Currently in that annoying cop-out known as "Beta," and originally scheduled to open last month, the new video viewing service lets you download NBC shows direct to your PC [No, not Mac....Or Linux] to be viewed in a special [crippled] player.
First you'll need IE 6; Then you have to get the MSN bloat-fest known as .NET. After that, you have to install a "Security update"....then you can finally [try to] watch the show. If you're quick.
You are dumb enough to do all that, right? Good -- that's what NBC was hoping!
So in the midst of a bitter dispute where the WGA is asking for fair - and long overdue - compensation from the digital domain [which the studios claim they can't afford,] NBC launches a download service to make themselves even more money.
Let's go over all of its wonderful features, in case you missed one...
- Only works in the US
- Only works with IE6 or above
- Demands the presence of the ".NET" extension -- 25Mb+ of pure bloat
- The shows only last 48-hours once they're downloaded
- Every show contains advertising -- And you can't skip it
- Every show is infested with DRM !
I can hear you all jumping up and down with utter indifference. And I don't blame you a bit! So do your brain a favor and support the WGA - There's a boycott of all download services from the Networks, and this has to be the worst of them all. Use iTunes, or slip into an eyepatch and download a few torrents. You couldn't possibly do worse than this insult!
