BBC iPlayer behind a firewall?

....snip...

However - it does seem you are being overly cautious, presumably you are
behind a router (firewall #1) and you could put another firewall on the
PC, providing you configure them correctly and update them and your
AV/Spyware software regularly then the chances of you getting 'hacked' are
minute (assuming you are not running Symantec).

You are probably right. However I'm a programmer and in 20 years of being
overly cautious I've never had a virus "in the wild" on any PC I own. I
already have both firewalls and anti-virus software on all my PCs but the
fact is that I have a large amount of work related stuff on my home PC and I
need to keep any risks to the absolute minimum.

Currently I control when my PC connects "out" but with iPlayer I effectively
say "connect out whenever you feel like it". To me, iPlayer is a grade 1
target for hackers because of the distributed nature and I want to make sure
that if they do get my PC, it's just the one they get ;-).

Oh, and yes I've overly paranoid ;-).

Paul DS

Erm, I have heard of paranoia, but this seems ridiculous. Surely, every site
knows who has connected with it, so I just don't get the problem.
Brian

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"Paul D.Smith" wrote in message
...
I am interested in using BBC iPlayer but I'm a paranoid git and don't want
a PC than can connect to the rest of the world on the same network as my
home PCs. So I was considering putting a firewall between the "iPlayer PC"
and the other PCs but the question is then...

Q/ Is there a way for one of my secure PCs to play the content stored on
the iPlayer PC? This would also be a way of using a laptop to play the
content but leaving a regular desktop connected for downloads.

And clearly the only reason to do this is to get the hi-quality playback
so please, not suggestions to use the "live" feeds ;-).

Thanks,
Paul DS.

Care to explain? most routers have firewalls, I can use any pc to listen to
the stream.

Brian

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"Adrian C" wrote in message
...
Paul D.Smith wrote:

Q/ Is there a way for one of my secure PCs to play the content stored on
the iPlayer PC? This would also be a way of using a laptop to play the
content but leaving a regular desktop connected for downloads.

Not possible. The "hiqh quality" download file will intentionally only
play back on the Windows Media machine that downloaded it.

--
Adrian C

I think some of the most stupid things occur though. I mean, some bbc pod
casts have content and music removed due to the rights being uk only for
that content. So, if I want to hear the whole show, I have to listen on the
stream, what used to be called listen again. No real problem other than I
have to record the stream in real time which is a pain in the brain.

If I were abroad though, I'd get that message that the bbc cannot allow you
to listen outside of the UK, as a friend in the Irish republic found out
recently.

I noticed, by the way that Amazon are making a selling point of thier mp3s
that there is no drm. Of course there seem to be any number of bits of
suftware floating about to defeat DRM, though I'd not know how good these
are.

Brian

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"J G Miller" wrote in message ...
On Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:49:54 +0000, Roderick Stewart asked:

isn't technology supposed to enable us to do
things better? If not, what's the point of it?

It appears that you do not understand the philosophy
behind the ill-named Digital Rights Managment system (DRM),
or as Richard Stallman better calls it

Digital Restriction Management

http://www.youtube.COM/watch?v=8p9IU4zp7mU

Another reason why Open Source Software is preferable
to proprietary closed source software.

Roderick Stewart wrote:
In article , Ian Jackson wrote:
Unless I'm misunderstanding things, you want to download and save a BBC
iPlayer TV programme on one PC, and play it back on another? I have no
problem doing this. Download on this machine, transfer to wife's laptop
via CD / DVD / memory stick, and play it on DRM-enabled WMP11. Of
course, it still expires in the usual way.

What demented mind invented the concept of technology that is deliberately
designed to stop working after a time limit, and only to work in a
restricted way while it does? Have we room for this nonsense in our world
of waste?

The mind which wanted to be able to still sell the series DVD box set,
but wanted to allow people to catch up for 30 days for free.

For 30 days after the broadcast you can watch the downloaded content.
They're not however, going to give it to you perpertually though. They
make significant amounts from the DVDs - which helps fund programme
production.

D

Paul D.Smith wrote:
...snip...

However - it does seem you are being overly cautious, presumably you
are behind a router (firewall #1) and you could put another firewall
on the PC, providing you configure them correctly and update them and
your AV/Spyware software regularly then the chances of you getting
'hacked' are minute (assuming you are not running Symantec).

You are probably right. However I'm a programmer and in 20 years of
being overly cautious I've never had a virus "in the wild" on any PC I
own.

Me too and me neither - but your method is a little like Ann Widdecombe
bragging that she's never had and STD.

I already have both firewalls and anti-virus software on all my
PCs but the fact is that I have a large amount of work related stuff on
my home PC and I need to keep any risks to the absolute minimum.

Currently I control when my PC connects "out" but with iPlayer I
effectively say "connect out whenever you feel like it".

Not necessarily - you can watch the iPlayer stuff in a browser then
close the browser/turn off/disconnect the PC afterwards.

To me, iPlayer
is a grade 1 target for hackers because of the distributed nature and I
want to make sure that if they do get my PC, it's just the one they get
;-).

The online iplayer is Flash - you may say that flash is a target for
hackers but then if you had a firewall and knew what you were doing then
you can easily see what connections it makes. The offline files are WMV
so the player you use is what ever you choose (that is DRM compatible).

Oh, and yes I've overly paranoid ;-).

To be honest - you really are, the trouble is that it really isn't
warranted.

Paul DS

In message ,
Paul D.Smith Proclaimed from the tallest tower:

...snip...

However - it does seem you are being overly cautious, presumably you
are behind a router (firewall #1) and you could put another firewall
on the PC, providing you configure them correctly and update them
and your AV/Spyware software regularly then the chances of you
getting 'hacked' are minute (assuming you are not running Symantec).

You are probably right. However I'm a programmer and in 20 years of
being overly cautious I've never had a virus "in the wild" on any PC
I own. I already have both firewalls and anti-virus software on all
my PCs but the fact is that I have a large amount of work related
stuff on my home PC and I need to keep any risks to the absolute
minimum.
Currently I control when my PC connects "out" but with iPlayer I
effectively say "connect out whenever you feel like it". To me,
iPlayer is a grade 1 target for hackers because of the distributed
nature and I want to make sure that if they do get my PC, it's just
the one they get ;-).
Oh, and yes I've overly paranoid ;-).

Paul DS

Am I missing something here? (Probably, as I know very little about iPlayer,
and how it works)
I assume your 'precious' (not being sarcastic here) PC is already connected
to the internet, and connects out any time you open a browsing session.
What's the difference between that, and starting an iPlayer 'viewing'
session...?

--
Regards,
Chris.
(Remove Elvis's shoes to email me)

In article , David Hearn wrote:
What demented mind invented the concept of technology that is deliberately
designed to stop working after a time limit, and only to work in a
restricted way while it does? Have we room for this nonsense in our world
of waste?

The mind which wanted to be able to still sell the series DVD box set,
but wanted to allow people to catch up for 30 days for free.

For 30 days after the broadcast you can watch the downloaded content.
They're not however, going to give it to you perpertually though. They
make significant amounts from the DVDs - which helps fund programme
production.

So it's greed then. Try to make something more *apparently* valuable, not by
making it better but by making it worse to restrict its availability.

It' a good job the world of technology hasn't always had this attitude or we'd
never have invented anything at all. I wonder how it will progress from here?

Rod.
--
Virtual Access V6.3 free usenet/email software from
http://sourceforge.net/projects/virtual-access/

Brian Gaff wrote:
Care to explain? most routers have firewalls, I can use any pc to listen to
the stream.

I'm on about downloading DRM'd video from the webpage, not streaming.
There is a link to do that and the downloading PC needs peer-to-peer
software installed to do it. Once the file is on the disc it has to be
played back _only_ on Windows Media Player, which will refuse to do so
after a time period has passed.

I thought this was limited to the machine that did the download (shows
how through my 'testing' was), but Ian J. is correct - you can fritter
the files across to another machine, let it install the DRM license keys
and then act as the playback device.

I fully expect that over time the BBC will waste another fortune out of
licence payers cash increasing the security of this DRM solution, for
what? IMO they should have made it downloadable on subscription or per
show payments.

--
Adrian C

"Roderick Stewart" wrote in
message .myzen.co.uk...
In article , Tim..... wrote:
That seems a bit like only being able to read a book in the bookshop
where
you bought it.

Actually it's the same as only being allowed to read the book in the
library
that you borrowed it from

OK... but whichever it is, isn't technology supposed to enable us to do
things
better? If not, what's the point of it?

But it does

It enables you to do something that you couldn't do before. I don't see
that it is reasonable to complain that the provision of this completely new,
FREE, service comes with some restrictions (which are there for comercial
reasons).

tim