Enterprising Linux hackers have built a new way to download BBC iPlayer programmes that lets online viewers store shows indefinitely - and it's all thanks to Steve Jobs.

Last week, Auntie launched (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/07/iplayer_iphone_availablity/) the streaming version of iPlayer for the Jesus Phone and iPod Touch. It's meant transcoding shows to the H.264 format used by Apple's QuickTime player - and a whole raft of other players on all platforms - because Steve Jobs doesn't think (http://news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&q=steve+jobs+flash&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn) Adobe Flash video is good enough to appear on his magnificent tool.

The BBC has "secured" this non-DRM'd stream using the awesome power of browser user agent strings, which are trivial to manipulate. Consequently, penguin fanciers have quickly cobbled together hacks that will grab the whole show as a 512Kb/s video download.

Such files have the advantage that they won't go pop after 30 days because of the Windows Media timebombing that third-party TV production firms have negotiated as a condition of shows being downloadable via the official iPlayer desktop client. Hobbyists have aped the process of grabbing DRM-free downloads on Windows and Mac OS X too.

In a statement, a BBC spokeswoman said: "This is not unusual or surprising. We are working with our partners to ensure that our content is delivered to users in a secure way.

"We have made it clear that BBC iPlayer on iPhone and iTouch is currently in beta, which enables us to pick up on such issues and find a solution before we roll the service out in full in due course."

The BBC says an official Mac download client will be available this year, and a Linux one "within two years".

You can read all about it here (http://exploringfreedom.org/2008/03/08/bbc-iplayer-on-gnu-linux-without-flash-using-only-free-software/), here (http://www.triffid.org/blog/2008/03/download-drm-free-video-from-bbc.html), and here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/twindx/2316284105/).

Thanks to all those who wrote in about this. ®

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