Will BBC’s Internet TV Player Break The Internet?
Aug 13th, 2007 | By James Lewin | Category: Digital Video Downloads, Internet TV, Streaming Video, VideoUK ISPs, including Tiscali, BT and Carphone Warehouse, are warning that they may “pull the plug” on the BBC’s new iPlayer, a new Windows Internet video player, because of its potential to eat up Internet bandwidth. They’re threatening to block the player or throttle bandwidth for users unless the BBC gives the ISPs a cut of the revenue.
The iPlayer is designed to let users watch BBC programming from the last seven days, without charge.
“The potential for iPlayer to suck up capacity is a concern and we need a better dialogue with the BBC about that,” said a spokeswoman for Tiscali.
“It is certainly a live debate between ISPs [internet service providers] and the BBC,” according to a senior insider at BT. “If the BBC gets the numbers it wants for iPlayer then network capacity could become an issue.”
via The Independent
Even though this is in the UK, it’s just another example how companies WILL regulate traffic without net neutrality.
No. It’s just another peer to peer client – whats so different to iplayer than Channel 4’s 4OD or Vuze?
It is closed – and there is only currently under 200,000 users.
UK ISPs are considering a price levy and it would be hard for people to get anything back from the ISPs if they dont use it. Broadband will use their virtual feet to suit their needs.
BT have said they will not be involved with these calls from throttling the user. Hell I’ve moved from Windows to Mac recently – I lost interest.