OT: BitTorrent goes legit

[*Laura]

Looks like BitTorrent has made deals with Hollywood and other parts of the entertainment industry for an online store and other legal downloads.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117960102.html?categoryid=1009

Some say it's a bad move cuz this was the file-sharing pirate's best friend!

Would you be willing to pay for a high-quality (legal) movie rather than take it for free and settle for (illegal) less quality?

[NealIsGod]

I could never figure out that torrent stuff. Netflix has always worked on the assumption that the future is downloading movies, and they see their current setup (mailing DVDs) as temporary. They are just waiting for technology to make it profitable for them to enter that arena.

[*Laura]

I think technology is already here...It's just a matter of (short) time until they make it accessable to the masses.
The gap between the TV and the computer will dissapear,not to mention that going to the good ole cinema will be obsolete.

At the beginning of the year,one of the cinemas in my city was permanently closed down.. People are renting or downloading rather than going to see a movie the old fashioned way.

Sorry,I'm rambling...(and renting/downloading).

[conversationpc]

Bittorrent is a pain in the ass. Not worth bothering with.

[WalrusOct9]

Would you be willing to pay for a high-quality (legal) movie rather than take it for free and settle for (illegal) less quality?

Most "illegal" mp3 bittorrent downloads are of higher quality than the legal iTunes downloads (and free from the wretched DRM). I'd be willing to bet the same would hold true for a lot of movie downloads. (at least ones of movies that are out on DVD, I'm not talking about a guy sneaking a camera into a theater)

Unfortunately, the people posting the illegal stuff are more into quality than the industry people, it seems.

As for bittorrent being a pain in the ass, I've never had any problems with it, but I've been using it for years, so I dunno.

[jrnyman28]

Once you learn the torrent system it is very cool. The hardest thing is that the uploaders may use any number of file extensions or compression programs. So you need the equivalent program to uncompress. But most stick with .rar or .sip for music. Movies still are a little more difficult.

There are already a couple of legal movie download sites out there. I am surprised that NetFlix has not jumped in the pool yet if that is already their plan. The main problem is a lot of movie download sites are not able to burn to dvd. You can view it on the computer but not on the tv. Call me old fashioned but I enjoy sitting on the couch in front of my 42" screen with my surround sound to enjoy a movie.

[NealIsGod]

There are already a couple of legal movie download sites out there. I am surprised that NetFlix has not jumped in the pool yet if that is already their plan. The main problem is a lot of movie download sites are not able to burn to dvd. You can view it on the computer but not on the tv. Call me old fashioned but I enjoy sitting on the couch in front of my 42" screen with my surround sound to enjoy a movie.

Yeah, me too (but mine is 52" ), and Netflix is biding their time until enough people can and will be able to download movies to view on their TVs. It is possible now, but we are still years away from the masses being ready for it. The interview I read with the CEO was very interesting. He started the company with the ultimate plan being that they would be a movie download site someday. The name even shows that, when you think about it.

[joybringer1]

Once you learn the torrent system it is very cool. The hardest thing is that the uploaders may use any number of file extensions or compression programs. So you need the equivalent program to uncompress. But most stick with .rar or .sip for music. Movies still are a little more difficult.

There are already a couple of legal movie download sites out there. I am surprised that NetFlix has not jumped in the pool yet if that is already their plan. The main problem is a lot of movie download sites are not able to burn to dvd. You can view it on the computer but not on the tv. Call me old fashioned but I enjoy sitting on the couch in front of my 42" screen with my surround sound to enjoy a movie.

Me too. I solved the problem with a Philips Streamium. Streams movies, images and music direct from my PC to my TV in the living room. Worth its weight in gold!