Channel 4 download service

[Londonman]

Does anyone have any links to more information about this? Nothing on the Channel 4 website as far as I can see.

I'd like to know whether the service is available to the million or so Mac users in the UK. Somehow I'm not that hopeful.

[DrPepper]

Is this it?

http://www.channel4.com/4od/

[Londonman]

Yes Dr Pepper...thank you for that. Sadly like the rest of the them they have ignored the million or so Macintosh users. Those of us, like me, who prefer to use a Mac have no choice in this matter. We can only thank that eejit in Seattle (gates in case you didn't know) as Microsoft refuse to support DRM on the Windows Media Player for the Mac platform. I had forgotten just how much I hated Microsoft.

[Goooner]

Pretty pointless anyway, IMO.

99p to rent a programme for 48 hours. Never mind the fact that US viewers get them for $0.99, it's stuff that you can get for free, sometimes months before it ever shows up on C4 anway (but we won't go into that).

The only way I could see a benefit, is if they allow you to download shows, (that they have the rights to, obviously) the day after their US showing, rather than having to wait until after they've shown up here.

[Londonman]

I picked this up from the Microsoft site...

Content providers can protect Windows Media files from unauthorized playback by using a technology called digital rights management (DRM). A Windows Media file that has been assigned digital rights is called a "protected," or "licensed," or "secured" file.

To play a protected file, you must obtain a license (a kind of electronic key) from the content provider. In many cases, the Player can acquire a license for you automatically when you attempt to play the file. In other cases, the content provider may not issue you a license until you pay a fee or provide additional information, such as your e-mail address.

Content providers can issue several different versions of DRM licenses; however, Windows Media Player 9 for Mac OS X only supports version 1 licenses. This means that you might be able to play some protected files, but not others.

We have informed our content partners about this issue so that they can decide whether to offer version 1 licenses to their customers who use Macintosh computers.


So it looks like all the providers could allow this service for mac users but choose not to. Ofcom are not interested...surprise...surprise