Torrent Sites

What are torrent sites used for? Many of you would have answered that it’s pretty much all pirated content being shared via torrents. And while there is a lot of copyrighted material being shared illegally on them, there is also much that is legal and copyright-free.

There are very few companies and organizations who have taken advantage of the technology as a way to distribute content thus far. But VODO is one of these, allowing and encouraging filmmakers to use torrent sites to seed their features and get them out there being watched.

NRK and Blank

In January 2008 we looked at how the Norwegian broadcaster NRK was utilizing torrent sites to distribute a show called Nordkalotten 365. The experiment worked, with multi-platform distribution making the show a success outside of its native Norway.

Earlier this year we saw filmmaker Rick L. Winters and his company Annodam Productions choose to distribute Blank via torrent sites at the same time as releasing it on DVD. Donations were asked for but not mandatory.

VODO

VODO, a British organization which endeavors to help budding content creators find an audience, is taking a similar approach. It releases features on torrent sites such as Mininova, The Pirate Bay, isoHunt, Miro, and Vuze and lets the rest fall into place.

VODO requests a donation (VODO stands or VOluntary DOnations) if you download a feature from a torrent site. There’s also the option to subscribe to the site itself in order to gain access to more films and fund new projects which will end up being made available for free on torrent sites.

VODO’s founder is Jamie King, who enjoys a certain amount of notoriety for his pro-piracy Steal This Film documentaries. Us Now and In Guantanamo are the two features currently being promoted via torrent sites.

Conclusions

This kind of effort isn’t going to either interest or affect Hollywood but independent filmmakers are a whole other kettle of fish. And VODO, along with NRK, Annodam, and the like are proving that torrent sites aren’t the bid, bad wolves they’ve been painted as.

Tech Dirt said it best with its reason for why VODO is such a good idea, suggesting it’s because it helps “filmmakers who recognize that obscurity is a much bigger threat to their efforts than piracy.”

[Via NewTeeVee]

From Mail To The Web

In the 12 years since Netflix launched as a purely by-mail DVD rental company, the world has changed considerably, particularly with the Internet becoming the distribution method of choice for all kinds of media, including of course television and movies.

So it’s no wonder that the company decided to introduce a streaming video service as part of its subscription package a few years ago. And the way things are going, it’s that part of the business which provides the future direction for Netflix.

Three Ways To Heaven

Last month saw Netflix announce its Q3 earnings. Ignoring the financial results, the interesting news was threefold: the company is planning to go international; there was talk of a new device being added to the streaming line-up; ‘Watch Instantly’ viewing figures showed the service to be very popular.

As of yet we haven’t heard any more about the international plans, but the other two points raised have been expanded upon.

PS3 Netflix Streaming

The day after the Q3 earnings report came news that Netflix’s ‘Watch Instantly’ was heading to the PS3 in the United States. It’s been available on the Xbox 360 since last year’s dashboard update but is now coming to the Sony games console as well.

With an installed user base of nine million avid gamers and media consumers, it’s an inspired move. And it ends the exclusivity deal Netflix had with Microsoft for the best part of a year.

According to a corporate blog post today, the PS3 discs which are required for Netflix’s ‘Watch Instantly’ to be used have started to be shipped today. 100,000 Netflix subscribers and PS3 owners who requested the discs are the first batch to receive them, with more to follow in time.

Watch Instantly Watched Incessantly

This news comes as a survey conducted by One Touch Intelligence, and reported by Contentinople, shows how mainstream the use of ‘Watch Instantly’ has become. 62 percent of subscribers say they’ve used the service at least once, while 54 percent said they stream at least one movie or TV show every month.

While most still stream directly to their computers, 24 percent stream content to a connected device. And that figure is sure to increase as the range of products streaming ‘Watch Instantly’ grows.

A Streaming Future

Surely now is the time for Netflix to start considering a streaming-only subscription option as Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has previously implied could happen. While physical media such as DVD and Blu-ray are still important, the future is clearly both digital and streaming. And Netflix is in the best position to take advantage of this evolving market.

ZillionTV or ZeroTV?

ZillionTV was announced back in March to some very positive comments and feedback. I myself stated that “good backers, a man in charge who knows the business, and a couple of innovations which could drive the sector forward” meant it had a chance of succeeding, despite entering a crowded market.

However, in September a delay in launching the service was announced. It was originally thought to be due for a launch in late 2009 but that slipped to the second half of 2010, which is nigh on a year later than first expected.

Critical Web Coverage

This led many journalists and bloggers to wonder what the hell is actually happening at the company. One of these bloggers is Brandon Wirtz, who just happens to be a former employee of the company.

