Dirac Video Codec: "However, the BBC would like to collaborate with the Open Source community, academics and others to produce an open codec."
The digital future of video in general is going through a lot of changes, with announcements and services coming in almost faster than the game release the last months. There is Google Video, Yahoo adding content such as HotZone, Motherlode for satire, the video IPod and ITunes stores - with new Quicktime 7, various vod schemes from the major US networks - and most likely a new WMP lurking in the bushes.
Set against that backdrop the BBC-initiated Dirac project makes a lot of sense, we as consumers love video - consider the average amount of hours spent watching television each week (Norwegian daily average of 2h 22min - including non-viewers) and the rapid roll-out of broadband makes HDTV and DTV seem like a sidetrack more than the future.
Why get things mass delivered if we can get it during the night, or while at work - and then watch it during the evening or at our leisure. Only a fraction of content being viewed is live, and only really sports need the timeslot to avoid giving away the results in other channels.
News segments are often repeated several times in different programs, and partial time-shifting should not be a major problem - except of course for certain instant events such as verdicts and 'on going' situations with rapid developments (ie hostages in Beslan)
Is it time to reconsider the TV - is it going to turn even more into "just another screen"? With nextgen game consoles and net content taking up a majority of the user-time?
Stay tuned!
(and the spellchecker still thinks Google is a misspelling... hey mr brand manager...)
