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BBC TV on demand service...

(May 2004)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
SP
Sput
Didn't spot this anywhere else, but the Indy is telling of the BBC launching a trial of a TV on demand (with relevant guide) service later this month - the iMP (internet media player) should allow burning to DVD or computer viewing!

The trial itself is for BBC STAFF ONLY (so please let's not get fools asking how to register) and lasts for 3 weeks. After this, they're hoping for 1000 pilot broadband users of various ISPs.
Article Here
PE
Pete Founding member
how do you register for it? Can you get BBC World on this?????!!!


Sorry.

On a related note I'm actually quite interested in this little thing
http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/dirac/
it would be nice for the BBC to use their own codec and stop the need for having to have that disgusting object realplayer on your machine.
BO
squawkBOX
Besides the usual video standards(.ram, .mov, .mpg, .wmv), is there any out there (apart from VP3 and Dirac) that are open standards?
PE
Pete Founding member
squawkBOX posted:
Besides the usual video standards(.ram, .mov, .mpg, .wmv), is there any out there (apart from VP3 and Dirac) that are open standards?


open or open source? they're two quite different things.
BO
squawkBOX
oops... I'm assuming open source being the one which the actual code is available and open is just generally being able to use it for free?
PE
Pete Founding member
Open Standard means it can be licenced, MHEG2, WMV9 and stuff like that all qualify. Open Source means it's totally free and the source code is available.

There is Ogg Vorbis for a start which is an MP3 rival (MP3 being an open standard)
CO
Corin
Hymagumba posted:
Open Source means it's totally free and the source code is available.

Ain't necessarily so.

From <http://en.wikipedia.ORG/wiki/Open_source> ,

Quote:
Free software is open source, but open source software may or may not be "free." In practice, nearly all open-source licenses also satisfy the FSF's free-software definition, and the difference is more a matter of philosophical emphasis. (One of the few counter-examples was an early version of the Apple Public Source License, which was considered open source but not free because it did not allow private modified versions; this restriction was later removed.) For instance, software distributed under both the GPL and BSD licenses are considered both free and open source (the original BSD License had terms legally incompatible with the GPL, but this practical difficulty is a separate issue from its free-ness). Confusion about the distinctions between free and open source software is the source of some misunderstanding, particularly in the mass media where the two terms are often applied interchangeably.


For the current official OSI Open Source Initiative definition, please consult

<http://www.opensource.ORG/docs/definition.php>

To learn about the advantage of using OGG Vobis encoding over MP3, for which a licence fee must be paid if using the algorithms of the Frauhoffer institute, please surf on over to

<http://www.vorbis.COM/>

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http://www.eurolegal.ORG/images7/bushbinlad.gif
RO
roo
It's the good ole 'free beer' and 'free speech' confusion.
HOURS of fun...
PE
Pete Founding member
Corin posted:
Corin's fab post.


Well I can always rely on you to fill in the blanks. I was going to put something in about RealMedia's Helix project which, if I'm not mistaken, is a form of open source is it not? But I got distracted by a faulty SMTP server and forogot to edit the post.

Out of interest - why are you doing TLDs in capital letters at the moment?
GM
nodnirG kraM
Whatever happened to "Television Choice"? Remember the ads back in around 1998 - the commy students taking over the TV station, and the newsreader saying "Right what's your name", "ooh don't tell him, Steve". Déjà vu anyone? Wink

Wasn't this supposed to be a TV On Demand service? Did it ever actually launch? Why am I asking so many questions? Is there a God?
MN
MarkN Founding member
Hymagumba posted:
Corin posted:
Corin's fab post.


Well I can always rely on you to fill in the blanks. I was going to put something in about RealMedia's Helix project which, if I'm not mistaken, is a form of open source is it not?


It is dual-licensed under an OSI approved licence and commercial licence, but is not Free Software. If I remember, the components used to play RealAudio/Video files are not covered by these licences, but a "binary use research licence" instead.

Hymagumba posted:
Out of interest - why are you doing TLDs in capital letters at the moment?


As far as I know, Corin has always posted URLs in this manner.
DA
Davidjb Founding member
I like the sound of watching programmes i like without having to pay out for Sky+

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