Wirtz recently received a Cease & Desist letter from ShawValenza, a law firm acting on behalf of ZillionTV. Unfortunately for the company, rather than heed the warning in the letter, Wirtz used his own personal blog and XYHD.tv to respond to the threats.

Wirtz’ Words

On XYHD, Wirtz discusses how he considers the C&D not to have any basis in law. Rather than sharing confidential information as the letter implies, he believes he’s been very careful in only reporting things which have been reported elsewhere on the Web.

He also discusses his lack of respect for the management of ZillionTV, ponders how the company has kept studios such as Disney and Lionsgate interested, and asks what the actual delay with launching the service is all about.

On BlackWaterOps, Wirtz basically pokes fun at the content of the C&D and how much of a bad idea it is to send one to someone who was only ever going to post the letter on his blog and discuss it in less than complimentary terms.

As Wirtz put it:

Know your enemy. Don’t send a C&D letter to someone who has a bigger hammer than you. The general rule is don’t send a C&D to anyone with a better Alexa rank than you, or someone with more press mentions in the past year than you.

From Free To Paid

There is more television and movie content to watch for free on the Web now than ever before. Hulu in the States, BBC iPlayer in the U.K., and YouTube and all the rest worldwide, the Internet is now awash with programming.

Interestingly enough, both Hulu and the iPlayer are thought to be looking at paid options in the future. But this is, if anything, a sign that the business is getting serious and offering an alternative to the traditional cable and television networks.

Monthly iTunes Subscription

According to Media Memo, Apple is now eyeing a monthly subscription plan which would see a variety of television programming available for people willing to pay $30 per month for the privilege.

$30 a month is not a cheap option but compared to the cable subscriptions in the States of almost $100 per month it can be considered an absolute bargain.

iTunes Buffet

Apple currently offers individual downloads of television episodes. Pilots and premieres are often free but new seasons of successful shows can cost upwards of $35, with episodes delivered as they air on television.

This new plan, if it actually happens, would offer a kind of buffet of iTunes offerings for a set price. Rather than downloading and owning digital copies of the shows, users would be streaming them to watch on demand when they want to.

Cable Catastrophe?

The key for Apple is getting content providers on board. Disney is being mentioned as the first network likely to sign up but one network isn’t going to be enough to tempt people to pay the asking price.

Also, any venture such as this would be sure to harm cable providers and they are unlikely to take kindly to the networks giving up their content in this way.

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Ashley Highfield?

Who is Ashley Highfield? Only the man who as director of future media and technology at the BBC did more than anyone else to push the iPlayer through from being a mere concept to a reality.

Highfield left the BBC shortly after the iPlayer launched to become managing director of consumer and online at Microsoft U.K. While there he has helped launch the MSN Video Player, which quite frankly pails into insignificance against the iPlayer.

Highfield Talks

Highfield was speaking last week at C&binet, the government’s digital creative industry conference. According to The Guardian newspaper, he said:

“I think the iPlayer was a catalyst to get a lot more content [made available on-demand] in the UK. All boats rise on that, commercial or not. A reasonable question to ask now is about ‘windowing’. Is seven days free right or should it be shortened [and should the BBC] get rid of hold-back periods [so commercial companies can more quickly exploit online TV revenues from content]?”

A Change Of Mind

It’s clear just from this short statement that Highfield’s opinion on these matters has changed since he moved from the public broadcaster to a private company in Microsoft.

I’d suggest his comments are intended to move BBC content into the commercial sector more quickly than it is now. The MSN Video Player is full of archive material but if the iPlayer charged for content then it would instantly enter that competitive world.

Conclusions

It feels as though all the companies offering free TV services at the moment are considering charging. That’s not the case, of course. This hasn’t come directly from the BBC and I doubt it will ever actually charge for content. First and foremost it would risk a backlash from British citizens who already pay a TV license fee to access BBC shows.

Hulu, on the other hand, is likely to start charging in the next year or so. But even that is likely to only be for certain, selected content rather than a flat charge for the whole service.

Still, it’s a worrying trend for those of us who have got used to watching free TV services on the Web.

Epix Coming Soon

June saw a new venture announced by the name of Epix. It’s a premium movie channel from Lionsgate, MGM, and Paramount which will be available to watch on cable and, if you are a Verizon FiOS subscriber, on the Web as well.

At the time I described it as a Hulu for movies but that was slightly over the top. It is only available to U.S. residents, the same as Hulu, but it’s a different animal altogether by virtue of being inextricably linked in with a cable subscription. Something which Hulu is not, although even Hulu could soon start charging for selected content.

