Mininova Trials Video Torrent Ads
Written by Ernesto on November 19, 2008Mininova, one of the leading BitTorrent sites, is testing a new technology which allows content producers to include subtle ads in their videos. By providing more opportunities to monetize free content, Mininova hopes to attract even more premium publishers.
The new advertising technology, Hyper MP, inserts small clickable ads into the corner of the screen. Aside from the ads, there are no limitations to the video content. Hyper MP is currently being tested on an amateur feature length comedy titled “Battle Therapy”.
Mininova co-founder Niek told TorrentFreak that Hyper MP is a great alternative to pre and post-roll ads. If it proves successful, there will be more releases on Mininova with these new ads, and Niek said that these new releases might even include some blockbuster movies.
The new advertising technology is yet another great feature to convince premium content producers to publish their work on Mininova’s content distribution platform, which was launched last year. With Mininova’s distribution platform, the torrent files are seeded by Mininova, all the publisher has to do is upload the files. It is a very simple process.
Earlier this year, CBC used Mininova to distribute one of their TV-shows. Tessa Sproule, head of CBC’s Digital Programming told TorrentFreak at the time: “I believe BitTorrent is a terrific distribution technology and absolutely something we as a public broadcaster should be experimenting with.”
Hundreds of premium publishers have already signed up at Mininova. With the new advertising opportunities, more TV and movie studios might be interested in releasing their shows and movies on BitTorrent, and what better way to get exposure than with Mininova, one of the world’s most popular sites.
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55 Responses
I guess someone has finally found a simple way to monetize BitTorrent. I’ve tried this Hyper MP system and it is remarkably simple to use. All you do is download it and run. No intallatons, no DRM, no messing around. It doesn’t get any easier than what this technology provides.
Looks like interesting times ahead for the BitTorrent community.
I will still prefer content with no advertising at all, unless one of 2 conditions exists:
1. The version with advertising is of considerably better quality than the same content without advertising. And I mean considerable. Say the difference between an DVDRip.XviD and 1080p.x264.
2. I cannot get the content unless I go for the version with advertising.
I don’t see any reason to help Mininova frankly. This model of distribution with advertising will die if people don’t click through. I haven’t used any content like this but I can’t say I’m at all enthusiastic about it right now.
Is Hyper MP an extra download? Why the f#ck would I do that? Do I look retarded?
Still, could be an interesting development.
Windows only I’m guessing from the EXE file! EXE files really shouldn’t be used, Windows systems are already plagued by enough trojan horses, they don’t need more places to hide! I think they need encode it within the movie – forget interactivity… And whatever they do, they better be sensitive to the content of the video and not ruin it…
So, I’m going to download some extra media player app to play these ‘premium’ videos which are actually spam filled crappy videos? Black is white, up is down, it’s all double-plus good, isn’t it?
Downloading a ’special’ proprietary closed-source media player is an invitation to security problems and I see no benefit. If I wanted this type of crap I’d be using Windows Media Player. And obviously they would have to make the videos in a proprietary format so they can’t be played on a standard media player, which is even more stupid.
This is a whole lot of trouble just to make ads clickable. If the content producer wants to sell ads they should just insert them like it’s done on normal TV shows, and seed the video the old fashioned way. Why would they want to cut mininova in just to make the ads clickable? That’s totally retarded.
Even if this did take off (and it won’t), someone would just code up an open-source player that plays the video without ads OR just converts it back to a standard format. Then one could also create a new spam-free torrent and upload it to TPB (as mininova would prolly take a sshit and filter it.)
This is truly a batshit crazy stupid idea. The only ones more retarded than the people that thought of it are the people that actually download some EXE garbage player just to watch pleebovision.
BTW I’m on my 12th bong-hit for the day.
Why would i download licensed movie full ads when i can just as easily get one “unlicensed” without ads?
If this was to be at all a viable alternative to the piracy problem, it would have to be streamed, high quality and not locked down to certain operating enviroments. Hyper MP is none of those things.
Justwaitaminute. One of the reasons why I download movies is that I want to watch a movie with no ads. No matter if they are hidden in the corner and are clickable, I want no ads.
I mean, that would be suicidal for Mininova, wouldn’t that?
No support for the Mac. Hyper MP does have a web player but needs Active X to run. That is a bit sad :(
Ahahaha.. wait wait.. there serious? AAHAHAHAA.. they want us to run a .EXE that has ads in it… 0_0 …
Seriously.. omg.. mininova just lost huge points in my book and so did torrentfreak for not saying how stupid this is.
