BBC peddles endless repeats

THE BEEB is trialling programme download technology that will allow broadband punters to have endless repeats at the touch of a button.

Spinsters for Aunty are dubbing the interactive Media Player, or iMP, the "iTunes for the broadcast industry".

It allows viewers to download any show from the previous week that they may have missed.

The pilot scheme is initially limited to 5,000 people and running from September to December, will aims to sort out any outstanding rights issues and resolve teething difficulties with the technology ahead of a full launch next year.

Using iMP, you can search through more than 190 hours of TV shows, 310 radio programmes, regional programming and some feature films. After seven days, the content will be automatically deleted from your computer, so you have to watch it quick.

So in other words the BBC is not opening up its back catalogue, so you will not get the chance to see those old episodes of Dr Who you missed, or the Ace of Wands, or Shadows, which never seems to make it to DVD.

Nor will you be able to keep anything that you see. Theoretically, it could make the need for recordable DVDs a bit redundant, unless you want to see a programme over and over again.

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