The BBC has been on the receiving end of some complaints from users of their iPlayer service, the online services that allows users watch and listen to BBC TV & Radio programmes up to 20 days after their original broadcast.

Users have complained to the European Comission that the BBC are in breach of EU anti-trust regulations because the system is currently only compatible with Microsoft technologies, the accusations against the BBC have been made by advocacy group the Open Source Consortium (OSC)

They argue that the iPlayer will force people to use and purchase Microsoft products because it will initially only work on Microsoft Windows computers. This would give the software company an unfair advantage and would be uncompetitive, they say.

The iPlayer makes use of Microsoft’s off-the-shelf Digital Rights Management (DRM) system that means the programmes are deleted after 30 days. All programmes, once downloaded, are only playable within iPlayer or using Window’s Media Player 10 or 11. The DRM also prevents them being copied to other mediums such as DVD.

A statement from the BBC read: “Our ability to deliver this open approach will be influenced by the availability of alternative DRM systems on the market. “In order to maximise public value, the BBC must balance extending access to content with the need to maintain the interests of rights holders and the value of secondary rights in BBC programming. Without a time-based DRM framework the BBC would not be able to meet the terms of the trust’s PVT (Public Value Test) decision.”

However, the OSC argue that DRM-free downloads would be in the “public interest”. “In an ideal world all DRM would be removed,” said Mr Taylor.

Read the full article here.

LinuxJournal has an excellent article discussing why the BBC shouldn’t adopt Windows Media as their preffered methods of audio and video delivery.

The BBC has a long and glorious past as a technological innovator. Throughout the history of broadcasting, it has often been the first to develop and promote new technologies. Sadly, it seems now to be teetering on the brink of making technical choices that will not only damage its own reputation as a world-class institution, but which will also have serious knock-on consequences for free software.

The article then goes on to look at the background of the BBC’s streaming audio and video content. The article then goes on to discuss why they shouldn’t adopt Windows Media and indeed Windows Media DRM.

If it adopts only a Windows-based system, the BBC becomes beholden to Microsoft, and loses any possibility of independent action in the future, as the example of Korea shows only too painfully. Similarly, DRM is anything but open and transparent. And with rumours that even the music industry is recognising how counter-productive DRM is, now is precisely the moment to fight and beat DRM, not foist it on even more people.

There is even a e-petition for UK users to sign which urges the Prime Minister not to let the BBC trust implement a player which only Windows users can access and to open the streaming platform up to all users including Open Source. To Read the full article here.