BBC Have Broken GetIPlayer

On Fri, 31 Oct 2014 16:17:47 +0000, Max Demian wrote:


I think you'd get away with it if you had a Freeview box wired to an
audio system and not a screen in sight. More difficult if you had
anything like a computer screen in the room, even if it didn't take the
output from the STB.

There used to be a radio-only license, but it got canned on the grounds
that it didn't bring in much revenue and was even harder to enforce than
a TV license.

My understanding is that the TV license is, or was until recently, only
needed if you have an RF tuner capable of receiving broadcast or cable
TV. IOW, the license is only needed to watch programs as they are
broadcast.

Since the Beeb and other UK TV sources covered by the license don't
currently stream TV channels at the same time as they are broadcast, you
don't need a license to watch TV off the 'net or recorded media.


--
[email protected] | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

In article ,
Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Fri, 31 Oct 2014 16:17:47 +0000, Max Demian wrote:


I think you'd get away with it if you had a Freeview box wired to an
audio system and not a screen in sight. More difficult if you had
anything like a computer screen in the room, even if it didn't take the
output from the STB.

There used to be a radio-only license, but it got canned on the grounds
that it didn't bring in much revenue and was even harder to enforce than
a TV license.

My understanding is that the TV license is, or was until recently, only
needed if you have an RF tuner capable of receiving broadcast or cable
TV. IOW, the license is only needed to watch programs as they are
broadcast.

Since the Beeb and other UK TV sources covered by the license don't
currently stream TV channels at the same time as they are broadcast, you
don't need a license to watch TV off the 'net or recorded media.


Not quite true. You can watch live tennis via the BBC website. And
watching Satellite is also a licensable activity. I know you said "RF
tuner" but some people don't consider that covers satellites.

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.18

On Fri, 31 Oct 2014 13:44:50 +0000, Adrian Caspersz
wrote:

On 31/10/14 12:57, Davey wrote:

I go to the BBC iPlayer website, and choose a programme, in this case
yesterday's Life Story. I select Download, and it asks me if I already
have 'iPlayer Download' installed. I say 'No, install it now', it then
offers me the choice of Windows or Mac, but no Linux.
I go to 'Installation Help', which leads to several more options, all
of which eventually end up back where they started, even when choosing
'Linux' as the platform. Bloody useless.


Adobe DRM software is not installable on Linux, so neither is "iPlayer
Download". This is not likely to change until the BBC gets out of bed
with Adobe. Something a public body should never have done?

It might be much more costly for the BBC to "go it alone".


--
Peter Duncanson
(in uk.tech.digital-tv)

Jim Lesurf wrote:

However the reality is that the BBC can't actually stop people from
recording. e.g. it is trivially easy to connect a digital recorder
via USB or spdif or indeed HDMI and record the audio if you know how
to do so.

Jim, I thought the HDMI output was encrypted for HD material,
preventing recording the picture or sound. Is that wrong?

--
SteveT

Apparently there is a new system coming called Nitro, now would you not
expect the bbc to actually leave stuff that works up and running until the
new system is in place and software writers can adopt it? I wonder if the
name is a joke, as I was thinking they need some kind of explosive up their
arses to stop screwing up what works fine.
Sounds like job creation scheme to me.
brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Steve Thackery" wrote in message
...
AnthonyL wrote:

What's the limit for other than to annoy?

Copyrights, basically. Broadcasters buy certain rights to material
from the programme makers. Those rights may, or may not, include
making it available on their on-demand service. If it's allowed to be
on-demand, there is usually a time limit.

As far as I know, this is all determined by the deal the broadcaster
does with the copyright holder (i.e. how much money they are willing to
spend).

--
SteveT

On Fri, 31 Oct 2014 18:43:21 +0000, charles wrote:

In article ,
Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Fri, 31 Oct 2014 16:17:47 +0000, Max Demian wrote:


I think you'd get away with it if you had a Freeview box wired to an
audio system and not a screen in sight. More difficult if you had
anything like a computer screen in the room, even if it didn't take
the output from the STB.

There used to be a radio-only license, but it got canned on the grounds
that it didn't bring in much revenue and was even harder to enforce
than a TV license.

My understanding is that the TV license is, or was until recently, only
needed if you have an RF tuner capable of receiving broadcast or cable
TV. IOW, the license is only needed to watch programs as they are
broadcast.

Since the Beeb and other UK TV sources covered by the license don't
currently stream TV channels at the same time as they are broadcast,
you don't need a license to watch TV off the 'net or recorded media.


Not quite true. You can watch live tennis via the BBC website. And
watching Satellite is also a licensable activity. I know you said "RF
tuner" but some people don't consider that covers satellites.

Its an RF signal, innit? So, OF COURSE its covered, and ignorance of a
law or contract clause has never been an valid excuse for breaking it.



--
[email protected] | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

On 31/10/2014 18:37, Martin Gregorie wrote:
My understanding is that the TV license is, or was until recently, only
needed if you have an RF tuner capable of receiving broadcast or cable
TV. IOW, the license is only needed to watch programs as they are
broadcast.

Since the Beeb and other UK TV sources covered by the license don't
currently stream TV channels at the same time as they are broadcast, you
don't need a license to watch TV off the 'net or recorded media.

AIUI you can watch BBC live over the net, and you do need a licence to
do it.

Andy

On Fri, 31 Oct 2014 11:32:54 +0000, Ian Jackson
wrote:

However, these days, although you don't need a TV licence to receive
digital radio via a non-recording set-top box, I'm not sure that it is
made clear whether or not a TV licence is indeed required for TV
sound-only (eg if the receiver is incapable of displaying or recording
images).

It's incapable of displaying images when it's tuned to a channel that
isn't broadcasting any.

Rod.

On 31/10/14 18:55, Peter Duncanson wrote:
On Fri, 31 Oct 2014 13:44:50 +0000, Adrian Caspersz
wrote:

On 31/10/14 12:57, Davey wrote:

I go to the BBC iPlayer website, and choose a programme, in this case
yesterday's Life Story. I select Download, and it asks me if I already
have 'iPlayer Download' installed. I say 'No, install it now', it then
offers me the choice of Windows or Mac, but no Linux.
I go to 'Installation Help', which leads to several more options, all
of which eventually end up back where they started, even when choosing
'Linux' as the platform. Bloody useless.


Adobe DRM software is not installable on Linux, so neither is "iPlayer
Download". This is not likely to change until the BBC gets out of bed
with Adobe. Something a public body should never have done?

It might be much more costly for the BBC to "go it alone".


Yes, I remember such comments at the time.

Still, given now that they have managed to implement some kind of 30-day
lockdown on Android & Apple devices using Inside Secure's Fusion
Platform DRM, I think that Adobe is now not needed - but probably still
being paid for :-(

--
Adrian C

On Fri, 31 Oct 2014 21:34:25 +0000, Vir Campestris wrote:

On 31/10/2014 18:37, Martin Gregorie wrote:
My understanding is that the TV license is, or was until recently, only
needed if you have an RF tuner capable of receiving broadcast or cable
TV. IOW, the license is only needed to watch programs as they are
broadcast.

Since the Beeb and other UK TV sources covered by the license don't
currently stream TV channels at the same time as they are broadcast,
you don't need a license to watch TV off the 'net or recorded media.

AIUI you can watch BBC live over the net, and you do need a licence to
do it.

OK, I stand corrected on that point: I didn't know the BBC simultaneously
streams broadcast TV, but my main point is valid. You do need a license
for the broadcast signal no matter how its received, but you don't for
any stored program that you choose to watch/listen to after the broadcast
has been presented to the viewing/listening public.


--
[email protected] | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |