3 ms·

I do worry about the loss of so many films and TV series from our culture. With streaming services, they often don't bother with hosting obscure and older media

I do worry about the loss of so many films and TV series from our culture. With streaming services, they often don't bother with hosting obscure and older media, so lesser known gems can just disappear without most people even realising. I hoard old scifi films and series (along with anything that I find of interest) and sometimes, the only copy that I can find has been posted to YouTube by some kind sole (as opposed to the copyright holder). One particular service that really bugs me is the BBC iPlayer. The search is atrocious, so it's one of those sites that it's easier to do a search for "iplayer ..." in google etc. rather than using the BBC's own search. However, what really bugs me are the time restrictions and removal of programmes when as a TV license payer (which is how the BBC is funded), I've already paid towards the production of those programmes. e.g. The excellent Oppenheimer series from the 1980s wasn't previously available on iPlayer despite being a BBC production and after the new film was released, the series was entirely available on YouTube, but not the BBC (they've since made it available).

midoridensha 3y ago
>the only copy that I can find has been posted to YouTube by some kind sole Are you saying that people are using their feet to post videos to YouTube, or that there are actually fish that use computers now? If fish have become this intelligent, we're in trouble.
BoxOfRain 3y ago
Blame the restrictions on the BBC, even though they got an early start on streaming the government didn't want them to compete too much with commercial offerings which meant iPlayer was crippled from the start. I always thought this was daft, if I had to choose between the BBC and one of Rupert Murdoch's offerings I wouldn't even have to think.
walthamstow 3y ago
> However, what really bugs me are the time restrictions and removal of programmes when as a TV license payer (which is how the BBC is funded), I've already paid towards the production of those programmes. Couldn't agree more and would represent a real monetisation opportunity for the BBC even within the UK, if they are even legally allowed to do so. How much would you pay per month for access to the BBC archives? I would pay quite a bit. It doesn't even have to be streaming. Let's say you put in a ticket one day requesting that Oppenheimer show and a few days or weeks later, you get a temporary download link sent to you by email.
scyzoryk_xyz 3y ago
You are correct to worry imo. The entertainment streaming product is strictly optimized towards extracting that subscription fee in return for showing you the things that will make you continue with subscription. The entire UX is geared towards promoting whatever is in vogue. After all, when they have 15% of internet traffic, it's probably cheaper to have you streaming the same show as your neighbor, not calling up some obscure 60's title from deep storage. I started focusing my library on obscure titles and I make sure to keep my client going at all times. I've noticed my ratio jumping for the weird stuff lately. And there are also titles that I simply can't track down anymore because their seeders have all died.
joshspankit 3y ago
In Canada there is the National Film Board that funds Canadian creators using tax money. It is a stunning record of authentic Canadian experiences and operates exactly how you wish the BBC would operate: all the old content is available to the public, you can watch it all for free (you can even walk in to the NFB building and watch content in it’s original medium), and you can even pay a minimal cost to download high quality versions for personal use. It’s a shining example of public media done right and I wish more countries had film boards like it.

midoridensha 3y ago

>the only copy that I can find has been posted to YouTube by some kind sole Are you saying that people are using their feet to post videos to YouTube, or that there are actually fish that use computers now? If fish have become this intelligent, we're in trouble.

BoxOfRain 3y ago

Blame the restrictions on the BBC, even though they got an early start on streaming the government didn't want them to compete too much with commercial offerings which meant iPlayer was crippled from the start. I always thought this was daft, if I had to choose between the BBC and one of Rupert Murdoch's offerings I wouldn't even have to think.

walthamstow 3y ago

> However, what really bugs me are the time restrictions and removal of programmes when as a TV license payer (which is how the BBC is funded), I've already paid towards the production of those programmes. Couldn't agree more and would represent a real monetisation opportunity for the BBC even within the UK, if they are even legally allowed to do so. How much would you pay per month for access to the BBC archives? I would pay quite a bit. It doesn't even have to be streaming. Let's say you put in a ticket one day requesting that Oppenheimer show and a few days or weeks later, you get a temporary download link sent to you by email.

scyzoryk_xyz 3y ago

You are correct to worry imo. The entertainment streaming product is strictly optimized towards extracting that subscription fee in return for showing you the things that will make you continue with subscription. The entire UX is geared towards promoting whatever is in vogue. After all, when they have 15% of internet traffic, it's probably cheaper to have you streaming the same show as your neighbor, not calling up some obscure 60's title from deep storage. I started focusing my library on obscure titles and I make sure to keep my client going at all times. I've noticed my ratio jumping for the weird stuff lately. And there are also titles that I simply can't track down anymore because their seeders have all died.

joshspankit 3y ago

In Canada there is the National Film Board that funds Canadian creators using tax money. It is a stunning record of authentic Canadian experiences and operates exactly how you wish the BBC would operate: all the old content is available to the public, you can watch it all for free (you can even walk in to the NFB building and watch content in it’s original medium), and you can even pay a minimal cost to download high quality versions for personal use. It’s a shining example of public media done right and I wish more countries had film boards like it.