BBC does the right thing: will support Macs with iPlayer

I think what they mean is that Apple doesn't license out their DRM at all, even if it is dual-platform. Microsoft does license, but Microsoft doesn't allow their DRM to run on any non-Microsoft platform, so it's not much help.

That doesn't mean that they couldn't design their own DRM.

I think DRM is silly though, it's not worth the hassle for anyone. It's been oft repeated, but it's worth repeating: It costs too much to develop, too much to support, is only a nusiance to the users. If "pirates" want the media, they'll find a crack, meaning that DRM only hurts honest users.

Just to add, you can contact Channel 4 using their feedback form: http://help.channel4.com/4odfeedback

I suggest using the above excuse as the error

Seems the focus now has shifted to Channel 4, and that's no bad thing (as long as the BBC don't drag their feet):

Unfortunately not at the launch of 4oD.

"Will you offer 4oD for the Macintosh?

This is an industry-wide issue caused because the accepted Digital Rights Management (DRM) system used to protect online video content, which is required by our content owners, is not compatible with Apple Mac hardware and software. The closed DRM system used by Apple is not currently available for licence by third parties and there is no other Mac-compatible DRM solution which meets the protection requirements of content owners. Unfortunately, we are therefore unable to offer 4oD content to Mac users at this stage."

When they said 'industry standard', do they just mean Microsoft's closed system?

Probably using a similar kind of IP based location system to the one that 4oD is using. This obviously has limitations in effectiveness though as Pete White has found out above.

The content is funded by the british public, so I wonder how they are going to restrict the viewing of the content to just us brits?

Leonard Nimrod: They don't have to use Flash, I fully expect this cross platform solution to use some form of web-based app with Microsoft's new framework that allows playback of DRM Windows Media content on Macs and Windows. Since OS X has Apache built in, it wouldn't be too hard to make a local symlink or something to load the plugin and then use the Webkit engine to show the content.

Channel 4 is partly funded by the government and they get huge reductions in licensing fees compared to ITV.

My main problem with 4OD is that it still thinks i'm not in the UK so wont let me download anything.

I don't see how they will be able to make a Mac version if they plan on keeping with the same schema they use with iPlayer for Windows.

The main reason the software was only for Windows is due to the use of WIMP10/11s DRM capabilities. This makes the use of the Flip4Mac codec in Quicktime for Windows Media playback impossible.

BBC will have to use a different codec, obviously, but will they? The reason content providers like to use WMP10/11 is for the expiration date on DRM content. This just isn't available on OS X. And for good reason!

The way I see it, the BBC only has 3 real options:
1) Tell everyone you are working on Mac support but drag it out for a couple years and then say you just couldn't get it working. By then they'll hopefully be a simpler or OS agnostic resolution.
2) Keep using Real Media for the Mac side.
3) Use Flash as a container.

The beeb are always a million years behind. It's rather snidey to say that Apple is closed, it's not more closed than friggin' Microsoft.

The question which should be asked at this point is, why are they even considering adding DRM?

This whole debacle could have been avoided if they asked themselves about the necessity of it and their aims at the start. It's supposed to be an open public archive, and yet they're crippling it with restrictions that mean it will only play on devices which have their player, and I seem to remember something about the content expiring after 7 days. How 1996.

In 10 years time this will be forgotten, like the many other projects they've launched and then scuppered (see blog above for a list). The BBC is in a perfect position to really push forward online publishing, and instead we get this.