BitTorrent Launches Ad Supported Streaming
Written by Ernesto on December 18, 2007BitTorrent Inc. officially launched its “Watch Now” section where they have over 1000 movies and TV episodes available to watch for free. BitTorrent streaming opens up the possibility for content producers to offer high quality video streams to the public while generating money from advertising, a business model that should appeal to both customers and content producers.
BitTorrent streaming is based on the BitTorrent protocol, with some clever modifications to make streaming possible. P2P streaming significantly lowers the costs for the content provider, it therefore opens up the door to higher quality streams than we are used to now, and it is a great alternative to http streaming that websites like YouTube use at the moment.
Here’s a demo of a BitTorrent accelerated demo video that is available worldwide. In order to play the video you need to install BitTorrent DNA and restart your browser. This demo also shows how much bandwidth you share with other peers who are watching the same video. It works like this; the user who wants to watch a stream first has to install the BitTorrent DNA application, which is also bundled with the BitTorrent mainline client. When the user plays a BitTorrent accelerated stream it will not only download data, but also upload it to other people who are watching the same stream, similar to a regular BitTorrent download.
Most ISPs probably wont be happy with peer-to-peer streaming because their customers will use even more bandwidth, but it will be a great cost saver for sites like Youtube. In fact, it is safe to say that it could save them thousands of dollars a day in bandwidth costs. TorrentFreak talked to Ashwin Navin, president and co-founder of BitTorrent Inc., and he told us: “It’s safe to say that this product is relevant to all major players in the video space. Any company who is pushing lots of video can benefit from BitTorrent DNA, because it’s very easy to implement, and it delivers dramatic benefits. Whether a company is delivering video, software, or games, BitTorrent DNA can increase the reliability, efficiency, and quality of content delivery. Users notice the benefits immediately when streams are higher quality and are no longer choppy.”
The Watch Now section currently list thousands of clips, some of which are supported by ads. Unfortunately it is only available in the US at the moment, but this will change in the near future. Ashwin told TorrentFreak that this is just a soft launch, international versions will be rolled out as soon as we identify some sponsors to make them available. Another downside is that there are no big movie or TV distributors in the “Watch Now” program just yet, but they are always a bit behind when it comes to technological innovation. However, this does not mean that they start empty, Ashwin told us: “Our partners have published some great content, such as the entire “Ring” series in Japanese, the “Zatoichi” sequels, and hit Bollywood films like “Rang De Basanti”, which have huge fans around the world. We even have some stand-up comedy and special interest automotive videos from GT Channel.”
BitTorrent Inc’s next step will be to move beyond the PC environment into other consumer electronics devices such as moblile phones and DVD-players. The possibilities are endless, as Ashwin notes: “We will soon be announcing more progress with device manufacturers integrating BitTorrent technology into the next-generation of consumer electronics. Between the hardware makers and a new slate of partners deploying BitTorrent DNA, I believe the BitTorrent ecosystem will grow from its current 150 million installed clients to a billion clients installed in the next few years.”
Interesting times, stay tuned!
Previously: IFPI Pressure Leads Police to Detain File-Sharing Students
Next: TorrentSpy Loses Case Against MPAA
42 Responses (Add yours or TrackBack)
Pages: [1] 2 » Show All
Not a bad idea…I’m impressed.
I am very interested to see this kick off. I like watching streaming tv, as I usually only watch epps once. If someone made a nice site with all the shows I’d be one happy camper.
Nice idea, however the major players won’t use this new technology.
I can’t imagine that new movies could be viewed by streaming for free (and legal) (with ads) instead of having to go to the cinema -
Meh, this is really that cool cause I can already watch TV online with sites like Hulu and Sidereel.
Appearantly annoying everyone with ads seems to be the solution to the internets problems.
no mac support? pssh, will never take off. ;)
to bad theirs Sh### stuff up their if they could just get some major studio behind this that would be awsome.
veoh already started something like this. lets just hope the bt streams dont suck like veohs huh
it’s all intresting for the USA only crowd of course
[quote comment="242331"]I am very interested to see this kick off. I like watching streaming tv, as I usually only watch epps once. If someone made a nice site with all the shows I’d be one happy camper.[/quote]
http://www.surfthechannel.com
the new tv-links like site , no need to thank me =)
Hmm streaming movies? Don’t think so. I prefer to have them on something more solid if you know what I mean ;)
The technology is a good thing, but as I said when this was first announced on TorrentFreak, as long as it’s closed-source, I’m not interested.
I’m more intrigued by what the Tribler project (http://www.tribler.org/) is doing in this area.
Yeah. But after I watch them I don’t need them anymore. So why save them to hdd? (but quality should be a lot better then youtube’s, of course)
bittorrent is not for streaming. period. bittorent was build and should be used for downloading. seriously, if i provide my upload capacity, i would like to see the video more than once.
but i may be wrong, who knows…
if this really gets popular, the ISP’s will follow and give us more (or unlimited) capacity.
i believe i a world with free internet :D
*insert comment about BT and the MPAA here*
[quote comment="242379"]it’s all intresting for the USA only crowd of course[/quote]
The world is the USA according to most Americans.
[quote comment="242457"]The world is the USA according to most Americans.[/quote]
Yeah, in the same way that the UK is not part of Europe according to most Brits. But I guess it’s trendy to call Brits ignorant and Americans power hungry.
Anyway, of course it’s of intrest for people in the US - where are all these shows written and produced? That’s right, in the US. For a website to allow access to the same material worldwide it has to clear the rights to that material. Something a few sites are working on already, so come next year we will start seeing truly global video streaming sites.
It requires:
* Using your upstream bandwidth even though the videos have ads
* Internet Explorer
* Windows XP SP2
* Windows Media 10
* Install their closed-source software with root privileges
* tolerating DRM
* Having Flash installed
7 strikes, it’s out!
This doesn’t sound ideal in the LEAST.
http://paidandpopular.blogspot.com
Meh…I dont want to use Bit Torrent though. They are partnered with the Devil..
Impressed.
Great but no linux support
Nope.
I basically haven’t watched TV for the past 2+ years, because of all the garbage advertisements that break up the flow; I either rent or download.
“Piracy”/Online-access video was an ESCAPE from advertising; if you start shoving advertising into it, you make it just as repulsive as television.
If I like it, I’m still going to buy the series on DVD.
Pages: [1] 2 » Show All
Add your response