BitTorrent Offers HD Downloads
The new service will compete with iTunes and Amazon.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (February 26, 2007) -- BitTorrent, a one-time Hollywood outlaw, has partnered with several top entertainment companies to offer legal movie and TV show downloads beginning today.
The video-sharing site says the downloads will be available in High-Definition whenever possible.
Called the BitTorrent Entertainment Network, the site will initially offer roughly 5,000 movies, songs, TV shows and even computer games. Warner Bros., Paramount, Lions Gate and MGM have agreed to provide their films and shows.
BitTorrent was once public enemy #1 in Hollywood for developing a software that allowed Internet pirates to exchange videos online. However, like Napster, BitTorrent has now joined with established companies to offer its service legally.
The company's download service will compete with Apple's iTunes, Wal-Mart and Amazon, all of which now offer content online.
"They're not the enemy anymore," Doug Lee, MGM's executive vice president, told The San Francisco Chronicle today. "They're a programming partner."
BitTorrent says TV shows such as 24 and Prison Break will cost $1.99 with the high-def version at $2.99.
The film library will include the Oscar-nominated Little Miss Sunshine and Superman Returns with prices ranging from $2.99 or $3.99 per film or show, just like at a Blockbuster.
However, like Blockbuster, there are a few rules. A BitTorrent downloaded film must be watched within a month. And once the program begins, the user has 24 hours to finish it.
The downloads can be played on Microsoft's Media Player 11. To watch the programs on a television, users will need a Netgear Digital Entertainer and a HDTV.
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