This is the stupidest idea ive ever heard of. Lets do the pros and cons here dumbasses..
Hyper MP:
Ads, possible virus, proprietary player.
Regular Avi release:
No ads, no possible viruses, use any player you want.
Its pretty f*cking simple, plus its the #1 f*cking rule that YOU DONT OPEN .EXE TO PLAY A MOVIE. Now how the hell are you supposed to teach people what a malicious file could be?
Hey guys check out this new movie I made in .exe format.. its only like 2 meg so download it.. its not a virus or anything so dont worry.
http://www.bigfuckingvirusexe.com
John Space -> If all ppl was thinking like you, there wouldn’t be any movies .. If you don’t want ads / commercials in your movies, then watch them in the Theater or go fucking buy it, don’t whine about ad’s in the movies if you don’t what to pay for it ..
The ppl that makes movies want’s money for their work, just like you ..
Are you working for Free ?
Selling audiences already? Way to go Mininova.
Btw, mininova is useless, no tracker of its own, its featured contend is un-browsable (way to many stupid categories. Almost parasitic.
Almost in that, that it enables volk with no taste of their own, to find out what is certifiably popular.
It makes since that they would finally do this. Even if its just for a trial run. Im sure they have their reasons and all the pros and cons that go along with it. In the end if they think this is best for them then thats the way they want to go so be it. We just go somewhere else. :)
Visit P2P Tech Time
http://www.p2ptechtime.com
Heis, if you don’t support piracy, what are you doing here?
This gave me an idea …
If I could get say a movie with an interactive front-end which allowed me to either watch the ads or the movie without ads or the movie with ads then I would go for it. Some people like to watch the ads, some dont. Best of both worlds.
Or am I talking out of my @ss again :-)
P.S. I didn’t mind watching the trailor for the next series of 24 :-)
“Why would they want to cut mininova in just to make the ads clickable? That’s totally retarded.”
Errmmm, no it isn’t … they need a way to track people to see if it’s worth it. 12th bong? You don’t say … you can tell by your post.
OK, the EXE is a size that might equate to decent enough quality, but read this comment from the Battle Therapy torrent pages:
“DO NOT DOWNLOAD !!!
This is the worst idea since ever,*** is going on with hyper mp.
Every 50 sec. it tries to connect with the hyper mp site,and is stopping the playback of the flick.This is the wost piece of ad-ware I’ve seen in years.
Why is minninova helping this cr-ap?? Does anyone think this should be the future ??
After three interruptions I had enough of this *****.After closing the file hyper mp stil tries to connect with their site, and cuts of IE.
Sorry for the flick, it deserves a better upload, but this is not the way I want to see a flim”
So – it stops to open a webpage ROFLMAO. This idea sounds like it is doomed to fail… I must say it deserves to from that comment.
“We are pleased to announce that Mininova is testing a new technology which allows users to download and watch licensed movies and TV shows for free.”
OOOOK… so what the hell is the rest of the site used for then ?
Why have an executable as a video? The current video formats are fine; I think not that coming up with a format that supports ads is any advancement at all.
In fact, torrents should be things that are controlled by the people. Who is mininova to decide that there should be ads in the torrents, manipulating other people’s torrents? If the people want ads, then they could include them, but it is not good to force things upon people like that.
Roze
http://www.10ch.org/
Packaging the video in an executable is likely to deter many potential down loaders. It would be better to have the advertising embedded in the video in an avi file.
I think this is a great idea…
I would love to be able to legally download movies and tv shows for free, and I would put up with a small clickable corner (Can’t say I’ve seen how big the ad is since I refuse to download this).
However, is seems, once again, someone has fucked up a very simple and easy idea by not asking the people what they want.
No one wants an exe file. They want a video file they can play in any of their players. As people have said above, this means they need to somehow use existing video file formats.
I think this might take off, they just need to get the balance between what people will put up with and what people will pay for right.
Someone hasn’t done their research.
http://www.diggering.co.uk
crap
What happens when another site does this and includes a trojan/spyware instead. All Miniova is concerned with is maximising profits now. Not adding features users actually want. They are driven by greed. Ernesto must be going off the rails if he think any of his readers will want to use this. He should have condemned it like everyone else.
Not really sure I would want to be watching a movie with ads displayed in it.
http://www.aquariumfish.me
JUST SAY FUCKIN NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Hi, Ho, Hi, Ho, Its of to Pirate Bay I go…….
@15 john space
you should see how surprised i look right now at seeing your typical, no explanation, no logic, pirate reply.
looks to me like you can’t back up your own idiot opinions…
Owwww, you’ve made me cryyyyy!
Well, what needs to be said has been said and repeated… the only thing that i will repeat is that I will ==NEVER== download a TV show, movie or song that comes as a .exe
Good luck MiniNova, you’re gonna need it :)
get enough adverts in terrestial TV, one thing I like about torrents is that they work on VLC and can watch it full screen, plus no annoying adverts every 15 minutes or so.
Video codecs have plenty of exploits already thanks. No need to add active content to make the matter worse.
Just put real ads in there like tv. Make them short and people probably won’t even bother to skip them….
TWO WORDS
EPIC FAIL
No matter what freetards will not accept ANY legimacy in bittorrent. If they are not doing something of questionable legality they dont want to know, it takes all the fun out of if. God forbid you should download a legal half decent quality video with a transparent advertisement in the corner, oh noes, like it makes you some sort of sellout. Get over it. If you expect that you should have completely free access to any content without having to pay for it in one way or another then you’re stupid and you are the reason bittorrent remains a target. You are part of the problem, not the solution.
if i wanted ads i would watch tv
or buy paper news
And besides, most movies are loaded with subtle ads anyway (maybe MAFIAA should charge more for those).
I think the results of this experiment are pretty much indisputable.
This benefits us all, why dint they comout witt it soner, I dun no.
YAY MININOBA, YOU R0X
Now we shearz legitmat, cuz we paids!!
No more hiding in the shades, haleyewwa Jebus.
We thinkz it good also too cuz they’llz have moneies to fight industry terrerists now, who just exit to bleed us, social vampires, nnnnothing like mininova.
YYyyyyyyaaay mininova we luvs u keep it up
Do they really expect to make money with this?
If so, it’s the beginning of the end for Mininova.
It’s one thing to put ads into a video as part of the video stream, but to make it an executable file with a proprietary media player makes it resemble trojans like Zlob too much.
what kind of idiot would use this? why is this site not completely bashing this ‘technology’?
Totally BS. Big mistake Mininova. Enjoy your dwindling number of users thanks to this.
Repat after me; the pirate bay, the pirate bay, the pirate bay!, THE PIRATE BAY!!
Mininova is basically useless, honestly, try something else like THE PIRATE BAY.
I need to put my 2 cents in here. We have been enjoying ripped content for far too many years and forgot about the serious money goes into the production of the content that you we are happy to leach and distribute. I honestly feel for those film makers wanting to make a break.
About time someone thought of something and started to payback the lost revenue in the industry. Maybe we might start to see some better content on it’s way to the torrents and in better time.
Mininova wouldn’t be so stupid to post malicious content up on their featured torrents. And if we run a executable from another source and something bad happens then I suppose it’s own fault for being part of the pirated cause.
Where to begin?
1. “Monetizing” p2p content is, quite simply, exactly the wrong approach in itself. P2p in general (and bittorent in particular) has just about zero “cost” in terms of bandwidth, and allows potentially global reach really easily.
Most of the reasoning for having advertising in TV broadcasting is so that broadcasters can recoup their operating costs. The whole genius of p2p technologies is that the “operating costs” are spread across huge crowds of people, thus effectively nullifying them.
If you want to use p2p technology (with it’s low/nonexistent “barriers to entry” and potential for global reach), then you take the “flipside” too — the vast majority of your potential audience isn’t going to “buy” your stuff, because they know full well that it effectively cost you NOTHING to distribute.
How about this for an idea? the FSF (Free Software Foundation) has been advocating “blanket licensing” agreements between content-providers and p2p networks for years. The “power users” could sign up through TPB or Mininova or some such thing, and — for a monthy/yearly fee, be assured of guaranteed access to “premium” trackers with really great seeding and quality-control over the content.
Torrentfreedom is already selling something vaguely similar to this for 15 bucks a month (I think it’s access to their VPN or something, dunno exactly.)
Copyright-holders (corporate megaliths, mainly) already get paid every time somebody buys blank media. Hell, European countries have a “telly tax” which offsets the cost of broadcasting so that they don’t get a measly 40 minutes out of every “1 hour” program. What is it for “1/2 Hour” programs stateside here? Twelve minutes?
