h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Oh I can well belive that, don't forget that people are complex machines with needs and so need to be paid more that 12p a day.

-- DoctorMO --

The things I'd do to get myself involved in a project as big as this.

**views post 1 with concern**

I agree, it's a fantastic idea, but I don't like Jim's enthusiasm. DNA's not going to lose you to a BBC Archive team, is it Jim?

B

Let's just get a couple of things clear before we get too excited about this:

1) Is it the *entire* archive? Could I download... The Nine O'clock News from the day that Thatcher resigned, all five days of a Test Match, every single episode of Big Jim and the Figaro Club, all of Mike Leigh's Plays for Today? Presumably it *won't* include programmes the BBC buys in, which will no doubt sadden anyone who was getting ready to download each and every Star Trek.

2) Aren't there some rights issues here? It took the BBC a long time to get webcast rights to everything they currently stream live. What about writers fees? Will they get a payment each time I download another episode of Steptoe and Son? I know that BBC holds copyright in all its programmes, but I can see some writers getting more than a little shirty if their work is being dowloaded and they're getting nowt for it.

3) When he says 'download', does he really mean download - ie, to disc? Or just stream? If it's download to keep what's the quality going to be like? If it's just to stream are we going to have to use the evil RealPlayer?

4) It's going to seriously piss off any companies which sell DVDs of BBC programmes overseas - the A+E channel currently put out all American DVDs of Monty Python for instance. It'll be a loss of revenue for them.

5) Why is it for free? I applaud Greg Dyke for doing this, but if even a nominal charge of 10p a show or 25p an hour was made it would fetch the BBC a serious amount of wedge, and since there's currently a thread going on at Ask - 'Would you pay for h2g2?', it would also be an excellent way to fund BBCi.

Please don’t shoot the massager

Speaking at the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, Dyke said

Wildlife (footage and clips) from well-known TV shows will be among the selected material to be released from the company's video vaults. downloading such information could be great for children doing homework on everything from dinosaurs to history

Also sales of such programs on DVD and video are a lucrative source of BBC income.

But clips of such shows probably will be.

interesting thoughts on the matter of Free Media, it'll work out in the end, although I really do suport the FSF and they do good on public money.

-- DoctorMO --