Videos and the Hottest Girls Around: March 2007

Thursday, March 29, 2007

BitTorrent Signals TV Programming Site Plans

Speaking at an OMMA conference panel session, BitTorrent VP Eric Patterson said the company is planning an ad-supported TV program website, reports MediaPost.
Patterson was mum on further details, but an ad-supported site that offers TV programs for download would primarily compete against recently launched Joost for market share.

Joost agreed with Viacom earlier this year to make hundreds of TV shows available on the site.

BitTorrent recently announced a deal with several Hollywood studios to offer downloadable movies.

Windows DRM Not Up To Snuff, Claims BitTorrent Founder

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Digital rights management (DRM) software and the implementation of it in Microsoft Windows specifically are slowing the shift of video to Internet, said the founder of BitTorrent. Bram Cohen was one of several voices speaking out against DRM and Internet regulations in the opening day of the VON conference here.

"We've got a problem we share with everyone. Content owners want a DRM, consumers know what a DRM is" and they don't like it, said Cohen, who claims BitTorrent (San Francisco) has the largest catalog of digital video now on the Web.

"We are using Windows DRM because it is the only solution that has been vetted widely, but we are not happy with how it affects playback from a technology point of viewit sometimes makes playback not work," said Cohen in a talk at the conference.

"At the end of the day, content rights represent the biggest hurdle. There's a lot of investment capital that could go into technology if we could solve this issue," said Jeff Carlisle, vice president of government relations for notebook maker Lenovo, speaking on a separate morning panel.

Nevertheless, Cohen expressed confidence the Internet will become the primary source for video in the future. "What's ultimately going to happen is the whole medium of broadcasting will go away and be replaced by IP so people can get what they want when they want it," he said.

BitTorrent has several projects in the works, he added. They include a new product to let businesses distribute content, an ad-supported video service and a streaming video capability.

Separately, a company allied with the conference has submitted a petition to the Federal Communications Commission asking that Internet video be exempted from regulations. Network2, a video Web site started by VON conference founder Jeff Pulver, asked the FCC to free Internet video both from existing cable and broadcast regulations as well as any new rulings.

Pulver also announced the Video on the Net Alliance, a new advocacy group to promote the interests of Internet video.

"The nascent video on the Net industry must learn, and learn quickly, how to engage policymakers and speak with a unified and consistent voice, or rules will be set for this emerging industry by those who might not know what policies would best advance Internet video," said Jonathan Askin, co-founder of the alliance.

"The consumer view is not adequately represented in Washington. There is a powerful notion of user groups that hasn't yet had impact," said Carlisle of Lenovo in the morning panel.

However, several other panelists said it is unrealistic to expect the Internet will steer clear of future restrictions in areas such as universal services and government access." We can no longer operate under the myth that the Internet is unregulated," said Robert Pepper, a senior manager of technology policy for Cisco Systems, speaking in the morning panel.

BitTorrent Entertainment Network to launch ad-supported Net TV

News from the halls of BitTorrent Inc was rampant yesterday, with news of it launching an ad-supported Net TV service by years end, Bram Cohen blaming Windows implementation of DRM for playback problems, and also saying that the BitTorrent Entertainment Network has the largest catalog of digital video on the Web.

In both Northern and Southern California yesterday, representatives of BitTorrent Inc provided key insights into their current state of affairs and also hinted at its future.

At the Online Media, Marketing, and Advertising Conference and Expo (OMMA) that was held in Hollywood, CA, a panel session called "Big Media--Disintermediated" was conducted where Eric Patterson, vice president and general manager of consumer services for BitTorrent Inc., said that it will be looking to launch a new ad-supported Net TV service by years end.

He said that "We see us moving to an advertising-supported model at the end of the year so people can consume TV shows in the same way they consume programs on television."

This announcement could be aimed at the new Joost service which has already lined up Viacom as a provider of TV and film content for the ad-supported streaming Net TV service.

Up in Northern California Bram Cohen was a keynote speaker at the New Video Summit in San Jose, where he was interviewed by Andreas Kluth of the Economist.

The BitTorrent Entertainment Network has been dogged by problems with the way that content DRM restrictions have both hampered playback, as well as discouraged many to switch from pirating the content DRM-free from BitTorrent tracker sites and to purchasing the content from their site.

Bram Cohen said that he feels that DRM software and the implementation of it in Windows is to blame for slowing the shift of video to the Internet.

He said that We've got a problem we share with everyone. Content owners want a DRM, consumers know what a DRM is and they don't like it."

