I wouldn’t say that the feature is completely new. The old Kontiki-based iPlayer software used a combination of direct download and P2P. Now the P2P aspect has gone, we’re left with the same WMV files and licencing server, but with our web browsers performing a direct download. The continued support of older versions of the Microsoft Individualized Blackbox means that it’s still simple for anyone to remove the DRM. This isn’t going to be a problem suffered by the new Adobe AIR iPlayer. iPlayer files are transitory, so changing the DRM code will be easy. You don’t risk making someone’s entire collection of DRM protected media files unusable by insisting on a system-wide change.

Barry, I assume you’re using Internet Explorer. With Internet Explorer, the DRM ActiveX component is used to acquire the license at the same time you download the file. When I use Firefox, I only acquire a license once I attempt to start the file in Windows Media Player.

Holly, I’ve noticed this too, although I found that it’s highly dependant on the time of day. Because they’re direct downloads, you can use a regular download manager. By using a download manager that is able to make multiple connections when fetching a single file, you may be able to dramatically increase your download rate. With the WMV files, it’s easy; you’re starting the download from the link in a browser window. If you have a download manager that is a browser add-on, you should be able to start it off the same as for any other link.

It’s also possible to do the same thing with the new Adobe AIR iPlayer. That’s slightly questionable, but I see no problem downloading the WMV files that way. They are standard links and multiple-connection download managers are standard software.