Commercials make some sense on streaming video sites, but absolutely none on p2p, and nobody in their right mind is going to download a closed-source, proprietary player.
gtfo: “God forbid you should download a legal half decent quality video with a transparent advertisement in the corner”
And why in God’s name should I download a half-decent quality video with an obnoxious watermark in the corner trying to sell me something I neither want nor need, when instead I could download a high quality video that’s completely ad-free?
Engage your brain, please, Mr. Dipshit McClueless. If given the choice between a worse option and a better option, only a masochist would choose the former.
Andy: “We have been enjoying ripped content for far too many years and forgot about the serious money goes into the production”
In that case, isn’t it lucky that filesharing doesn’t take serious money away from anything?
So it’s okay for us to be blissfully unaware of how many third world countries could be fed using the production budget for, oh I don’t know, Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
Andy: “About time someone thought of something and started to payback the lost revenue in the industry”
Well, I would start paying back the lost revenue that the industry has suffered due to filesharing, but I’m just not sure how to repay something that’s 9/10ths imaginary.
i’m not too keen on downloading an extra executable to play a downloaded file :s gonna open up a whole new world of hurt for spamming when people get their hands on it
Torrentfreak has just condemned itself for complicity with Mininova in trying to foist this MPAA-devised spam-suppository / rootkit-vector into its userbase.
How much did they bribe you to write this happy-clappy bullshit, Ernesto?
As you may have noticed from polling the above comments, 99.5% of your readers are not stupid/money-grubbing as yourself, and rather enjoy flaying with a cat-o-nine-tails upon your exposed ass.
“Splassh … Sploosh” – that’s the sound of life-boats dropping in the water. But you tied yourself to the mast with anchor-chain. Farewell and have fun as the bad ship Mininova goes down …
Meanwhile, TPB proudly flies the Jolly Rodger, swigging on bootleg rum and laughing HO-HO-HO at the futile threats of flailing industry dinosaurs.
Avast there, afore a broadside cannoncade will shiver your mouldy timbers to Davey Jones’ Locker!
“If Ernesto is captured, can we make him walk the gangplank, Capt’n?”
“We’ll keep that scurvey land-lubber in the brig til we get to Shark Straits, then, yarr-harr-harr!”
YEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSS AND NOOOOOOOOOO
Look I have been an avid downloader for 7 years now and I can understand why someone would come up with this idea…….the media industry is hurting, have a look at some stats and you’ll see that they’re losing a hell a of a lot of money because of torrent networks. To date we can all be thankful that we still have the ability to view content without paying for it, although we really ultimately do by paying for our bandwidth anyway, but the studios aren’t seeing a cent back from us at all. We are lucky that they are still putting out decent quality content, If this system can help give a few dollars back from each viewer and we still can view this content for free I see it as we are still being satisfied and we are also helping the studios put out more fine content for us to consume…..The studios are a business after all and they put out the best content on the planet……….PEACE….KEEP THE CONTENT ROLLING IN AND AROUND THE INTERENT!!!!!…with our help
Socky the Sockpuppet: “media industry is hurting, have a look at some stats and you’ll see that they’re losing a hell a of a lot of money because of torrent networks”
Bzzt.
Wrong.
Setting aside for a minute the fact that the media industry’s revenue keeps growing year over year over year, not shrinking, the only reason they suffer any “losses”(well, besides the miserable abortions greenlit by oh-so-competent studio execs. Like, Adam Sandler’s trapped on this island, and he falls in love with a coconut, or something…) is because thanks to the Internet, word of mouth spreads like wildfire these days. Which makes it a little tougher for the media industry to make a fortune by foisting shit upon the buying public.
Socky: “If this system can help give a few dollars back from each viewer ….”
…Then maybe we can help Tom Cruise afford his NINTH solid gold Ferrari! Whereas if we don’t give Hyper MP a chance, he’ll have to settle for eight :(.
@41
“So it’s okay for us to be blissfully unaware of how many third world countries could be fed using the production budget for, oh I don’t know, Beverly Hills Chihuahua.”
————————————–
AND i guess it’s okay for you to be blissfully unaware of how many starving ethiopians could be fed with the money you spend on an internet connection every month…
im not even part of that argument 46, but that was weak. You dont compare someones little internet connection to entire production product. once you start getting that small, you can argue anything, and we certainly dont see you feeding ethiopians now do we.
the facts still remain that the revenues for the industry is still going up regardless of our pirating.
Thats because one download does NOT = lost sale. I wouldnt by 1/10 of the crap i download, and I DO purchase things I like. Most shit I download i do just because I can.. waste time.. check out new things.. but given the choice i would go outside and see if the sun still works.