"We are using Windows DRM because it is the only solution that has been vetted widely, but we are not happy with how it affects playback from a technology point of view it sometimes makes playback not work," Cohen continued.

The BitTorrent Entertainment Network is now infamous from playback and download problems. It was noted before how some have even had difficulty getting content to play in Windows Media Player 11, and how others have paid for a song download that they could never get to download properly.

Now to be fair, Cohen knows that the DRM is only hamstringing his efforts, noting previously that “We are not happy with the user interface implications” of digital rights management, or DRM. It’s an unfortunate thing. We would really like to strip it all away.

Unfortunately for him, I don't see the movie studios giving into that one anytime soon. Who likes DRM more than content owners?

The last bit of commentary that Cohen provided at the NVS in San Jose was about how BitTorrent Inc. now has the largest catalog of digital video on the Web. This may be the case as iTunes is still limited to Lionsgate, Disney, and ABC but, it seems as though iTunes has better managed the potential of its catalog thus far than has the BitTorrent Entertainment Network. I guess time will tell but, the DRM issue will need to be addressed first and foremost. Perhaps some sort of Zune partnering would help it succeed, as the iPod, iTunes player and content combination seems to be the key. But, will anybody be willing to buy a Zune for this reason alone?

In any event, its good to see that BitTorrent Inc. has become complacent with their new BitTorrent Entertainment Network and are still thinking outside the box to make it succeed. Now if only they could get content providers oTV episodes will cost $1.99, which is a similar to the price charged on competing sites such as Apple's iTunes.ff their back long enough to make it the best that it could possibly be.

RIAA and Fair Use; CompUSA Closing; BitTorrent's New Site

Our news story on how the RIAA is opposing the "Fair Use" Act sparked quite a debate on copyright and the fair use of content.

CompUSA has announced that it will be closing many of its stores, and many of you don't seem surprised. You shared your stories about horrible service and lack of knowledgeable salespeople. Read PC World Editor in Chief Harry McCracken's blog for more on the closures.

BitTorrent has recently launched a new site where users can buy downloadable movies and TV shows. So, should you buy, rent, or steal content? Read Harry McCracken's blog for more on BitTorrent.

Our Community Poll this week is a quick "love it or hate it." What do you think of IrfanView, a free image editor? Let us know.

We end with product reviews from users like yourself. Which program convinced someone to upgrade to the Pro version in less than a minute? Which product has been recalled? Check out the reviews and see for yourself! Don't forget you can add your own review by looking up a product in PC World Shopping and clicking the "Add Your Review" tab.

Note: To use our interactive features, such as adding comments to discussions, voting in the weekly poll, and contributing your own product reviews, you must be signed in to PCWorld.com. (Not registered? You can sign up online.) However, you can view the discussion threads and poll results without being signed in.
RIAA Opposes "Fair Use" Bill

kj1975 says: Why should I not be able to use the media that I purchase for my own use the way I see fit? Someone must stop the RIAA and repeal this silly law. The RIAA said it all, "The difference between hacking done for non-infringing purposes and hacking done to steal is impossible to determine and enforce." They intend on treating each and every customer as a criminal. What will they try next?

swvaboy says: While this bill is just a start, I hope that the fair use of works that we buy and pay for continues to be pushed. I think we all should contact our congressman/woman and urge them to support this bill.

gigajohn says: The RIAA had better enjoy the lawsuits while they last, because more and more consumers are discovering encrypted file sharing, which means that soon they won't be able to track anyone's file sharing anymore.

ImaPhake says: This thing was introduced in the past (twice) and failed. It is likely to fail again. Politicians aren't going to support this Fair Use Bill as long as they receive money from those interests which the DMCA purports to "protect." Sure, you can threaten to not reelect them, but that is just aiming at the wrong target, anyway. Who is the correct target? The RIAA.

Read all the posts in this thread and contribute your own opinion.
CompUSA Implodes

Golferone says: Best Buy should be next. I was just taken by them again. They have very poor customer service. One person makes a promise and another says they can't deliver. The people who deal with you really don't have any business sense.

walt526 says: This has been a long time coming, IMHO. CompUSA simply offered inferior service at noncompetitive prices. They were basically the AOL of computer superstores: Their only customers were people who knew very little about technology and didn't have a tech-savvy friend to tell them otherwise.

Toulinwoek says: My local CompUSA store used to be Computer City, which was great. When CompUSA bought it, they got rid of all the mature, knowledgeable staff and populated the place with a bunch of pimply faced computer tech wannabees, probably fresh out of high school, who didn't know a memory chip from a potato chip.

sin91 says: Just recently I called CompUSA to see if they carried CPU heat sinks that fit my processor. The person on the phone told me they didn't carry them. I knew this couldn't be right, so I went there and found a whole big shelf of them.

