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Planex intros Jack in the Box iTunes/DLNA media server
Looks like Planex is joining Princeton, Buffalo, and others in talking up the iTunes/DLNA capabilities of its NAS media servers, tossing in some added branding for good measure with its new Jack in the Box unit. Like Princeton's offering, Planex's will require you to supply your own hard drive, although it takes things one step further with room for two 3.5-inch SATA drives (up to 750GB each), with support for RAID 0 or 1 configurations. Like some of Planex's other NAS servers, this one also promises to play nice with BitTorrent, with its own client taking some of the load off your PC. Rounding things out, you'll also get a built-in SD/MMC card slot, which you can use to offload data at the touch of a button. Look for this one to hit Japan later this month for ¥39,800, or about $334.[Via Impress]
Widget Watch: CreateTorrent
Whether you're digging the recently-out-of-beta Xtorrent or you roll with a different app, you might still need a simple way to actually create a .torrent file to help with the seeding process. There are of course plenty of ways to do this, but the new CreateTorrent Dashboard widget is handy for the widget junkies in the crowd. A simple drag and drop of a folder or file will create the proper .torrent file, ready for seeding in your favorite BitTorrent application.The CreateTorrent widget is free and available from MacUpdate.
Xtorrent and Inquisitor officially out of beta
When it comes to 'lickable' interface design, there's no question that indie Mac developer David Watanabe is a top practitioner. His latest projects, the BitTorrent client Xtorrent (discussed here in beta form) and Safari search extender Inquisitor v3 are both debuting as full-fledged, bye-bye-beta products today. Inquisitor is free, and Xtorrent's Pro mode will set you back $20; the unregistered version has a download speed throttle among other limitations.Xtorrent's journey through the beta process has resulted in some criticisms leveled: for the use of open-source code from the Transmission project that may cause problems with some torrent trackers, and for Mr. Watanabe's sometimes brusque approach to customer service. While I can't speak to the tracker issues (in general, if one torrent client doesn't work for you, try another), we have an example of good end-user experience handling with Xtorrent and a point raised by our own David Chartier about the rather harsh phrasing of the license entry dialog (over here on this Flickr thread, of all places). The developer responded to the criticism not only with a rephrased dialog (requiring a new build) but also with a license code recovery page on the Xtorrent website. Well played, sir.
How To: Using your Mac as a NAT router
No doubt you know that sharing your internet connection on your Mac is easy. For instance, if want to turn any Mac with a built-in Airport card into a wireless router (e.g. with a cable or DSL modem plugged into the built-in ethernet port), all you have to do is go to the Sharing pane of your System Preferences select it and hit start. However, what if you want to do something a little bit more complicated? In this tutorial I'll cover some other ways for turning your Mac into a router, including over FireWire and adding a second ethernet port via USB (which can be really tricky).
BitTorrent Entertainment Network disappoints, frustrates
It's no surprise that BitTorrent's new venture peddling movies, TV shows, and video game downloads has failed in the eyes of many a new user, including the fine folks at Ars Technica. Their initial review reported positive marks for customer experience while browsing and purchasing, however once payment was received, hurdles were quickly set in place. BitTorrent failed to recognize the user's PC, however a Mac with the same IP worked swimmingly -- the real pain being that the files weren't Mac-compatible, so they had to be transferred to the PC for viewing. Download speeds were found to be fast, "but not really any more so than you would expect with any other commercial service." The bulk of frustration was attributed to -- surprise, surprise -- DRM failure, where over 50% of the purchases were rendered useless... quite the cherry on top of a fruitless ordeal. Should BitTorrent choose to continue BTEN service with a gusto, they'd be wise to ensure a smooth ride from start to finish -- and they better act fast before media-less customers go back to using the old, scary, wild-west-style BitTorrent.[Via Slashdot]
BitTorrent Entertainment Network: Where's the HD?
