BBC iPlayer
Martin A from Cheshire, on the BBC iPlayer: "This is a P2P player that uses your memory, upload/download quota and is working all the time even when you are not using the player. When I uninstalled the BBC iPlayer the associated program Kontiki (kservice.exe) kept using my PC for its own needs until I uninstalled that also. There was no warning that this program was going to take up my bandwidth and upload/download quota".September 3 2007.
Note: an interesting discussion on iPlayer's use of P2P at http://forums.vnunet.com/thread.jspa;jsessionid=6hi28xt4pdob?messageID=978648󮻘
And an ISP take on BBC iPlayer's impact on traffic at http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/02/22/will-bbc-iplayer-usage-break-the-internet-the-bandwidth-timebomb/?WT.mc_id=ec_int_200802news&link=iplayertext
Kangaroo joint venture for Internet TV
AJB from Hertfordshire writes:
We're looking forward to the new on-demand service being developed by the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, under the working title, "Kangaroo", scheduled for launch by the end of 2008. The joint venture promises to bring together over 10,000 hours of current and archive programming from these major UK broadcasters, plus there's the prospect of material from other broadcasters and programme makers being included at a later date.
What we really like about this prospective service is its ability to bring together programming from such a range of broadcasters into one web location. Dealing with one destination, one registration and having one player to download is certainly simpler and more convenient than visiting each of the individual broadcaster websites.
So what will happen to BBC iPlayer, ITV.com and 4oD? Well according to Ashley Highfield, Director of BBC Future Media and Technology, "If BBC iPlayer is like BBC TV, Kangaroo is more like UKTV. There is space for both: indeed, they're complementary." BBC iPlayer will stay, offering a free seven-day catch-up service with no advertising (Kangaroo will contain advertising). It will also incorporate BBC Radio Player. According to Highfield, it will be universal, and – so he says – offer versions for Mac & Linux.
And the biggest difference is that iPlayer will continue to be a seven-day rolling window on to BBC programming showing around 400 hours, whereas Kangaroo will offer some 10,000 hours in a permanent database.
ITV.com will continue to operate its 30-day catch-up service, alongside simulcasts of ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 and news, clips, stills, exclusive content and interactivity across and around ITV programming. But the future of Channel 4's 4oD site is rather different. This service will actually evolve into the new Kangaroo offering, while Channel 4 will host a catch-up service including accompanying programme information and clips.
While still subject to approvals – including the BBC Trust and each broadcaster's board – we expect the parties involved to pull out all the stops to launch this site sooner rather than later. These broadcasters know that new on-demand sites, including the likes of Joost and Babelgum, are snapping at their heels for a share of Internet TV audiences.
Indeed it's no surprise that a high profile figure, Lesley MacKenzie, with experience at BSkyB and in the Indian TV market, has been appointed to lead the operation. By teaming up these three broadcasters can certainly pool their experience and resources, help build the market for Internet TV generally, and hopefully bring us an enhanced, quality viewing experience. February 2 2008
BUT: The Office of Fair Trading is suspicious (April 30 2008)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0cbbb3e4-1600-11dd-880a-0000779fd2ac.html
