Future Self and Me: March 2007

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Official BitTorrent Store: DOA with DRM

A recent comparison between an iTunes-purchased TV episode and a pirated copy showed that legit download services have a long way to go if companies want to keep users from gobbling up pirated wares. Early impressions of the official BitTorrent store are in, and this system also suffers from a rash of problems. Unsurprisingly, a lot of the issues are DRM-related, and they were predicted by BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen before the official store launched. Cohen in December:

"We're rolling out with some content DRM'd, using Windows DRM, at the insistence of our content partners. We're very concerned about the usability problems DRM introduces, and are educating our content partners about the lost commercial opportunity."

That education attempt apparently didn't go so well.

Update: Something not mentioned in the various impression reports we've seen is that the site now offers "free" games that are really just crippled demo versions provided by TryMedia (they're a division of our friends at Macrovision), some of which are infected with adware (screenshot).

We're not much for predictions, but we're going to go out on a limb here and guess that offering DRM-crippled video and adware soaked games isn't going to be a huge profit maker for Mr. Cohen and company. Users are going to take one look at this mess and head right back to less ethically concerned (and free) alternatives.

BitTorrent Entertainment Network falls on it's face

The recently released BitTorrent Entertainment Network promised to be a safe haven for digital downloaders everywhere. Unfortunately the new service was not met without a slew of problems.

Most of the problems stemmed after the consumer has already submitted his or her money for the digital content they wished to download. Early reports have shown that payment is received fast and easy, but when it comes to downloading files, people with PC's failed to be recognized by the service, yet people with Macintosh machines could browse perfectly. The problem with Mac users was that the files were not Mac-compatable and would have to be transferred to a PC to be viewed. Of course this is where the DRM practices come into play and quickly render the files utterly useless.

Not a great start for a noble venture. It seems that BitTorrent has their work cut out for them to ensure a secure and smooth ride for its consumers before people become frustrated and weary with the new service and decide to get their media elsewhere through less legal means.

BitTorrent Expands Library With New Launch

BitTorrent's latest partnership with MGM Studios has launched the BitTorrent Entertainment Network, a new comprehensive library of downloadable digital entertainment including full-length films, music videos and television shows. With the new network platform, users can not only download content from media giants 20th Century Fox, Lions Gate, MTV and Paramount but also from independent content creators.

"We're leveling the playing field for independent artists who have been turned away by publishers who are traditionally bound by scarce distribution alternatives and limited shelf space," said Ashwin Navin, president and co-founder of BitTorent via press release. "Our entertainment network is a true marketplace that embraces and welcomes contribution from the independents, allowing them to reach a vast user base with their high-quality creative expression."

BitTorrent currently offers consumers three choices for content, some free, some for rent and others for purchase. Movie rentals are either $2.99 or $3.99 depending on release date, while TV shows and music videos are download-to-own at $1.99.

Legitimate BitTorrent gets torrents of abuse

P2P OUTFIT BitTorrent's attempt to produce a legitimate service is floundering because of technical bugs.

According to ArsTechica, although using the service to find movies is a doddle, it does have some problems.

Firstly the movies are DRMed so that they can only play on Windows. The files require Windows Media Player 10 and when they were played in WMP11 the reviewer got a vague error message.

BitTorrent also had a few problems identifying where the buyer comes from. Apparently the reviewers PC was convinced he was not in America until he changed his computer to a Mac.

Although the files could not be played on a Mac, BitTorrent cheerfully took his cash anyway.

Seed numbers were low. In fact there were never more than two people seeding at any one time. However the speed was pretty good although on a par with other paid services.

With all the DRM restrictions, it the reviewer had a devil of a job actually watching a movie which, we believe was the aim of the exercise.

BitTorrent Goes Legal with Download Service

The file-sharing technology, BitTorrent has plans to legalise its download service. The company has had a history of being entangled in illegal content. In order to get rid of this unsavory past, the company has initiated a new Hollywood-approved film store BitTorrent Entertainment Network.

Through this store, the company will be able to provide downloadable products of digital entertainment content, which will be priced at USD 3.99 or UKP 2.03 for every download.

According to the company, a consumer will be allowed 30 days from download to watch, or 24-hours after you hit play, whichever is sooner. Among the commercial content, shows from providers such as Revision3 and PodTech are free.

But the company has plans beyond this. Eric Patterson, vice president and general manager of BitTorrent consumer services said, "What we're planning on doing in a couple of months is releasing a content distribution service that allows other media companies and software companies to utilise this method of distribution".

BitTorrent to sell movie and TV downloads

BitTorrent, makers of P2P software often used to trade pirated movies, has launched a site which will sell legal downloads of movies and TV shows.

The BitTorrent Entertainment Network is set to launch today with films from Warner Bros, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, as well as episodes of TV shows such as '24'.

The move could turn BitTorrent into a strong competitor in the online video market, thanks to its existing distribution technology, in addition to an already established user base which the company puts at 135m.

BitTorrent has had to make some understandable concessions to the copyright owners, such as adding DRM to its downloads.