What Epix Isn’t

Epix is the TV and movies industries trying to move with the times a little. Just a few years ago, the idea of offering streaming movies over the Web would have been anathema to the studios, but they are at least now experimenting with the format.

However, as previously reported, Epix is just one small cog in a very large wheel, and on it’s own won’t achieve anything. What’s really needed is an integrated online movie store with content from all available sources, and that’s the only way the movie industry will avoid going the way of the music industry.

What Epix Is

However, we are left with Epix in its current format, and it’s not a bad start to the move to offering Hollywood content over the Web. Epix has launched today, and a limited number of free three-day weekend passes are being handed out from now until Thanksgiving at EpixHD.com/invite.

While Epix on the Web is currently limited to FiOS subscribers, other Internet and cable providers are in talks.

According to ReadWriteWeb, EpixHD is totally Flash-based to avoid the need for any downloads or plug-ins being installed. Video quality is reported as exceptional, with fast connections receiving video at 720p HD.

There are currently 300 movies available on the site, including recent releases such as Iron Man, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Indiana Jones and The Temple of The Crystal Skull.

Conclusions

It’ll be interesting to see how many people take up the free weekend pass offer and then how many of those choose to use the service in the long term. To truly succeed, Pix needs to sign up more Internet and cable providers but for now I’m certainly jealous of FiOS subscribers.

Live Success

YouTube is no stranger to live streaming, having experimented with the method of broadcasting a few times since being acquired by Google. However, Sunday night’s U2 concert was a hit like the site has never experienced before.

When competing with the bread and butter of YouTube – the viral videos generated by users – the U2 concert was a relative failure, but gaining such a large audience for an event such as this is nothing short of spectacular.

Handling Difficulties

The challenges facing YouTube and its partners were huge for this event, with negotiating the rights from all parties and the actual technical difficulties needed to be overcome needing to be managed inordinately well.

Thankfully, YouTube pulled it off, thanks in no small part to Akamai, the content delivery network which handled at least some of the load this type of high-profile event would have generated.

Viewing Figures

Initial reports suggested the viewing figures were under a million. This was then upped to 2.5 million. But Variety is reporting that the U2 concert on YouTube managed to attract 10 million viewers.

As MediaMemo points out, these figures mean the concert wouldn’t make the Top 20 highest-rated TV shows in the United States, with The Mentalist sneaking in with 11.8 million viewers. And the U2 gig was available in 16 countries.

But I still count it as a huge achievement.

Conclusions

Foo Fighters have now announced they will be playing a set from their studio which will be streamed live on Facebook. And I’m guessing this trend will continue, especially once groups and record labels realize how much potential for publicity there is.

With Vevo launching soon, and Muzu.tv and MySpace Music Videos already with us, there are no shortage of places for live streaming concerts to take place. Whether they become a regular occurrence or not all depends on everyone involved getting enough out of it to persuade them to do it again.

The full concert is now available to watch at YouTube.com/U2.

Roku and Netflix

Roku started out relying on Netflix’ ‘Watch Instantly’ streaming service as the be all and end all of its content offering to buyers of the $99 box. But since launching in May 2008, other content channels have been added, including Amazon Video-on-Demand and MLB TV.

Netflix soon moved on to a host of other set-top boxes and devices, including the Xbox 360, Internet-enabled televisions, and hybrid Blu-ray players. And it’s now adding a new one to its line-up in the shape of the Playstation 3.

Netflix On PS3

Netflix announced it would soon be available on the PS3 console the day after I speculated as much. The news comes right on the back of the company’s latest earnings report where more platforms were promised and a move into international territories was also teased for the future.

Netflix has until now had an exclusive deal with Microsoft but the move to the PS3 brings that to an abrupt end. From November, PS3 owners with a Netflix subscription will be able to stream Netflix’ ‘Watch Instantly’ through their Sony console.

Roku Line-Up Increased

Roku, meanwhile, is busy trying to persuade more people to buy a Roku box.

It’s introducing two new boxes in an effort to increase its potential demographic. According to CNET, the current box will be renamed the Roku HD Player, with the Roku HD XR Player priced at $130 boasting a faster Wi-Fi connection and a USB port. For those on a budget, the Roku SD Player, with no HDMI option, will retail for just $80.

Roku is also launching the ‘Roku Channel Store’ next month which will see more of both free and paid-for options available. According to Ars Technica, these will include Revision3, TWiT TV, Mediafly, Motionbox, and blip.tv.