The BitTorrent Entertainment Network just launched, and while the press release touts content form an impressive number of content partners, it only notes 40 hours of HD programming currently available. A quick look at the BitTorrent page shows our friends mariposaHD and a few documentaries from Voom. Meanwhile Superman Returns, Beerfest and Crank are only available in standard definition formats. Many of these titles are already available in HDTV formats via the Xbox Live Video Marketplace or other -- less legitimate -- torrent sources. The technology would seem to lend itself to moving large HD-quality files around easily, despite the movies being limited to DRM-restricted rentals, but so far they seem to be missing the kind of content we're looking for.
Xtorrent Beta 3: RSS "Torrentcast" Support
We've mentioned the two previous betas of Dave Watanabe's excellent bittorrent client Xtorrent. Now beta 3 is out and adds a long promised feature: RSS support. With beta 3, you can subscribe to a RSS feed from a torrent tracker site, and, according to Dave, "you are presented with a continuously updated list of torrents from that feed." Starting the downloading just requires a click of the download button. Continuing the recent trend, Xtorrent is available now with special "pre-release pricing," for $15.89 (versus $18.99 when released). Xtorrent definitely seems to be the most stylish of the Mac bittorent clients; with the excellent built-in torrent searching features and RSS feed support, it looks to be a certain winner. Perhaps the biggest thing Xtorrent still needs is support for some sort of automated downloading, so that the user wouldn't even have to hit the download button.
Onkyo's BR-NX10: if Ginsu made shelf systems
In Japan, the hand can be used as a knife (HiiiiYa!) and bookshelf audio systems feature big LCDs for surfing on-line music. The NR-NX10 from Onkyo packs an 80GB disk drive to store all your downloaded tracks or any PCM/ATRAC/MP3 files you've ripped direct from its CD player. No, we're not talking BitTorrent or Usenet downloads, devices like these grab tracks off Sony's AnyMusic on-line service over their built-in Ethernet ports. But wait, there's more. Own a USB mass-storage compliant audio player? Great, plug it in cause the BR-NX10 can grab those files too. Sure, it probably rocks DLNA streaming from your PC like other Onkyo systems... but can it cut a tomato? You might expect to pay ¥150,000 or even ¥200,000... but if you act now (ok, March when they ship) it can be yours for the low, low price of just ¥94,500 (about $778). They'll even throw in a pair of matching speakers for as little as ¥18,900 (about $156). [Via Impress]
Planex's 750GB+ NAS server and BitTorrent client: make a label hate you
Planex loves 'em some BitTorrent so they're bringing us another network attached storage device with that copyright stompin' preload. The NAS-01G can be configured with up to 750GB of hot Seagate 'cuda 7200.10 disk (model NAS-01G750) or shipped as a shell for you to slot in any 3.5-inch SATA spinner of your choosing. Need more? Then go ahead and sling a few more disks off the 2x USB 2.0 jacks -- Planex won't mind, their NAS unit packs gigabit Ethernet to push that data around the home network on the quick. But make no mistake boy, it'll churn through torrents just fine without the need for your power-hungry PC or Mac soaking up the amperage all night. Save the environment and piss off a major label... good times. The NAS-01G750 is on sale now in Japan (with optional English firmware) for ¥82,000 or about $675. [Via Impress]
The Pirate Bay eying Sealand to escape digital persecution
While Sweden (and Russia, to name a few) has long been a country of choice when it came to hosting less-than-upstanding websites, the head honchos around the globe looking out for their precious content have somehow reached The Pirate Bay, and now the popular torrent tracking site is eying the micronation of Sealand as a safe haven for its dubious hosting needs. Sealand, which is loosely claimed as a principality, features its own flag, coat of arms, currency, stamps, passports, and most importantly, a quasi-coat of armor from any nation's laws. Although the background of 5,920-square foot man-made installation off the shore of Suffolk, England is quite remarkable, TPB sees its two massive columns as a perfect place for future hosting duties. Formerly the home of HavenCo, an off-shore hosting company that housed gambling sites, money transferring liaisons, and any other operation looking for internet freedom, Sealand could be a potential sanctuary from the claws of the RIAA, MPAA, and other content "owners." Although a principality can't legally (saywha?) be "sold," the family in possession of it recently began accepting offers "upwards of eight figures" for a transfer of ownership after (quite literally) holding down the fort since 1967, and while we highly doubt a fundraiser can scrape up that kind of loot anytime soon, nor do we believe it'd stop the barrage of content guardians, we must say the location looks like an excellent place to just get away from it all (including lawyers) -- if only for awhile.[Thanks, iamsoinsane, photo courtesy Kim Gilmour]
