DoubleTwist nets $5 million in funding, debuts Windows version

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise -- money's out there if your idea is good enough. Hot on the heels of Fusion-io's grabbing of Series B funding comes this: news that doubleTwist has just acquired a solid $5 million to push forward on its all encompassing media venture. If you'll recall, the project is being headed up by the notorious DVD Jon and DRM expert Monique Farantzos. In essence, the idea is to create a multi-platform media browser that can take media from just about anywhere and place it just about anywhere else, all without forcing you to figure out messy calculations like encoding and native resolutions. In related news, doubleTwist now shows screenshots and a video (after the break) of a Windows version, which is available today for download.

Read - DoubleTwist website
Read - Funding

[jakem @ Apr 8th 2009 4:30PM]

Hideous. Isn't it enough that Apple try to impose their ugly UI on Windows users without other companies doing it?

If you're coding for Windows you should be following Windows guidelines.

[Jorvay @ Apr 8th 2009 4:38PM]

Though I wouldn't call the Mac GUI hideous (okay, I think it is too, but may people enjoy it), I really don't like it when software over-rides the standard gui of any OS. Ironically, one of the worst offenders in Windows is MS themselves with that damn Media Player interface.
I just hope the Linux version of Chrome doesn't pull this stunt.

[Zachary Waldowski @ Apr 8th 2009 4:48PM]

I think you mean MS Office more than Media Player. Media Player has always used standard OS controls... it just does its best to make it look like shit. Office, though, has had a widget set entirely different from the Windows OS it was based on forever...

Chrome is going to be cool. Right now, it uses GTK (but it doesn't render anything other than form widgets). In the current alpha versions for Linux, the UI is the exact same as the Windows one (sans animations and title bar). I assume, like with the OS X preview, that it'll pick up the colors from the GTK theme in the end to make it look/feel native. Ideally, it'd even use Compiz effects.

[superhobo @ Apr 9th 2009 4:30AM]

The Ribbon UI is now a part of Windows 7, so Office fits right in.

[TRAFFICBLOWS @ Apr 9th 2009 8:35AM]

yeah it sucks when a non-standard window format sucks... but in some cases, e.g. chrome, the new gui raised the bar!

and yeah, if this doubletwist app can do internet... it could replace windows entirely for many poeple.

[MioTheGreat @ Apr 9th 2009 12:23PM]

>one of the worst offenders in Windows is MS themselves with that damn Media Player interface.

To be fair, WMP looks pretty slick in Vista and 7.

WMP11 for XP, and most previous versions of WMP, are all awful.

[Spiraling Shape @ Apr 8th 2009 4:32PM]

Isn't there already a windows version?

[Spiraling Shape @ Apr 8th 2009 4:37PM]

Oh this is a much more extensive program than what was available before.

[jguilb @ Apr 8th 2009 4:33PM]

looks like itunes

[poached @ Apr 8th 2009 4:34PM]

it's time to plaaay!

[Spiraling Shape @ Apr 8th 2009 4:42PM]

Apparantly it no longer removes DRM, which was most of the point.

[Clyde Berry @ Apr 8th 2009 4:58PM]

There's other ways to remove DRM.... Looks interesting to me.

[comments4cheap @ Apr 8th 2009 4:46PM]

Why is there an apple comment on every post regardless if it has anything to do with that post or not? Imagine if apple was getting a penny for every time someone mention there names. They just made two.

[Psycros @ Apr 8th 2009 5:01PM]

What part of "it looks almost exactly like iTunes" is giving you trouble?

[comments4cheap @ Apr 8th 2009 5:41PM]

ITUNES

[fieldcar @ Apr 8th 2009 5:41PM]

It even launches iTunes.

[KStrike155 @ Apr 8th 2009 4:48PM]

Booo no 64-bit version. Hopefully some of that 5 mil goes to developing that! :)

[gouken85 @ Apr 8th 2009 5:10PM]

Itunes is dead! haha!
Take that Apple!

[jguilb @ Apr 8th 2009 5:56PM]

itunes is far from dead .. it is the beast that kills all in its path .. including recording labels (its alright record label execs are all idiots anyway)

[Hotrod @ Apr 8th 2009 5:19PM]

I feel like I wasted my money buying 6 gigs of ram, still too many incompatibilities running 64-bit. It's taking a lot longer to cross over to 64-bit than I thought it would.

[DR House @ Apr 8th 2009 5:26PM]

64 BIT for professionals (All professionals software is already updated for 64 BIT longtime ago)
if you wanna play your 10 years old game on your new pc dont expect it to run as smooth as the 32bit OS

Also you can always dual boot windows 32 an 64~

To me 64 Bit works perfect

[why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 8th 2009 11:18PM]

64 bit Vista works great for me. I hate that I can't run unsigned drivers. But I've had absolutely no problem running all the apps I've tried.

[Jimmy James @ Apr 8th 2009 5:39PM]

It's been said before, but I can't help but repeat it... no x64 version. That's lame. If every other 32-bit app I have runs perfectly, why is this one hard-coded to error out on install?

Lame beyond belief.

[cocoviper @ Apr 8th 2009 6:00PM]

You know you can run 32-bit apps in Vista64 guys...

[deanb @ Apr 8th 2009 6:11PM]

@ cocoviper note the "hard-coded to error on install"

Does seem kinda crap, cos 99% of 32-bit app's run on x64, seems a waste of effort to code it not to work on x64. and looking at comment's it's lost a few people who were interested in the app. Still I've bookmarked it for when they support x64, look's kind a interesting.

[marsromangod @ Apr 8th 2009 6:55PM]

humm interesting i didn't know about this. as i was reading this i was also transferring music using NokiaMusic ... not the most developed product as some of you might know. Now lets see how this thing works.

[cesium @ Apr 8th 2009 6:27PM]

aww no zune support :(

[Taylor @ Apr 9th 2009 8:21AM]

Should that description have given me a clue what this thing does?

[blanky @ Apr 8th 2009 10:10PM]

Kinda nice...even displays RAW files from my Canon 5D...

[robo @ Apr 8th 2009 11:26PM]

why do i need to sign up for a doubletwist account to use the software. wtf is it?

[why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 8th 2009 11:20PM]

Can I get $5M for ripping off iTunes UI in its entirety too?

[Anonymous Coward @ Apr 8th 2009 11:37PM]

Media Monkey is much better for maintaining music and Picasa is better for photos. Meh.

[Brent @ Apr 9th 2009 1:56AM]

"doubleTwist does not yet support Windows x64. Sorry!"

Is it going to cost another 2.5mil just to get my AMD64 extensions recognized?

[bob @ Apr 9th 2009 8:07PM]

I read on their forums that they will be releasing a 64 bit version very soon. like in a week or so.

[jezzzzy @ Apr 9th 2009 10:58AM]

nifty

[bob @ Apr 22nd 2009 4:31PM]

the 64 bit version IS out.

[bob @ Apr 22nd 2009 4:32PM]

that didn't take long.