Friday, July 27, 2007

BBC distorts the IT market

The BBC requires that people give Microsoft money in order to use their new iPlayer:

BBC NEWS | Technology | BBC online video service launches

I am staggered that a UK funded public entity is making content available exclusively on a Microsoft platform using a Microsoft file format.

The influence of the BBC is huge. The worst part of this iPlayer mess is the distorting effect it will have on the market. People who want to be able to watch their favourite BBC show will get a Windows box rather than a Mac or a Linux machine.

Microsoft are laughing all the way to the bank with this one.

Oh, but the BBC will review this every 6 months. That's all right then.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well, it's not available for Vista yet, only XP. I doubt that many people will buy a copy of XP or a box with it pre-installed just so they can use it.

Ordinary punters don't care much about who they give their money to. What matters is how much they have to spend.

To use this service I have to buy a PC and subscribe to broadband. That is the major cost.

To access BBC3 & BBC4, I need a digital TV or a setup box. And an aerial upgrade, or a sat dish or cable.

By 'expanding' its range of services, the BBC is effectively discriminating against those who are unable to access those services. It continues to take their license fees while at the same time reducing the quality of the most widely available BBC1, BBC2, and radio services.

The 'Windows only' accessibility issue is only a symptom of a much bigger problem.