The Contemplation

BBC iPlayer Plans Charging for Archive Access

tech — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:15:50 +0000

The BBC is reportedly planning to charge viewers for access to its archive programming. That may come as no real shock but it is surprising that its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, is apparently not involved. The BBC says that any plans for such micropayments would need to be developed in conjunction with the industry and rights holders and denies that it would lead to a two-tier licence fee.

According to a report in the trade magazine Broadcast, the payment proposals are thought to have come from the BBC Online Direction Group, which is chaired by Ralph Riviera, the director of Future Media, who joined the corporation in October 2010 from Major League Gaming in New York.

It seems extraordinary that BBC Worldwide, the commercial division of the BBC, should not be involved in plans to provide paid-for access to its programming.

Ever since an online video service was first floated, from the early trials of an integrated Media Player or iMP in 2004, the idea was that there would be a catchup window during which programming would be available for free, after which it was envisaged there could be a revenue model.

At the same time, there were plans for a Creative Archive that would make available programming from its back catalogue. So far, those plans have not amounted to much, as it seems resolving the relevant rights issues remains complex, if not intractable.

The BBC iPlayer has been an undoubted domestic success. In 2011 the iPlayer received nearly 2 billion requests for radio and television programmes, with a record 187 million requests in December. While the majority were from computer platforms, there is significant growth across tablets and network-connected televisions. The BBC used to publish detailed breakdowns of usage, but appears to have stopped doing so in recent months.

BBC Worldwide, the commercial division of the BBC has meanwhile launched its own global version of the iPlayer. This includes a selection of both current and back catalogue programming, presented as a Best of British proposition. This is available on a subscription basis for €6.99 a month, or €49.99 a year. Already launched in a number of European countries, Canada and Australia, it is expected to extend to the United States and other markets.

The global BBC iPlayer subscription is currently only available on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, with Apple presumably taking a healthy 30% of any revenues.

The service will differ slightly for international users compared to those in the UK – some content will be offered for free (supported by advertising), but to gain full access, users will be encouraged to take out a subscription for €6.99 a month or €49.99 a year (equivalent to about $10/month or $71/year USD). Considering that in the UK every household in possession of a TV has to pay an annual license fee of €165 (equivalent to about $235/year USD), the fee for overseas users of the iPlayer looks pretty reasonable – but don’t be fooled.

Sure you get all the BBC content than you’ll ever have time to watch,but, the BBC iPlayer does carry the Channel 4, SeeSaw, ITV, or Catchup content (or the many non-BBC stations) . . . the best option is to pay $10/month for VPN and not limit yourself just to the BBC iPlayer.

With a VPN account you can watch MLB without any blackouts and all NFL 2011 games.

Try the VPN out – with a Free Trial!

Note: I would pay the BBC iPlayer fee if it has a Roku Channel.

Similar Posts:

How to Watch Star Trek Series Seasons Chronologically

tech — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:09:01 +0000

Star Trek Series Seasons Chronologically

(printable pdf)

Star Trek: Enterprise (Seasons 1-4)
Star Trek (Seasons 1-3)
Star Trek Animated Series
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Seasons 1-5)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 1)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 6)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 2)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 7)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 3)
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: Voyager (Season 1)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 4)
Star Trek: Voyager (Season 2)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 5)
Star Trek: Voyager (Season 3)
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 6)
Star Trek: Voyager (Season 4)
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 7)
Star Trek: Voyager (Seasons 5-7)
Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek (2009 movie)

Note: This is series/season based, not episode based. If you would like to watch episodes in the entire ST episodes in chronological order head on over to The Star Trek Chronology Project.

Where to Watch

Netflix confirmed they will be streaming every episode of every season for all five live-action Star Trek series:

ST TOS Star Trek,
STNG Star Trek: The Next Generation,
ST DPN Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,
ST VOY Star Trek: Voyager,
ST ENTStar Trek: Enterprise.
Animated Series

TNG, Netflix will be the first digital delivery of any kind as that popular series is still the only Star Trek show not available at iTunes.

Note: Star Trek (2009 movie) will available via Netflix through 02/15/12.

Similar Posts:

Marshmallow Launch at the White House Science Fair

tech — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:00:44 +0000

The President meets an 8th grader named Joey from Phoenix, AZ at the White House Science Fair and the two launch a marshmallow across the State Dining Room of the White House with Joey’s science project – an air cannon.

Public Voting Now Open for 2012 Neuro Film Festival

tech — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:21:19 +0000

ST. PAUL, Minn. – You can now begin voting for your favorite video entry to the 2012 Neuro Film Festival through March 8, 2012, at Neuro Film Festival. Now in its third year, the Neuro Film Festival is a contest by the American Academy of Neurology Foundation to help raise awareness about why more research is needed to cure brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, autism, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

Public voting will close on March 8, 2012, with the winner of the “Fan Favorite” award receiving a certificate and recognition at the 2012 Neuro Film Festival on April 22, 2012, in conjunction with the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting, the world’s largest meeting of neurologists with 10,000 attendees.

A jury will determine the Grand Prize winner who will be awarded up to $1,000 and a trip to New Orleans to watch his or her video shown to a live audience at the Neuro Film Festival event. The jury will also select the Runner-Up winner who will receive up to $500 in prize winnings and a trip to New Orleans.

Learn more about the Neuro Film Festival and cast your vote now at Neuro Film Festival.

Small World Exhibit of Photography Through the Microscope

tech — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:17:20 +0000

The Wistar Institute on February 3rd launched the 2011 Nikon Small World exhibit of award-winning photographs taken through the microscope. Since 2003, Wistar has been the only local host of this exhibit of 20 winning images in Nikon’s international photomicrography competition.

2011 1st Place Winner: Igor Siwanowicz

Each year, the Nikon Small World photo microscopy competition celebrates the complexity and beauty of the world as captured in photographs taken through the microscope. The winning images combine originality, informational content, technical proficiency, and visual impact, giving us a glimpse into a world that most have never seen – the intersection of art and science as viewed through the lens of a microscope. Specimens in this year’s exhibit reflect a range of subjects including solar cell films, blades of grass, microchip surfaces and HeLa cells (used often by Wistar researcher Jan Erikson, Ph.D., in her efforts to develop a universal influenza vaccine).

“The Nikon Small World photographs are extraordinary,” said Russel E. Kaufman, M.D., president and CEO of The Wistar Institute. “They are striking and beautiful, but these images also contain real data for scientists, they answer questions and help visualize research results.”

The Nikon Small World contest was founded in 1974 to recognize excellence in photography through the microscope. Each year, Nikon makes the winning images accessible to the public through the Nikon Small World calendar, a national museum tour, and an electronic gallery featured at www.nikonsmallworld.com.

The exhibit is free and open to the public through March 2, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, West Philadelphia.

The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the country, Wistar has long held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible.