I love Channel 4

Roro4Brit

I just feel the need to say how much I love Channel 4.

Having a lazy Sunday and thanks for 4oD I've watched 2 brilliant docs, 2 programmes with the love of my life Sarah Beeny and now I'm planning on watching one more doc.

I just love this channel, the programmes the commission and produce and the fact that 4oD is free to all in UK/Ireland.

It puts RTE to epic shame and I would gladly pay C4 ~€120 a year instead of RTE if they were my national broadcaster.

That is all.

liah

This is one of the things I miss most about Ireland tbh (well, the UK too I guess, but I only discovered it in Ireland).

More TV channels should have setups like Channel 4. It's so convenient and they still make the money from ads. Don't get why the method's not more popular.

Fowler87

I agree Channel 4 rocks. Missed out on the last 2 episodes of the Inbetweeners but got to see them today on 4oD:) Legendary service

Roro4Brit

In case anyone has an hour to kill...I watched that movie/doc Last Train Home this morning and thought it was a great story

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/last-train-home/4od#3120201

phasers

I love the internet

kthx

Skerries

I love sex and the internet!
surely someone can come up with something combining the two

Minstrel27

I really loved their addiction to reality tv bollocks. Truely awe inspiring.

Skid

I agree, Channel 4 is a terrific channel - some brilliant documentaries, comedy and drama

Hopefully it will get even better now that Big Brother has ended - Huge amount of airtime freed up and an extra £20 million added to their drama budget.

Some great programmes in their archives on 4OD

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/4od/all

Basq

Channel 4 is great, More4 has some superb docs and Film4 is very good too!

Cracking stations altogether!

johnny_ultimate

The thing about Channel 4 is that they are the one station that genuinely seems to be moving with the times. By having pretty much everything available on 4oD, they pretty much invalidate any need to download stuff illegally. So they get their ad revenue (and tbh I'm happy to put up with the reasonable amount of ads on 4oD) and the viewer is satisfied with their experience. In the absence of any major service like netflix or Hulu over here, 4oD is the only thing out there that genuinely seems to cater to viewers, legally anyway. Sure, BBC have iPlayer, but we don't enjoy that luxury. So 4oD is well ahead of the game: free, easy, legal and available in Ireland.

Now, if only every other channel learned from it, success!

Richard Dower

C4 - the channel that created and brought us Jade Goody, ......yeah.

amacachi

Richard Dower wrote: »

C4 - the channel that created and brought us Jade Goody, ......yeah.

I'm guessing you love them more than the rest of us so?

kraggy

Richard Dower wrote: »

C4 - the channel that created and brought us Jade Goody, ......yeah.

I think Jade Goody's parents created Jade Goody. I might be wrong but that's how my Biology teacher told me it works.

Havermeyer

I also do need to confess my love for Channel 4.

And although they (and I know you shouldn't start a sentence with and) give us a website with many great shows on demand, with 4od, nothing compares to documentary Tuesdays on more4.

Viva Channel 4.

liah

Richard Dower wrote: »

C4 - the channel that created and brought us Jade Goody, ......yeah.

Minstrel27 wrote: »

I really loved their addiction to reality tv bollocks. Truely awe inspiring.

You can complain all you want about what they choose to air, but have you actually been to the website? If you're giving out about that kind of crap I'm assuming you haven't, they have a massive collection of all kinds of stuff-- documentaries, comedies, dramas, all quality shows. I don't get your problem with C4 at all tbh. The website is one of the most fantastic I've seen outside of America in terms of pure content.

Doodah7

Richard Dower wrote: »

C4 - the channel that created and brought us Jade Goody, ......yeah.

It's not an American station so he won't like it...

pickarooney

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

The thing about Channel 4 is that they are the one station that genuinely seems to be moving with the times. By having pretty much everything available on 4oD, they pretty much invalidate any need to download stuff illegally.

Not entirely. You still can't watch 4OD out foreign (and there's no chance of any of their programs ever been show on TV over here).

liah

pickarooney wrote: »

Not entirely. You still can't watch 4OD out foreign (and there's no chance of any of their programs ever been show on TV over here).

Well, as much as it inconveniences me not being in ROI/UK, it's due to copyrights more than anything that it can't be aired elsewhere. I'm not sure it would be possible to have something that could air internationally. It would be incredibly complicated, I would think?

I think on a country-by-country basis is fine.. let them all sort out their own laws.

That reminds me, I was meant to set up a proxy plugin... hm.

pickarooney

I've never understood that whole copyright thing. Surely Channel 4 owns the copyright to its own shows no matter where they're viewed?

liah

pickarooney wrote: »

I've never understood that whole copyright thing. Surely Channel 4 owns the copyright to its own shows no matter where they're viewed?

Think they only own the rights to air them within their own country. At least, that's the impression I've got from how those sites work. Otherwise surely an international channel would have been set up, surely? (Not counting the UK/IRE divide as international, you share the channel and half a country).

If it were possible I'm sure there would at least be a channel for North America in general, but there isn't. Hulu is States only.

But again, I'm just speculating, I could be totally off, but I'm almost positive it's tied up in copyrights somehow.

Minstrel27

liah wrote: »

You can complain all you want about what they choose to air, but have you actually been to the website? If you're giving out about that kind of crap I'm assuming you haven't, they have a massive collection of all kinds of stuff-- documentaries, comedies, dramas, all quality shows. I don't get your problem with C4 at all tbh. The website is one of the most fantastic I've seen outside of America in terms of pure content.

