Confrontation Between Ofcom & BBC Over Project Canvas Looms

The BBC and Ofcom are on collision course over Canvas, the open industry standard television over IP project that the Beeb is planning to launch with ITV and BT.

As reported last week, Canvas, which some have called the hardware version of iPlayer, aims to replicate the online player's success without having to access a computer or a web browser.

Virgin media's Virgin TV on Demand functions in a similar way, allowing you to play back on demand content and using Virgin's V+ PVR set top box, recorded video content.

Ofcom has already signalled its concerns over the fact that "Commercially-led propositions which seek to compete with Canvas should not be unfairly prevented from accessing BBC content". The only competitors to Canvas would be Sky and to a lesser extent Virgin Media and Tiscali (or Talktalk, depending if the latter acquires the struggling Italian company).

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The BBC has already been defeated once by Ofcom after the latter stopped Project Kangaroo in its tracks, causing ITV, Channel 4 and BBC to lose millions in research and development.

Canvas however is unlikely to suffer the same fate as it will be positioned as an open platform, similar to Freesat or Freeview. Broadband TV News also reports that "tentative discussions have already taken place between NDS, which provides middleware to Sky, and the BBC."

This could mean that Canvas Linux-based boxes could appear sooner than first though after Ofcom irons out what it identifies as potential issues. The Register says that the telecommunications watchdog is mostly concerned about "technical standards, the UI (the equivalent of the EPG), the BBC's partnerships with other broadcasters, and quality standards for programming."

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Our Comments
BBC is uniquely placed in the sense that it doesn't have to bother about actually making money. Canvas should be allowed to go ahead as it is less controversial than Kangaroo ever was. Rivals like Sky would still be able to use the technology if they want to and the Beeb has strongly underlined the open nature of the platform.

Related Links
Ofcom leery of Beeb's uber-set-top box
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/27/ofcom_project_canvas/

Ofcom warning on Canvas openness
http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/?p=17251

Ofcom Signals That Project Canvas May Face More Regulatory Scrutiny
http://www.itvt.com/story/4286/ofcom-signals-project-canvas-may-face-more-regulatory-scrutiny

Ofcom may look at Project Canvas
http://www.techwatch.co.uk/2009/04/27/ofcom-may-look-at-project-canvas/

Ofcom to investigate BBC's Project Canvas set-top box
http://www.t3.com/news/ofcom-to-investigate-bbc's-project-canvas?=38738

Ofcom warns BBC over Canvas IPTV
http://www.techradar.com/news/television/ofcom-warns-bbc-over-canvas-iptv-594980

Project Canvas: Watch out for DRM, rivals and quality
http://www.silicon.com/publicsector/0,3800010403,39423616,00.htm

Ofcom weary of BBC's proposed set-top box
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/17804.cfm