The BBC has launched a massive online service allowing people to download some 400 hours of recent programming.

The service, launched Friday, will give viewers a choice from 70 per cent of the British broadcaster’s output, including popular programs such as EastEnders and Doctor Who. Programs from the previous week will be made available.

“Our vision is for BBC iPlayer to become a universal service available not just over the internet, but also on cable and other TV platforms, and eventually on mobiles and smart hand-held devices,” said the BBC’s Ashley Highfield, director of future media and technology.

Highfield said the BBC’s new service is a response to the popularity of video-sharing sites such as YouTube as well as competition from other U.K. networks such as Channel 4.

He says the audience is tiring of fixed TV schedules and viewers want the option of watching programs whenever they want to.

The service is free and is only available to people living in Britain with computers running the Microsoft XP operating system. It takes about 30 minutes to download an hour-long show.

Programs will be automatically deleted after viewing or after 30 days. Copyright protection software prevents the copying of shows.

CBC

For those of you in Great Britian who can take advantage of this service, check it out here.

The U.S. manufacturer of Aquafina bottled water will soon revise the product’s label to clearly show the drink is made with treated tap water.

CBC

I posted last year about the United Church thinking of banning bottled water, as water is a human right, and should not be privatized into a commodity. This is not the only controversy surrounding bottled water. The environmental impact of the waste produced by the bottled water industry is huge. Water bottles clog the landfills every year.

Now I will admit that I have bought bottled water before and probably will in the future due to the convenience factor. But I still think it’s important to be aware of what you are actually buying.

A byelection date has now been set for two Quebec ridings. Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Saturday that voters in the Outremont and Saint-Hyacinthe ridings will go to the polls Sept. 17.

The battle for Outremont is already off to a heated start as candidates have been anxiously poised to start the byelection race. Political parties have been pushing their star candidates in the spotlight in anticipation of the announcement.

Outremont is being watched closely because of its roots as a Liberal stronghold. If the seat should go to another party, political pundits warn it would cast doubts on Stephane Dion’s effectiveness as leader of the opposition.

“This time around, both the Conservative party and the NDP have strong candidates, so it’s really a multi-party contest in Outremont,” said David Mitchell, political historian and vice-president of the University of Ottawa.

“It could be very devastating for the leadership of Stephane Dion if the Liberals don’t easily win the Outremont byelection.”

On July 20, the Liberals announced their candidate in Outremont as Jocelyn Coulon, a long-time political commentator and professor. He will duke it out with NDP candidate Thomas Mulcair, a former Quebec environment minister, Conservative candidate former ambassador Gilles Duguay, and Bloc Québécois candidate psychoanalyst Jean-Paul Gilson.

“Byelections are difficult to predict,” said Mitchell. “They’re kind of mini-referenda on how the government is doing. Governments, historically, in Canada don’t do well in a byelection.”

CTV