These downloads will only be available for rental, priced between $1.99 and $3.99(£1 - £2). Users will have 24 hours to watch a movie or TV show after purchase.

Download speeds will be key to the success of the new site, as this is one reason why adoption of digital movie downloads may not take off. For instance, on Channel 4's online on demand service 4OD, it takes around 50 minutes to download a 25 minute TV show.

Some observers, such as Matthew Ingram, believe that, due to the addition of DRM to the new service, BitTorrent's movie download site is doomed to fail.

Maybe so, but a lot of players in the online video space will be watching this move closely.

BitTorrent to launch legitimate download service

The file swapping and download system developer, BitTorrent Inc., will be introducing a new Web site that will legitimately sell films and TV shows that can be downloaded from your computer.

The service aims to target the market of males between the ages of 15 and 35, that use the BitTorrent technology to barter pirated films and prefers watching shows on their computers.

The BitTorrent Entertainment Network will be distributing films by Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate along with TV show episodes of hits such as "24" and "Punk'd."

The company is confident that there will be a demand for high-quality legitimate content downloaded through the BitTorrent software.

"The vast majority of our audience just loves digital content," Ashwin Navin, president and co-founder of BitTorrent, told The Associated Press. "Now we have to program for that audience and create a better experience for that content so the audience converts to the service that makes the studios money."

Television episodes will be sold for $1.99 per download same as Apple Inc.'s iTunes while movies supposedly can be rented for $3.99 for new titles and $2.99 for old films.

Although for the moment, films will not be offered due to pricing negotiations, because the prices demanded by the studios were too high.

"We're really hammering the studios to say, 'Go easy on this audience,"' Navin said. "We need to give them a price that feels like a good value relative to what they were getting for free."

The new Web site will also offer Japanese anime and high-definition video for downloading.

BitTorrent launches legal entertainment network

BitTorrent, the US file-sharing site that Hollywood once tried to close, has launched its legal download entertainment network offering movies from major studios including 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros and MGM, as well as TV shows from MTV Networks.

BitTorrent co-founder Ashwin Navin said the network gave users the opportunity to rent content as well as publish and share their own user-generated material. "The BitTorrent Entertainment Network is created by and for the BitTorrent Generation, which has a vast appetite for high-quality, on-demand entertainment.

BitTorrent Goes Legal, Now Offering Numerous Digital Content

The file-sharing technology BitTorrent has finally decided to join the legal side in offering various downloadable music and video. You will remember that BitTorrent has previously been involved in letting loose a host of illegal contents.

They have finally left this practice behind forever with the launching of their new Hollywood-approved film store BitTorrent Entertainment Network. When this company went live online yesterday, they have already offered a wide range of downloadable products of digital entertainment content costing just about $3.99 or £2.03 for every download. At the launch 5000 titles of movies, TV shows, music content and PC games are already available on the site.

So if you are a movie enthusiast you can make use of BitTorrent’s services, which is a very practical avenue since they have contents from big movie producers including Lions Gate, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, MTV Networks, MGM as well as Warner Bros. Whether you are looking for oldies but goodies type of movies or the most recent ones, BitTorrent can be your option. And aside from making a purchase, you can also rent some of their digital content. There’s also a plan that independent content creators can also use BitTorrent as their platform for publishing and sharing their own content.

BitTorrent Goes BitLegit, Launches BitLaw-abiding BitService

I think you’re going to like this bit of news! I’ve got a little bit to tell you about! Get your bits off this hot news bit! Here’s a lit-le skit about this tight fit-ing bit! Bits!

Whew! That’s a lot of bits. So many, in fact, you might want to download it on your BitTorrent client. Up until this news broke, BitTorrent technology was generally used for sharing pirated media like movies, music, video games, and pretty much anything that can be digitized and downloaded. The download process is wonderful, allowing large streams of data to be obtained from a network of users, tapping into the ether where the bits are doing their bit thing.

Obviously not all of these bits of torrent are used for pirated material, but just enough of them are for a bad reputation and occasional legal action to occur. So, our BitFriend, BitTorrent has begun its foray into lawful media downloading. Its service, The BitTorrent Entertainment Network that, as Billboard.biz reports, "follows a year of negotiations with the entertainment industry – in all 35 providers — including MTV Networks, 20th Century Fox and labels like Koch Entertainment and distributors IODA."

A bit of a big step for BitTorrent, as it sheds its open source code for a proprietary one to run their new service. You can rent movies for $4 and own television shows and music videos for $2, while user content is as free as it ever was. Many torrenters will feel angry about this change, as their operating costs will skyrocket anywhere from 200% to 400% That’s enough to give anyone a bit of a BitHeadache!

Have no fear though, because when you sign up, you automatically get a free subscription to the new MittTorrent! That’s right, all the Mitt Romney mitt-formation you can get your mitts on. Want to hear the Massachus-mitts governor and 2008 Presidential candidate stump about who he is and why? MittTorrent is only a mitt (click) away. Have your cred-mitt card ready, because don’t we all want a bit of Mitt?

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

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