“BitTorrent rolled out a paid music and movie download service today, leveraging its fast distribution system infamous for the massive piracy it facilitated when it debuted in 2001,” Jeremy Kirk reports for IDG News Service.
Kirk reports, “The BitTorrent Entertainment Network — launched with movies such as ‘Superman Returns,’ TV shows including ’24’ and PC games — will be a new entrant challenging other download services such as Apple’s iTunes Store and Amazon.com’s Unbox. BitTorrent’s service is stocked with 5,000 movies, TV shows, PC games and music.”
“BitTorrent will use digital rights management (DRM) technology from Microsoft that will prevent protected content from being redistributed on the Internet or played on a different PC, according to The New York Times. Content will play through Windows Media Player 11, Microsoft’s multimedia application,” Kirk reports.
MacDailyNews Note: The only portable devices supported by the BitTorrent Entertainment Network are laptop PCs. Purchased or rented content will only work on Windows.
Kirk reports, “TV shows on BitTorrent are purchased for ownership, but movies will expire after either 30 days or 24 hours after a user starts watching. TV downloads will cost $1.99, while movie rentals will range from $2.99 to $3.99… Similarly, the iTunes Store sells to own, with TV episodes priced at $1.99 and movies ranging from $9.99 to $14.99.”
Full article here.
Just what the world didn’t need: another Unbox flop. Yawn.
Related articles:
Fortune: Amazon Unbox movie service ‘unfun,’ a horror show, two thumbs down – September 19, 2006
Amazon Unbox generates resounding yawns; analyst: ‘too little too early’ – September 11, 2006
CNET Alpha Blog: absolutely do not try Amazon Unbox – September 09, 2006
Analyst: ‘Amazon Unbox – Well that didn’t work at all’ – September 09, 2006
Analysts: Amazon’s ‘Unbox’ to be ‘Unsuccessful’ vs. Apple – September 08, 2006
Cringely: Apple, Amazon, and what Steve Jobs has up his sleeve for next Tuesday – September 08, 2006
Amazon.com launches ‘Amazon Unbox’ DVD-quality video download service with TV shows and movies – September 07, 2006
“BitTorrent” rhymes with “who cares”
BitTorrent Entertainment Network = BitTEN
and ‘who care’ rhymes with
sh!tabhorrent
Movies expire! Spend the extra cash and own the movie you bum!
I get my music, movies and TV shows for free on BitTorrent. I guess it will still be business as usual.
As long as their pirated content plays on the iPod, I don’t think it matters how their legit service works, or in this case, doesn’t work.
BITtorrent EntertainMent nEtwork = BITEME
DOH! *don’t work*
Another one in a long list of stupid ideas.
Amazing how people insist on setting themselves up to fail.
Even more amazing is how they manage to always raise financing for it.
It’s so sad that we can’t use all the suck-ass services, isn’t it? How much do they think they’ll sell to all those people who don’t use iPods *or* Zunes? That’s something like, what, 78 people total? You go BT.
-c
MW: ‘both’ (kinds of music: tech & no)