's question 5:
Question 5
How important is it that the proposed seven-day catch-up service over the internet is available to consumers who are not using Microsoft software?
How important?
Very important!!!!
Please treat this blog post as a "call to arms" and complete the Questionaire now! It finishes on the 28th March 2007 but fill it in now and let the BBC realise that they can't exclude both Mac users and Linux users by locking into Microsoft technology.
The questionaire is quite unusual as there are no multiple choices or yes/no answers as each question has a text box for you to state your opinions. Very neat but I'd hate to be the one analysing the responses! You can of course just enter "yes" or "no" as a response to some of the questions.
Please do it and do it now!
PS Don't forget to circulate this link to your friends and colleagues who may also want to voice their opinion. Just send them the permalink to this post or the link to the Questionaire.
PPS You might want to request HD content plus some premium content via the iTunes music store as well in the last question!
Kudos to Cult of Mac for original link
Technorati Tags:
Apple, mac, osx, Apple TV, BBC, On Demand TV, Broadcasting, TV, IPTV
Reader Comments (5)
Very interesting indeed. Channel 4 have already shut us out of their "On Demand' progs, blaming Apple in their responses to why they have tied themselves to MIcrosoft DRM. Lets hope the beeb can do a little better...
[...] [via] [...]
[...] Don McAllister makes an impassioned plea to the BBC on behalf of non-Windows users [...]
[...] They do criticise the use of a Microsoft, PC system for protected downloads, but not harshly enough, in my opinion - access for multiple systems should be a bottom line in public broadcasting. DRMing it is bad enough, but Microsoft DRMing it just takes the biscuits. The excellent new Mac blog from Gerry O’Sullivan tells us of the call to participate in the consultation on this point in favour of opening things up - head over there. [...]
It looks like us all filling it in worked! The BBC are re-engineering the iPlayer to be Mac compatible.
http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/04/18/iplayer.coming.to.macs/