The world changes. A revolution is taking place – bittorrent is really gaining users. Possibly several hundred million people are now using bittorrent platforms, and the fight about markets, systems, technology, ownership, new and old-fashioned legal systems, user interests, new companies and old vested interests is coming into focus.
This also has to do with costs: how little can you do it for? How efficient are your methods? A new way of thinking is surely coming in the media business, and some creative destruction will be seen. BitTorrent technology has turned conventional distribution economics on its head. The more popular a large video, audio or software file, the faster and cheaper it can be transferred with bittorrent. The result is a better digital entertainment experience for everyone.
The first client, known as BitTorrent, was created by Bram Cohen in October 2002. It is a tool for peer to peer file distribution which seamlessly integrates with the web. A BitTorrent client is a computer program that manages downloads and uploads using the BitTorrent protocol. BitTorrent was originally conceived as a legitimate way for people to publish large files without having to host all of the bandwidth themselves.
BitTorrent is now also a company, along with other competitors. Vuze – another company - is a popular entertainment platform for high-res digital content. The old vested interests have seen the potential and are joining up. High quality content from television networks, production studios and indie content creators will be found on advanced, open entertainment platforms.
BitTorrent is a protocol allowing you to download files quickly by allowing people downloading the file to upload (distribute) parts of it at the same time. BitTorrent is often used for distribution of very large files, very popular files and files available for free, as it is a lot cheaper, faster and more efficient to distribute files using BitTorrent than a regular download.
There are many challenges ahead:
- Legal – ref. case against Pirate Bay: “Only torrent files are saved at the server. That means no copyrighted and/or illegal material are stored by us. It is therefore not possible to hold the people behind The Pirate Bay responsible for the material that is being spread using the tracker. Any complaints from copyright and/or lobby organizations will be ridiculed and published at the site.” Pirate Bay lost the case – is a )
- Business models
- Equipment manufacturers to allow streaming from the net
- Competing technologies – ex. Usenet, new file-sharing methods
- Development of bittorrent technology itself
Modern thinking simplified is that everyone who has content can do what they like with it including making it available for torrents. If you can get it free on the net do so! The end user is in focus, and will want low or nil costs, ubiquitous availability, ease of use, actuality, modernity, communities, social settings, ……..
The big picture is evolving! Legal issues and tactics will not stop this. My aunt used to play the piano at the silent movies – silent movies disappeared a long time ago – we are now ready for yet another round of renewal.
We will now see new complex services – distributed file systems, peer-to-peer file sharing, content distribution systems, cooperative web caching, multicast, anycast, domain name services, instant messaging.
The revenue bit is not my concern – the industry will surely not collapse. The artists will still be with us when the “studios” are gone, copyright is about 300 years old, art is eternal.
Global Gaming Factory is announcing a takeover of Pirate Bay and plans to introduce a new filesharing technique to revolutionize the industry!