@ “wow”
One download does = lost revenue to the movie industry.
As you said, “1/10 of the downloads you wouldn’t by” (It’s spelt buy by the way, and now that we’ve removed the fact you can’t spell we’ve removed any credibility you have towards this blog) then why download and watch it in the first place.
If you really want to watch a movie then you either pay for it (It does cost for them to produce the movie) by going to the movies or wait (For your cost sake) for it to come out on DVD and watch it with your family.
Along with that, I’ll assume (Because I haven’t downloaded this yet) that it’s going to be far greater quality than your normal CAM video that you would download when the movie comes out.
Then you have the option of a movie with far greater quality with adds.
You get your quality movie for free, you gain adds.
Or, you download a crap quality movie with a head bopping up and down every few minutes with no adds which I’m sure you wouldn’t share with your family (If you had one) then you’d be portrayed as a cheap skape that can’t afford to take his family out to the movies.
To get a decent quality movie from downloads you have to wait for DVDRIP and that takes weeks/months. And with XVID or CAM sometimes the lighting is off, hard to watch, the aspect ratio, the voice sync is off etc.
The same rule applies here for downloadable movies:
A good movie like “The Dark Knight” you’ll watch at the movies, I know I did.
Other movies you don’t really like or unsure off you’ll download it with crap quality.
Now there is an alternative, you can watch your crap/dislike movie with adds and better quality or you still got the option of going to the movies and pay to watch it, which also by the way you still have adds in the begining even tho you are paying for the movie?
Also, what about Paid TV, you get adds, you pay for that content, why is there adds?
My 2 cents.
The internet is a such powerful tool. I see the bigger picture here. I see the new era of free digital TV on demand via torrents. You may not agree with me but If they are not going to change the copyright laws then a way around things is the way.
“One download does = lost revenue to the movie industry.”
LOL.
Yeah, and every time some guest at a party eats a chip, that’s one less sale for Frito Lay.
Putting a bowl of chips out for your party guests = lost revenue to the snackfood industry.
Won’t somebody pleeaaase think of the snackfood industry!?
one thing none of you have pondered is…
different areas of the world have different licensing with tv/movie studios…so say for instance i am in the UK then i wouldnt be able to watch new shows like heroes, terminator, stga, knightrider etc…as im not in the US…
The same i figure would apply to anything mininova would be supplying via this hyper hyper player [sic] wouldnt one agree ? otherwise what would be the point anymore of barring people outside of USA from watching content on the normal on demand sites!
I gave up watching most tv shows here [uk] ages ago as they either have adverts every 4 – 6 minutes or get pre-empted at every turn with virgin media advertising etc…
Way more people will leave Mininova because of this than will join and use the service because of its legitamacy. Crapware.
http://www.djod.co.uk
I just wish their site worked as it used to. Every time I have tried to access them over the last few days, irrespective of time of day, I get the “We are doing maintenance” page, assuming I can even connect at all that is. Oh well, all good things come to an end eventually. Mininova RIP and thanks for the memories, it was good while it lasted.
Has anyone noticed that this .EXE is powered by VMWare ThinApp? If you do your homework, you will see that its an application virtualsation technology which automatically SANDBOXES the running app. Therefore viruses etc can’t get into your active operating system. This makes this solution SAFER than installing programs to your PC.
Since this is a VMWare product, logic will also tell you that it can technically run on Linux and MAC, since VMWare is also supported on these platforms.
Sure there is the issue of having to load VMWare on those OS’es, but then again, I’d dare say that most people have it running anyway since statistically, most apps available today are Windows apps.
Also, a thing about trust.
Your whole life is based on trust. You trust everything and everyone you ultimately connect with or communicate with. Life simply cannot operate or evolve without trusting someone or something.
I trust Mininova, have so for years. And will coninue to do so simply because they’ve earned it. I know I can trust their technical expertise, and I am sure they will find the right balance for them, the download community (existing downloaders and the new breed of downloaders coming) and the content publishers.
Keep up the innovation Mininova, your onto something good here.
They should just add this along with quality nfo release, just like they always did before. Like CAM, TS, HM??, DVDSCR, and finally DVDRIP or Bluray.
So people can easily choose and will download this because of it’s VERY FAST release and SUPERBLY GREAT quality, or just because they can’t wait for DVDRIP or Bluray release.
In the end of the day it is a win-win solution, people will have more choice! More choice is good!
so bring it on!
But I am a patient man, I usually just wait until the best version is available to download.
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