Conclusions

Netflix surely cannot fail with its roll-out to other devices, and the PS3 is a great one with its huge installed user-base. While Roku seems to finally be getting its act together after a slow start, with a wider range of boxes to suit all tastes and budgets, and a new channel line-up.

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Netflix Of The Past

When Netflix formed in 1997 as a DVD by mail company in the United States, the Internet wasn’t the behemoth it is now, and online video was a concept rather than an actual living, breathing part of the Web.

Streaming video therefore wasn’t part of the plan for the company at that point. However, it introduced ‘Watch Instantly’ as part of its subscription service a few years ago and hasn’t looked back since.

Streaming Over DVD

Although DVD by mail is still Netflix’s main business, the ‘Watch Instantly’ feature is an increasingly important and popular part of it.

In the Q3 earnings report, CEO Reed Hastings revealed that 42 of subscribers have streamed at least 15 minutes of content from Netflix in the last three months. Which is a phenomenal result.

This followed a pronouncement earlier this month that DVD will only be the “primary delivery format” at the company for the next two years. While it wasn’t stated whether the move would be to Blu-ray or streaming, these results would suggest the latter is more likely.

International Plans

Netflix is currently a U.S.-only operation, but that looks like it could be changing in the very near future. As part of the earnings call, Hastings said:

“We’re looking to the second half of 2010 to make our streaming offering international. The plan is to start small in one market, prove out our model, and expand into other countries.”

This would be a streaming-only option, with hastings suggesting that postal systems abroad make that part of its business impossible. No country was mentioned as being first on the list but one with a high broadband take-up would be the most logical.

Hastings implied that a streaming-only subscription option wouldn’t be coming to the States anytime soon, which somewhat goes against what he said in February of this year.

Netflix Of The Future

Netflix’s ‘Watch Instantly’ is already available on a number of devices, including hybrid Blu-ray players, the Roku box, and the Xbox 360. But more are likely to follow, with the PS3 and Wii surely top of the list.

So the Netflix of the future is likely to be as much about streaming content as it is about physical media, available in countries other than the States, and a well-known component on a range of Internet-enabled devices.

This is a company going places in more ways than one.

The Star Wars Tie Fighter Webcam in an easy-to-use USB webcam with a clever Star Wars design giving you a novel way to capture your video footage.

A webcam, and Darth Vader’s personal spacecraft, all in one!

As a Star Wars fan, I just can’t refuse a webcam design like this one. The Star Wars Darth Vader Tie Fighter features a 300,000 dot resolution WebCam, includes a built-in microphone, and when you plug it in to your computer’s USB port, two red LEDs located in the front will light up (the lights are where the lasers would shoot from Vader’s ship.)

The Dark Side is Recording You!

The VGA camera for this webcam is located within the cockpit of this ship, as if you’re being filmed by Darth Vader himself! The meticulous design of this camera makes is fascinating enough in that you can be filming yourself at the same time you’re admiring the intricate design of this Star Wars spaceship.  They really did a nice job with this model.

Getting Started with the Tie Fighter Webcam

The Tie Fighter Webcam requires no additional software and is plug and play for your PC or laptop via a usb port, so that you can be up and chatting with friends in minutes. No power supply is required, and once you see the red lights of Darth Vader’s ship light up, you know that the camera is ready to use.

Tie Fighter Webcam Compatability

This webcam is compatible with Skype, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and AOL; however, it’s PC compatable only and doesn’t work with a Mac. The webcam works with both USB 1.0 and 2.0.

Also Included with the Webcam…

With the Tie Fighter Webcam also comes a complimentary CD with drivers, application programs and video software. The USB cabling is Approx 140 cm long.  The webcam has an optional removable stand, and can also be clipped to the monitor, so your monitor can look cool (or geeky, depending on your point of view. I lean towards cool!)

Reviews and Comments About the Star Wars Webcam

Most of what I read from tech blogs spoke favorably about this webcam, identifying that it’s a fairly simple design and easy setup, but the real novelty of this webcam is it’s nicely-detailed design and being able to take in the details of the camera while recording yourself.

I would have liked to read more technical info and reviews from Wesco’s website (the manufacturer of this particular webcam) but all the same, there were enough techie fan sites out there singing the praises of this camera that I couldn’t resist the opportunity to explore this camera more, and it really is a clever design for a Star Wars fan’s webcam needs.

Prices, Deals and Discounts on the Star Wars Tie Fighter Webcam

On Amazon:
Available to buy at Amazon

On eBay:

Star Wars Tie Fighter Webcam 25 Off US $32.99   Auction Ends: 29d 19h 8m Make it yours…

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