BBC’s On Demand Service, Locked to Microsoft?

The last few year the UK’s BBC has shown how innovative it is. Here is a snippet from the BBC Trust’s provisional conclusions on the BBC’s on-demand proposals.

The BBC’s Executive has been developing proposals to offer BBC programmes and content ‘on demand’. They made an application last August for the following:

* Seven-day TV catch-up over the internet
* Seven-day TV catch-up over cable
* Simulcast TV over the internet (streaming of live television networks)
* Non-digital rights management (DRM) audio downloads over the internet (podcasting of selected radio programmes)

Doesn’t this rock!

Well, almost.

Cory Doctorow channels a reader called Paul, who points out on Boing Boing, the BBC is asking, “How important is it that the proposed seven-day catch-up service over the internet is available to consumers who are not using Microsoft software?”

Paul suggests that all Brits should fill in the form at the trust. “The form takes 5 minutes to fill in, is confidential and could be a defining moment of on-line content delivery. Let’s pressure the BBC into embracing open standards!”