I made a comment on one strand of their programming that I didn't like. Your assumption that I dislike Channel 4 is so wide of the mark that it is laughable.

amacachi

pickarooney wrote: »

I've never understood that whole copyright thing. Surely Channel 4 owns the copyright to its own shows no matter where they're viewed?

Production companies will own the rights to some shows, American channels will own the rights to other shows. Also I think they'd have to register as a "broadcaster" in certain countries to show their stuff.

pickarooney

amacachi wrote: »

Production companies will own the rights to some shows, American channels will own the rights to other shows. Also I think they'd have to register as a "broadcaster" in certain countries to show their stuff.

It's weird, because they're not braodcasting anywhere but on their own website which is, presumably, in the UK. The fact that anyone can access it from anywhere else shouldn't enter into it really. It seems like one of these things where there's no real concrete rules but they try to avoid breaking them anyway.

qwertplaywert

Very very good service, occasionally will still use old methods to grab some of the shows because of my poor streaming connection, but fair dues were its due, great set up they have online.

ricero

i do love channel 4 they have made such class tv shows shameless, the inbetweeners, fr ted this is england 86, brass eye ,the it crowd and thats just off the top of my head

liah

pickarooney wrote: »

It's weird, because they're not braodcasting anywhere but on their own website which is, presumably, in the UK. The fact that anyone can access it from anywhere else shouldn't enter into it really. It seems like one of these things where there's no real concrete rules but they try to avoid breaking them anyway.

But does the channel OWN the rights to their TV shows or would it be more accurate to term it "leasing," for lack of a better word?

I have trouble believing they own all the rights for showing, there must be some agreement that it is only for UK/ROI. Maybe something to do with tracking, even? I really don't know. There has to be a reason.. doesn't there?

Might have something to do with tracking ratings, or the fact that the company who owns the show still has to make deals with other countries so their channels will air the show. Money money money.

pickarooney

There must be a reason... I suppose if no agreement exists between the program's owner (I'm not sure to what extent commissioning a new series makes you the owner) and a foreign broadcaster for broadcasting in a country, then no broadcaster in that country can show the content, but 'broadcasting' over the internet really isn't the same as there is no physical setup whereby a television company has to relay a signal in its host country. As there's no physical restriction in place, they're creating a false one by filtering IP addresses, but I'd really like to know if there is any real legislation requiring them to do that and what the wording of that is.

OT:
How reliable are IP addresses in determining a user's location and is it legal or explicitly illegal to use a proxy server associated with another country to acess content?
Conversely, if no broadcasting contract exists for the transmission of programming in a specific territory, how can it be illegal for a user in that territory to access the content by IP spoofing, downloading etc. if there's no copyright in that territory for the user to infringe?

Minstrel27

It is rights. RTÉ have the same problem with Fair City. They cannot put it on the RTÉ Player.

Cherry_Cola

Minstrel27 wrote: »

It is rights. RTÉ have the same problem with Fair City. They cannot put it on the RTÉ Player.

That's for the best though....

Corsendonk

Roro4Brit wrote: »

I just feel the need to say how much I love Channel 4.

Having a lazy Sunday and thanks for 4oD I've watched 2 brilliant docs, 2 programmes with the love of my life Sarah Beeny and now I'm planning on watching one more doc.

I just love this channel, the programmes the commission and produce and the fact that 4oD is free to all in UK/Ireland.

It puts RTE to epic shame and I would gladly pay C4 ~€120 a year instead of RTE if they were my national broadcaster.

That is all.

I actually miss old Channel 4, when they would do a season of programmes on subjects like India or China. I noticed BBC4 robbed that idea now.

mikemac

They show American football every Sunday night

There's no other terrestrial channel doing that, you'd need Sky or Eurosport or pay on the NFL website

They found a gap in the market and it's pretty good, on at 1am on Monday morning.

Only one game a year in Wembly and I remember the first half on BBC and then they moved it over to BBC3 for the second half , like how many people have that channel. :rolleyes:
BBC didn't give a damn and it's one game a year

40D is brilliant and I'll sit through the few ads they have.
People don't need to illegaly download and Channel 4 can sell their advertising still

amacachi

pickarooney wrote: »

It's weird, because they're not braodcasting anywhere but on their own website which is, presumably, in the UK. The fact that anyone can access it from anywhere else shouldn't enter into it really. It seems like one of these things where there's no real concrete rules but they try to avoid breaking them anyway.

There may not be specific rules yet but they're in the pipeline. Also if another company in another country has the rights then Channel 4 obviously can't stream to that country. Also if a production company or distributer is looking to sell the rights to another company in another country they won't want it freely available already. Then there's the mish-mash of Channel 4-produced stuff, American produced stuff, the Endemol conglomerate and the independently produced stuff. Some programme they probably could stream elsewhere but it would be very hit and miss.

pickarooney

So if, theoretically, someone in... Italy, were to acquire episodes of The Inbetweeners (not yet released to DVD), could that person be prosecuted, and if do, by whom and for what?

Minstrel27

feelingstressed wrote: »

Only one game a year in Wembly and I remember the first half on BBC and then they moved it over to BBC3 for the second half , like how many people have that channel. :rolleyes:
BBC didn't give a damn and it's one game a year

Anyone in the UK with digital tv (a lot of people) have BBC3.