London, July 28: The BBC is to launch an online TV service, which will offer viewers a chance to download their favourite programmes from the last seven days.
Describing the proposed launch of the iPlayer as being as big a milestone as the arrival of colour TV, Director-General Mark Thompson, said a fixed number of people will be able to sign up, and predicted that the number of viewers would increase throughout the year.
The iPlayer allows viewers to download a selection of programmes from the last seven days and watch them for up to 30 days afterwards.
In the UK, Channel 4 offers a similar service, called 4OD, for programmes across its portfolio of channels.
Viewers interested in the iPlayer can register for the service on Friday and will then be invited to join. The number of users will increase over the summer, before a full launch in the autumn.
The iPlayer began life in 2003 as the iMP (Integrated Media Player), and some believe it should have been launched in that format.
A BBC spokeswoman said the iPlayer, like any other new BBC service, went through a Public Value Test (PVT). The nine-month test was overseen by the corporation's regulators.
Arash Amel, an analyst with the research firm Screen Digest, was quoted as saying that "technical glitches" were inevitable when the iPlayer is launched, partly because rival applications experienced them and partly through his own experience of the BBC's offering.
The iPlayer has already courted controversy from open source advocates, angry that, at launch, it will only be compatible on PCs with the Windows XP operating system.
Other services such as ITV's broadband media player and Channel 4's on-demand offering also rely on Microsoft software but, critics argue, the BBC's remit is to serve licence-payers, which includes Mac users and those who favour cheaper alternatives to Microsoft, such as Linux.
The BBC Trust has told the corporation it must widen the access to iPlayer as soon as possible and has ordered a review every six months.
The trust met with Mark Taylor, the head of the Open Source Consortium and one of the more vocal critics of the Microsoft-only launch, earlier this week.
"They reiterated their commitment to platform neutrality, specifically mentioning Linux, and welcomed our offer of help to establish a cross-platform approach," Taylor said.
The OSC is due to meet BBC management to discuss the issue further.
The BBC has said it is working with Virgin Media to launch on cable later this year.
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