Updated Official BBC iPlayer downloads are out of action today because of a failure in one of the system's back end databases.

Reg readers who use the Windows-only desktop application noticed performace problems earlier this week. Now the whole system, which is based on Verisign's Kontiki peer-to-peer distribution platform, has been taken offline.

Where an option would normally offer a download for each show, the iPlayer site now simply reads: "Sorry, downloads are not available."

Auntie sent us this statement:

Downloads are currently unavailable on BBC iPlayer. This is due to a technical failure in one of our databases that administers the peer-to-peer network supporting BBC iPlayer. We are working with our partners to reinstate downloads as soon as possible.

A spokesman confirmed Kontiki is to blame and said there was no indication of when a fix will be found.

The glitch caps a bad week for the BBC's push into TV downloads, but the spokesman said this latest hiccup is nothing to do with the current battle with hackers over DRM-free downloads via iPhone streams.

It's emerged that hackers across all operating systems are merrily grabbing (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/12/iplayer_linux_stream_download_hack/) high quality DRM-free downloads from the H.264 streams recently launched for iPhone and iPod Touch owners. The BBC swiftly moved (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/13/iplayer_iphone_drm_loophole_closed/) to close the loophole, fearing the wrath of rights holders.

Of course, that fix was broken (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/13/iplayer_iphone_drm_loophole_closed/comments/) in a matter of hours and iPlayer developers look set to enter an unproductive arms race that neither they nor the viewers want. ®

Update

The service is back up, for now. The Beeb said to expect intermittent downtime while engineers do testing.

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