12 Jun 07 It’s Just Not Cricket!

It’s frustrating when you can but you can’t.

It’s like that with cricket. I’d like to be able to watch some cricket here you see.

The technology is in place. Even without the Internet. I recall my grandfather getting so excited in the mid 70′s when he could see live Test Cricket from Australia via Satellite. Before that the BBC (It was always and only the BBC that broadcast cricket in the UK in those days), would send film of the matches via the fastest jet back to the UK, so one could see the recorded highlights the next day.

It’s all down to contractual reasons. Well, OK, money. I’ve never perceived Cricket to be so grossly and obscenely awash with money as some other sports are, notably football. Still that is the reason it’s not available.

Just a few weeks ago, we sat here and watched, live, over the Internet, the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest finals from Helsinki in Finland, with the usual voting link ups from around the rest of Europe. Except for a very slight glitch at the beginning, it all went along just fine for over three hours, without any significant break up or loss of signal.

It’s the same with watching BBC news video overseas too. You have to pay an extra premium, and the quality is, quite frankly, crap. Have to use that awful Real Player too, which exhibits virus like qualities in wanting to install 101 extras, and get you to write a small essay to Real Player after download too. It’s like iTunes, or AOL.

On the other hand I can watch Meridian News for South East England, on either my Windows or Linux machines just fine, in a web browser. Even full screen the quality is quite acceptable, in fact, I’ll go as far as to say it’s surprisingly good.

Radio is the opposite. Until the PRS (Performing Rights Society) decided that FM radio stations streaming online could do so outside the UK (those stupid contracts again), I could listen to KM FM here, which I’ve always thought was rather better than the Capital Radio Clone, Invicta FM. (Heck, I was SUCH a fan of Capital too, when they started up back in 1973, back on 194 meters AM). However, I can still listen to the excellent BBC radio stations both local and national.

Really the bottom line is all down to choice. We’ve got similar issues online, where one groups is trying to force you to use their portal, and only their portal, and to that end they try to block everyone elses. For rebels like me, that has one major reaction. Go screw yourselves. If I can’t use your service as a part of my sources, without your blocking my other choices, they you can take all of your service and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.

I’m a big believer in open source software for that very reason. I, want to be empowered to make my own choices, in the information I access, and how I access it, and when and where from. Otherwise it’s censorship, albeit commercial censorship. I pretty much come out against censorship, as being restrictive of choice.

Restrict my choices in that way and it’s just not cricket. All out for none.