BBC teams up with Azureus for Zudeo distribution
A fancy new distribution platform is only as good as its content, and while we knew Azureus had the former down pat with Zudeo's snappy HD distribution techniques, we weren't quite sure what they had up their sleeve for the latter part of the equation. Well, good news: BBC just signed up for Zudeo, and will be making "hundreds of episodes" available on the fledgling download service. "Programmes" will include Red Dwarf, Doctor Who and The League of Gentleman, with classics such as Fawlty Towers available as well. There will be DRM slapped on top of the shows, which will be distributed in a "high-quality" form, and there's no word yet exactly how much Zudeo will be charging for these downloads, but if they can break through that $1.99 barrier we're seeing good things in Zudeo's future -- especially with more content deals on the way, which Azureus is planning to announce in January.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Azureus pushes HD video sharing via BitTorrent
You're probably familiar with Azureus because of its popular BitTorrent client, now they're rolling that into a digital media platform called Zudeo. As Wired points out, like Youtube, Zudeo aims to let content providers publish and showcase material easily and freely. Unlike Youtube, Zudeo is built to support high definition video and long form content. According to the CEO, it has signed deals with 12 television film and media companies, with content, pricing and DRM details forthcoming in the next couple of weeks. The site is active today, and you can already find and download some of Engadget HD's favorite content like mariposaHD and Elephant's Dream. We tested it out and had no problems with download speed or playback of the VC-1 and h.264 encoded files, but we're not sure if they're ready to rival Youtube just yet. Since it requires additional software and doesn't just play in the browser, a lot of the convenience of other video sharing sites is lost, and as traffic increases Zudeo will need to rely on its own customers to continue to seed downloaded files. We'll see if Zudeo has what it takes as HDTV and IPTV grow closer together over the next year, and face rivals at Warner, MyTVPal, Xbox Live and others.[Via Wired & PVR Wire]
BitTorrent strikes a deal with Hollywood
You might consider BitTorrent to be the discerning pirate's choice when it comes to obtaining everything from movies to software. Well, it's about to go mainstream, given that BitTorrent, Inc. announced a partnership with pretty much everyone in Hollywood, including 20th Century Fox, G4, Lions Gate, MTV Networks, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and plenty others. This isn't the first time that the establishment has saddled up with everyone's favorite file sharing company, although we're not exactly sure what the effects were on the seedy underground of the internets, nor what new revenue Warner Bros. saw from that deal. Still, this new unnamed service's offerings and prices will be made available in February 2007, which will be when the BitTorrent's new online retail marketplace opens for business.[Thanks, Alan]
Xtorrent Public Beta 2
David Watanabe (of NewsFire fame) has released a second public beta of Xtorrent, his BitTorrent client that first appeared on the scene back in September. The largest change is one of the least visible: a major overhaul under the hood of the downloads pane to pave the way for upcoming integration between the search pane, downloads pane and a future RSS module (oh Dave, you're such a tease). The swarm column was also redesigned to be more forthcoming on seeds and leeches (expand yours if it's too thin), and the main window now allows you to drag-and-drop torrent files, complete with a "slick informational overlay."Xtorrent is free while in beta and is available from Xtorrentp2p.com.Thanks Junior
Transmission 0.7 beta reviewed by Torrentfreak
