We have launch date!
The first programme in the Virtual Revolution series will be broadcast on BBC2 at 8:30pm on Saturday 30 January. It is The Great Levelling?.
From the press release:
Aleks explores whether the web has lived up to the early dreams of its founding fathers, that it would empower us all by providing equal access to global, instant and free information. In an argument that goes back to the countercultural roots of web culture, Aleks reveals just how much the web is challenging our long-held notions of ownership, value and creative freedom. But, using examples that include Wikipedia, Napster, Youtube and the whole culture of blogging, she identifies a story richer and deeper than a simple ‘great levelling’ – she uncovers a continuing collision of cultures at play through the web as technological possibility clashes with human nature and, above all, our need to control, own and profit.
If you miss it, or if you’re not resident in the UK, you can still see it with the midweek repeat (day and time forthcoming, or on iPlayer. Yes, even foreign folk can enjoy the show, thanks to a unique and experimental worldwide license that allows everyone across the planet access to iPlay, for this series only. Wowee!
Enjoy the show. Really look forward to your feedback.
Comments
I’m excited to watch the program. I have followed the project and I thought it very interesting. Congratulation to all team :-)
All the best,
Renata (from Brazil)
Just seen the teaser posted on Gizmodo – great stuff! The “internet” not just as a sideline on the BBC money program, or on a badly judged geek show (Sorry Aleks, just remembered your distant past!), but as a medium for modern culture, communication and commerce.
This looks like a grown up documentary for everyone, not any normally accepted techy niche. Bravo.
ooh – experimental worldwide licence – good omens for the future of iplayer – once this is linked too all over the web, expect the BBC trust to sit up and take notice of the possibilities of a worldwide access to iPlayer (millions would be delighted with paywall access to the iplayer from outside the UK).
It was a refreshing look at the digital age without the taint of constant Fox news footage and critics. The composing of the film was interesting, Berners-Lee is apparently not interesting enough by himself, so a shot of you in a field staring into the distance had to be sliced in the middle of every sentence, although I suppose that’s nothing to complain about. I’m a bit disappointed that Andrew Keen is even allowed to speak, the hypocritical oaf doesn’t belong in a serious documentary.
Either way, Good Job! And looking forward to the upcoming episodes.
That’s a shame, but yes there is a general theme in technology films to start showing crt screens filled with binary, anything is better than that I guess. =P
What went so wrong and which wires got crossed for you to believe, right up until the time of transmission, that there would be an experimental worldwide iPlayer license, and the programme would be available to stream and download outside of the UK?
(From a disappointed UK ex-pat in Sweden who had to resort to nefarious means in order to watch)
Hi Steve – it was ill-communication. i though ‘video’ included the programme, but it only includes the video content on the site! internal legal wranglings and various corporate silos meant that the extremely persistent production team managed to sort out one experiment but couldn’t wangle another.
However, programmes 1 & 2 will be available to view on the Interactive 3D Documentary viewer after the next programme airs. It’s a very neat new tech. Hope you enjoy it!
So I guess this also means that an international iPlayer is still a distant dream?
Will the Interactive 3D Documentary viewer also allow you to watch the programme in a 2D linear way?
yup. you can enhance as you see fit.
So, like so many things relating to regional restrictions and rights, not allowing international streams and downloads of the program from iPlayer is completely pointless since overseas viewers can us the Interactive 3D Documentary viewer to accomplish almost exactly the same thing?