BBC is taking tech seriously, so give it a break!
Auntie is the envy of the world but doesn't get the credit it deserves at home...
The BBC is a world leader in developing innovative media technology - so cut it some slack, says Tim Ferguson.
The BBC is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't when it comes to developing new technology and services for UK consumers.
Just think back to the furore surrounding the initial launch of iPlayer, when the online media player was released only for Windows XP - and not for Mac or open source OSes. The Open Source Consortium was outraged over what they perceived as the BBC favouring one technology over others.
And don't forget the e-petition signed by more than 16,000 people that was submitted to the Prime Minister, requesting the BBC to develop a non-Windows version of iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer as it looks now, two years after its initial launch
Just this week we witnessed similar levels of outrage when the BBC announced it will allow some of its news video content - focusing on UK politics, business, health and science and technology - to be used on the websites of four of the UK's national newspapers: The Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Independent.
News and content provider ITN was reported by The Guardian and The Times among others, to be annoyed by the move as it felt it would undermine demand for content from independent broadcasters like itself. The BBC Trust received a complaint from the Press Association on similar grounds.
I'm hardly surprised. Whenever the publicly funded corporation tries something new with its technology and content, it invariably incurs the wrath of a captious media along with various groups who feel hard done by.
The debate often centres on the licence fee - with protestors claiming the Beeb is wasting taxpayers' money. And if money isn't riling people, Auntie gets criticised if its new services aren't perfect straight out of the box.
But if you think about some of the technology the BBC has developed in recent years - iPlayer, Freeview - it's among the best in the broadcasting industry. Because the products are ambitious, the launches aren't always straightforward - but without ambition we would make little progress.
As political theorist Richard Hooker was quoted as saying in the preface of Johnson's English Dictionary: "Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better."
Yes, iPlayer was only available on one platform when it first emerged but the BBC admitted at the time it was rolling the tech out on the platform with the largest user base - so it could reach the most people right away.
It then set about bringing the service to Mac OS X, Linux and Windows Vista. iPlayer now works on all of these - as well as on an increasing number of mobile devices. It even works on Microsoft's Xbox, for crying out loud!
Just think, if the BBC had waited until it had developed iPlayer for all of these platforms, the launch would have been delayed for quite some time - which would inevitably have led to more criticism, probably along the lines of it being a stodgy, slow-moving bureaucracy.
I can already hear you, dear readers, saying that Auntie deserves a hard time because it's run on public funds.
Well then, what about Channel 4...
Click here for page two
...whose 4oD online video service was initially launched only on Windows XP? It didn't get criticised nearly as much as the BBC, despite also being a partially publicly funded organisation?
Now let's get back to the more recent development - BBC video clips going on newspaper websites. Isn't this just the BBC fulfilling its public service remit to make its content available on as many different platforms as possible?
If the Beeb just kept its content on its television and radio stations, and its website, it would be accused of being behind the times but by trying new approaches, it gets criticised for trying to take over. It can't win.
You can understand why private media businesses would be miffed by the BBC offering free content to certain websites. For the private broadcasters such as ITV, the Beeb's ad-free content will likely be chosen over clips that have ads or must be paid for. But there's nothing stopping ITV and other broadcasters from inking deals to put their content on websites in the same way.
Now, for those online publishers that weren't offered the video in this first round, it is too bad. But, as with the iPlayer, the BBC has promised to roll out the service to other publishers soon. It's unfortunate that those four newspapers get an advantage now, but at least the Beeb chose the sites with the largest audiences.
Looking to the future, the BBC is one of four organisations (along with BT, Five and ITV) that is developing an IPTV standard and platform under the Project Canvas banner.
This is an exciting project - it essentially means people will be able to get on-demand TV content and online apps on their televisions via a set-top box.
The BBC's technological expertise will be vital in making Canvas a success - and thus changing the way people consume media for decades to come.
The BBC Trust is currently making sure Canvas complies with all the standards that are imposed on it as a publicly funded organisation. But, if the plan gets approved, I can already hear the inevitable groaning about how it favours certain groups or restricts competition.
The BBC undoubtedly holds a privileged position in the UK due to the unique way it's funded (as BBC execs are fond of saying) and does have more responsibility to please the public than a private business.
But at the same time, it consistently pushes the boundaries of how we consume media. If it can't always please everyone the first time around, so be it. I'd rather it continue to innovate than be stagnant. Either way, it'd be criticised. So let's at least get some exciting products and services out of the deal.
In sum: when it comes to its tech and content, the BBC does more good than harm. So cut it some slack.