The market for Mac torrent clients has been expanding quite a bit recently, and Torrentfreak has a nice review of a new beta version of Transmission, a long-standing favorite of many a Mac torrenter. While the review rounds up many of the nice new features, I'll give you the cliff notes for the slackers in the crowd: "Transmission 0.7 Beta is by far the fastest, most light-weight and one of the most appealing BitTorrent clients for the Mac."Diving further in, some of Transmission's new features seem to be inspired by Xtorrent, a new beta client from Dave Watanabe (of NewsFire fame). Of these new features, notables include time-of-day based speed limits (i.e. - slow down my torrent downloads while I'm at my desk at work from 9-5), as well as a Watch Folder with automatic cleanup of your torrent files (again, very Xtorrent inspired). The idea is: most Mac browsers by default download all files to the desktop, but that might not be where torrent users want to keep their downloads as well. This Watch Folder allows Transmission to automatically snag any torrent files you download to the desktop, move them to a user-specified folder and begin the torrent download. Ah, software automation - it's a beautiful thing.Check out the rest of Torrentfreak's review, as plenty more is packed under the hood of this new beta.[via digg]
BitTorrent clients coming to NASes and routers: PC-less downloads for all
First came the trickle, now the flood. See, BitTorrent is expected to announce 7 routers and 2 NAS storage devices with built-in BitTorrent clients sometime today. Asus will be adding two additional BitTorrent capable routers with 5 more on the way from Planex set to undermine the ethics of Japan. QNAP then, will bring the necessary networked disk with a couple of BitTorrent-enabled NAS servers. Look MPAA, RIAA, we know this isn't how you'd like to start your Monday but just look at the brightside: it's an environmentally friendly way for the kids to be kids since now their PCs won't be running all the time. Hell, we'll even provide ya a list of products for the injuction since it's doubtful you'll find a "made for BitTorrrent" logo anywhere on the box: Asus WL-500gP and WL-500gW routers, the Planex BRC-W14VG-BT, BRC-14VG-BT, BRC-W14V-BT, BLW-HPMM-U, and BLW-HPMM-G routers, and the QNAP TS-101 (pictured) and QNAP TS-201 NAS servers. The ASUS and QNAP boxes will be available Stateside with the TS-101 sporting an eSATA intereface, 3x USB 2.0 ports, and gigabit Ethernet interface for about $279. It certainly won't stop here (without legal intervention) since the client in many cases -- like the TS-101 -- is just a firmware update away. Look, why fight it, let the people embrace their legal right to download copyrighted material, uh, in Holland.
1UP urges us to buy, not steal
1UP reports that Final Fantasy XII is being illegally distributed via bit torrent, with multiple bit torrent user comments confirming that the torrents house playable English versions of Square Enix's RPG. In response to the alleged leak, the site has issued the following PSA:"Forgetting that pirating is a criminal activity, 'Final Fantasy XII' is supposed to be an absolutely incredible RPG -- we strongly encourage gamers to wait a few more weeks for the real game to properly reward Square Enix for their labored work."We can't think of a better way to put it. Keep it real right, y'all!
Full version of Gears of War leaked? [update 1]
Gears of War has been pirated and uploaded to an Xbox 360 binaries group on Usenet. The file clocks in at around 7.2 gigs in 157 parts, and will require someone with patience, bandwidth and no sense of morals to download. Is it real? Nobody knows. While it is hard to imagine this being legit, it definitely represents a problem to the developers. We're surprised the feed didn't get the smackdown immediately, but trying to rollout a significant next-gen title might occupy most of your free time.If people could just be patient, this game will be in your hot little hands very soon. So stop wasting your time downloading useless binaries, and just stare at a calendar. Or you could go to a preview of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, and get hands on with Gears afterwards.[Thank, Bran][Update, took out the link ... we're definitely not encouraging piracy here, folks.]
Xtorrent Beta 1
You kids and your bittorrents. Why, I remember when I was in college and Napster was all the rage (this was when Napster was new, and still cool). We had one source for our downloads and we liked it.Now everyone is bittorrenting files to and fro (only open source software and the like, I am sure), and now there is a new OS X bittorent client called Xtorrent. This is from Dave Watanabe, the creator of NewsFire, so you know it is going to be pretty. Xtorrent has a bunch of neat features, and is now available as a beta. Check it out, bugs and all (I mean, it is a beta).
HD video direct from IFA 2006
From the same good people who brought you high definition video of bumbling CeBIT representatives comes DivX HD video straight from the IFA 2006 showfloor. That shiny thing up there is the Toshiba SED HDTV they're now saying is due late-2007. Also available for download are videos of the Xbox 360 and HD DVD player, and the Sharp, Panasonic, Philips and Blu-ray press conferences from last week, all in 720p via direct-download or BitTorrent.
