BBC TV over IP

From an article on informitv.com, the BBC's Ashley Highfield talks about a recent trial allowing viewers to download programs over the internet.

From the article:

"At the MIPTV/MILIA conference in Cannes, Ashley outlined the net results of the iMP trial which allowed a representative panel of 5,000 users to download BBC television and radio programmes over the internet.

The BBC director of new media and technology, who admitted that he had been pleasantly surprised at how well the secure peer-to-peer delivery system had worked, said: “It provides the first significant clues as to how TV programmes over the internet could revolutionise broadcasting, and prompt a wider, cultural shift in television consumption.”


The 5,000 users downloaded 150,000 programmes during the four month trial, although they only apparently watched around than half that number. The main reason cited for this was the limitation of the seven day period after transmission in which the programmes could be viewed. A quarter of the users said the download speed could be improved, but over three quarters said they would not compromise on quality for quicker downloads."