Read Harry McCracken's blog, then add your comments.
BitTorrent: Buy, Rent, or Steal?

Raizen says: It won't turn users away like what happened in Kazaa or Morpheus because they were run by an organization and the entire network was controlled by their servers. BitTorrent creates a new network for each file. You download a torrent file that tells where this server is that is controlling the network.

venkat2cool says: I don't understand how these companies will keep the torrent active. Currently a good torrent is seeded by users because it's free and it's for mutual benefit. If I'm paying for something, why should I seed its torrent?

alienzen says: I didn't buy a 52-inch HDTV only to be told I can only watch these files on a 19-inch PC monitor. And I am not spending hundreds of my hard-earned dollars buying another PC dedicated to TV.

RyanA says: This will never work. People have gotten used to not paying for stuff, and it's hard to beat "free."

Read Harry McCracken's blog, then add your comments.
Community Poll

In "Great Graphics for Free," Preston Gralla highlighted some free graphics editors. One commenter was outraged that IrfanView was not among the tools discussed.

David Watanabe releases 1.0 versions of Xtorrent and Inquisitor

It seems like this spring weather is causing all of the developers to get frisky and start releasing applications. David Watanabe, author of Newsfire and the Acquisition P2P app, has just released 1.0 versions of his two newest products into the wild. The two products are Xtorrent, a BitTorrent application with a notably gorgeous interface, and Inquisitor, his Safari search extender.

Xtorrent has been in beta for a while now, and has been lauded for its interface. It also features torrent search, filtering by content types, RSS torrent subscriptions, and a bunch of other goodies. There's been some controversy regarding Xtorrent and Transmission, and just how many ideas they're borrowing from each other, but Xtorrent is certainly a viable BitTorrent option. There's a free trial available, however it's rate-limited, and the full version will cost you $20 for lots of downloading (of legal material) goodness.

Inquisitor is billed as "Spotlight for the Web," and is a Safari search extender. It ties into the Safari search box and shows the top search results without having to go to the Google search page. It also includes autocomplete for search terms and keyboard shortcuts to access other search engines. Now, I don't find myself jonesing for a better search box all that often, but this little program seems worthwhile. The price is right for me, too: it's free.

Whether you're in the market for some new applications to enliven your OS X experience or not, both of these applications are worth taking for a spin, so go check them out.

Netgear’s EVA8000 Gains BitTorrent Support, Pricetag

Rumors persist that Apple’s Apple TV will ship tomorrow, March 20, and while we’re excited to see what Apple can do to the American living room, there are some of us who are a little anxious about a few missing features from the device. DivX? Hardly.

As an alternative, one might consider Netgear’s EVA8000, a box we’ve looked at before. We reported at the time that it wouldn’t work with iTunes, but now it’s looking like it will, a nice addition. But what really got us thinking again about this unit is the news that it plays nice with BitTorrent, meaning you’ll be able to download the plethora of illegal free content from the popular BT network, and play it back in your living room in HD, up to 1080p, superior to Apple TV’s 720p. And at $350, it’s fairly competitively priced. And if you’re really after entertainment, the EVA8000 has you covered there, too, as it natively plays back YouTube content at full screen. Nice.

We salute Netgear in its efforts to make the media we already have available on TVs everywhere, ignoring the idea of a movie store and braving lawsuits. That’ll do, Netgear, that’ll do.

XTorrent 1.0 FINAL released

Fresh out of BETA, the MAC BitTorrent client server revs up as it's finally unleashed on the BitTorrent community.

Now I'm no "MAC guy" but, even I can appreciate a beautiful looking program when I see one.

It's sleek user interface, and fresh, clean-looking design make Azureus and uTorrent look dated and clunky. It shows just what kind of disparity we usually see when stacking Windows and MAC programs alongside of one another. It's beauty and the beast for the umpteenth thousandth time.

Syllable Gets a BitTorrent Client

Thanks to improvements in PThreads support in the new version 0.6.3 of the Syllable desktop operating system, the Transmission BitTorrent client could be ported.

Currently only the command-line version works. The project is looking for a volunteer to put a GUI on it, possibly by porting the BeOS GUI. Transmission is included in a new version of the Network Necessities package collection.

