NBC Direct, the “free” service from NBC that lets you download full episodes of shows like The Office, 30 Rock, Las Vegas, Biggest Loser and more, has opened on NBC’s main site.
Currently in that annoying cop-out known as “Beta,” and originally scheduled to open last month, the new video service lets you download NBC shows direct to your PC [No, not Mac...Or Linux!] which must then 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 are obliged to install a “Security update”….then you can finally 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 middle of a bitter dispute where the WGA is looking for fair – and long overdue – compensation from the digital domain [which the studios claim they can't afford] NBC opens a download service to make even more money.
Let’s go over the exciting 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 !
…Let me know when I get to an attractive one??
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 eye-patch and download some Torrents — You couldn’t possibly do worse than this insult.
