Normally, people would associate downloading videos and music from the Internet without paying a single cent from Torrent sites as well as other host providers with piracy, but what happens when a legitimate company allows you to do all that without forking out any dough? The BBC has done exactly that, launching an online video service that enables subscribers to download a wide range of TV programs for free since last week. There are over 400 hours of programs to choose from - that number is roughly the equivalent of 60% to 70% of total TV output. You won’t just get third string media as even hit shows such as Planet Earth will be made available. The service is currently free and can be downloaded here, but unfortunately it is currently limited to those living in Britain only.

These downloaded programs are stored on the computer, where the BBC iPlayer Library will co-ordinate each of these shows. Shows will automatically be deleted after viewing, and if you leave it sitting idly on your hard drive, the iPlayer will erase it after the 30 days expiry date is up. Special copyright protection software aims to prevent the copying of shows, but my gut feeling is somebody will circumvent that sooner or later. Currently, the BBC iPlayer Library is compatible with the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, Internet Explorer, and Windows Media 10 (or later) only. Looks like the tables have now turned onto TV broadcasters as they have to provide viewers with what they want to see these days instead of dictating viewers in the early days of TV networks.

Currently, similar video download services are available from Channel 4 and ITV, so BBC is rather late to the scene. With the ability to store whatever we want to watch at a later time, I fear this will achieve nothing other than amassing a large backlog that will never be cleared.

Source: IBL News