Furthermore, there are new versions of the Developer's Delight and PERL Pit collections, with many updated packages. Most notably, GCC is now the new version 4.1.2. Also, a new version was released of the sIDE native integrated development environment. Lastly, there is now a driver for the popular SysKonnect/Marvell Yukon1 gigabit ethernet chips.

Response To Om Malik’s List of Reasons Why The Legal BitTorrent DL’s Won’t Work

Om Malik of GigaOm.com has published a list of five reasons why he foresees trouble with the new legit media download service from BitTorrent. Although I back his general opinion - that this new service is not likely to take off - I do have some issues with his five points. And here they are:

OM Says:

Internet Service Providers dislike BitTorrent

ISP’s can disable or hinder the BitTorrent technology.

True, but this is primarily done using the blocking of popular P2P ports. These port numbers are easily changeable from within a BT client. Since many apps use obscure ports, ISP’s are unable to block all ports. They simply block the ones most commonly used by programs such as Azureus, BearShare and LimeWire.

BitTorrent’s not easy, especially for novices

BitTorrent is still pretty tough to use for mainstream, less sophisticated users, and can leave novices pretty confused. Little things can ruin the experience.

Very true. However, BitTorrent’s new legal service is not being promoted as the new easy way to obtain movies and media legally. This new service seems aimed towards existing users of BitTorrent or at least those in the world with enough computer know-how to install and use a BT client. If you can use an FTP client, you can use a BT client.

The main advantage to using BitTorrent as your legal download source, is that it a) takes the strain off the corporate servers providing the download bandwidth; and b) the above reason results in faster downloads, and therefore faster access to the media you want.

There are a lot of people out there who can use BitTorrent and those people are seen as wallets of cash worth reaching out for.

Content on BitTorrent Store ain’t all that

BitTorrent needs to offer content that is far superior either in quality (HD for example) or in variety for users to switch from the click-and-download ease of the iTunes store, or similar such services.

Like all new services, you have to start somewhere. The iTunes Store wasn’t all that when it launched, but a few years on and several huge deals later, it’s one hell of a marketplace. BT will grow soon enough since any extra revenue for content creators is vastly desirable.

Who uses the official BT client?

BitTorrent’s official client has lost out to alternative clients including Azureus and BitComet.

If you want to use a new service, most people expect to use a new piece of software. It’s not a huge ball-ache but I can’t reasonably think any huge number of BT users are going to complain hugely, since using the official client isn’t as bad as having to use Sony’s SonicStage software instead of, say, iTunes. It’s a solid app, just not as comprehensive or advanced as Azureus, for example.

Why pay to play?

How do you convince people to pay for something they are used to downloading for free by using BitTorrent?

This is the question posed to all legal download services and is not relevent solely to this new BT service.

I don’t think it’s any secret that the vast majority of BT users use the software to obtain pirated material. However, faster download speeds and [presumably] a large addition of content in the future from the legal BT store, may steadily grow in its appeal to BT downloaders.

Sadly, BitTorrent is plagued by the consensus of many media industry professionals that the software is just used to obtain pirated content. This is wrong. The “software” - BitTorrent - is actually a revolutionary piece of technology that simply takes the pressure of central servers by spreading out the data distribution over hundreds, even thousands, of peers and networks.

It is the content delivery system of the future and the only way to realistically distribute media, such as high-def video content, without crippling dedicated central servers and bandwidth providers by trying to accommodate the phenomenally large amount of bandwidth required to transfer movies around the Internet.

Conclusion - DRM

Personally I don’t see this service taking off any more than all the others have done. This isn’t due to the method of acquiring media, or even the range of media available, but simply because of the coating of all the media in yet more DRM. Get rid of the DRM on this service and you’d see profits soar into the millions upon millions, especially since most people who understand and use BitTorrent probably understand and rebel against DRM.

BitTorrent Creates Ad-Supported Net TV

BitTorrent announced at the OMMA conference in Hollywood Monday plans to launch a new ad-supported Net TV service.

Eric Patterson, vice president and general manager of consumer services for BitTorrent, said, "We see us moving to an advertising-supported model at the end of the year so people can consume TV shows in the same way they consume programs on television."

BitTorrent has been known to enable illegal downloads until this February when it announced the release of a new website that would sell licensed music and TV shows.

The new Net TV service is meant to rival Joost, the company that created Kazaa, another popular venue for illegal downloads. Joost most recently penned a deal to host videos from Viacom after copyright clashes with YouTube.

The new Net TV allows users to rent movies for $4 and download-to-own TV shows for $2 each. BitTorrent also plans to add a digital-rights-management-free music download service in the near future.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

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