Channel 4 On Demand - No Go for Mac
Sunday, September 23, 2007
We all know how the BBC iPlayer does not support the Mac platform. What a cheek, especially considering the use of 'i' in the name of their Windows only player. Well, I wanted to search out some content to play on my Mac and a lot of Channel 4 programmes make me laugh (the IT Crowd springs to mind). Well, guess what? The Channel 4 On Demand service is not Mac compatible either, so I emailed them asking for an explanation, here is their reply;
"Unfortunately we cannot say when the 4oD service will be available to users of other platforms, including Mac OS and Linux. The problem is, our content providers (e.g. the production companies who make our shows), insist on using a DRM licensing system.
The DRM (Digital Rights Management) system basically protects the video content from duplication and broadcast outside the UK & ROI. Currently they insist on using Microsoft's DRM, and because of this we can only support Microsoft operating systems.
Linux currently has no such DRM system available and so our content providers will not allow us to support the Linux operating system. Macintosh do have a solution, however 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 our
content owners. Unfortunately, we are therefore unable to offer 4oD and other video content to Mac users at this stage.
We are sorry to disappoint on this occasion and assure you that if changes throughout the industry happen, as we would like, we will ensure the support of other operating systems."
If you require further information, visit http://help.channel4.com/4oD/ - plus I urge you to email them too and ask for a Mac compatible player.
Labels: General News
7 Comments:
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At 5:22 pm,
said...
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you do of course know you can watch iplayer programmes by streaming them on a mac?
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At 4:42 pm,
Unknown said...
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4oD: I have emailed them as suggested given the preferential treatment given to Wndows users. I suspect C4 don't turn down advertising that is generated on a Mac (probably 99% of all advertising)
iPlayer - you can stream but not download; having seen other long distance train travellers watching downloaded programmes, the inability to do so is galling (but not so galling that I would use 'blue screen' OS) -
At 2:00 pm,
said...
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If people keep emailing them, maybe they will pull their fingers out and get provide an equal service for all.
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At 3:35 pm,
said...
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Hi, does anyone know how I can watch Channel 4 on Demand on my mac 10.4.6?
I'm not very technically minded?! -
At 8:40 pm,
said...
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Did you 3 not read the article? This is clearly out of channel 4's hands.
Writing to channel 4 won't help, write to the content producers (NBC, FOX etc) or to Apple to open up their DRM system to 3rd parties (like Channel 4, NBC, FOX etc etc) -
At 6:28 am,
said...
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Pile of ....
Have emailed Apple about licensing their DRM , typical 'no' answer. -
At 6:30 am,
said...
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Read the comments, this is not in channel 4s hands.
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Dave
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