DIRECTV Scores Points in the Linux Community

Unlike NBC's coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games, DIRECTV customers who have the NFL Sunday Ticket SuperFan viewing package can now watch live football games on computers running Linux.

Using a combination of Adobe Air and the open source Flex framework, DIRECTV will stream the Sunday showdowns and also deliver game highlights, statistics, and real-time scores via a desktop app or Web browser.

According to a prepared statement, DIRECTV claims this service is "the first broadly deployed entertainment package to integrate the Digital Rights Management (DRM) capability available in AIR via Adobe Flash Media Rights Management Server (FMRMS)"

Though some may balk at using Adobe Air, at least the package is available to Linux users which, for many premium services, isn't always the case. While TiVo is easily -- and better -- replaced by MythTV, finding open source solutions for tools like Slingbox isn't always easy. DIRECTV's nod to the open source community is a good start, let's hope it's a sign of more to come.