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mariposaHD joins Instant Media
It seems appropriate that the internet's first HDTV show and the internet's first high-def network should pair up so they did. Our friends at mariposaHD have announced that you can download their shows in the iHD format via the I'M player, though they will also continue to be available via BitTorrent. Not to be confused with HD DVD's iHD, Instant Media's format is designed for viewing 720p content over the internet without requiring a high-powered machine. We considered reviewing Instant Media's HD platform when it launched a few months ago, but the high-def content was so limited and boring (think QVC + your local access channel in 720p and you've pretty much got it) we couldn't bring ourselves to watch, much less write about it at the time. Hopefully this is a sign of change for the better.
Opera 9 goes Universal
Opera, the little browser that could (and did - go free, that is), has finished its beta and reached version 9, going Universal in the process. New features include: a built-in BitTorrent client adding your favorite search engines to Opera's search bar simply by right-clicking them site-specific preferences for cookies, pop-ups, etc. thumbnail previews of tabs when hovering over them widgets (hey, at least they didn't call 'em 'gadgets') customizable content blocker and more This version definitely seems snappier now that it's Universal, and (say what you have to) these new enhancements like a built-in BitTorrent client show that Opera is blazing a trail faster than its competition. Give this version a whirl if you haven't touched Opera in a while but are still curious about it. If you need help with a browser transition, why not check out some of the del.icio.us tools (like my personal favorite: Delibar) we've blogged that take the 'bookmarks bar' out of the browser and into Mac OS X's menubar, removing the need for worrying about which browser you're using.
Use Mail.app as a remote torrent client
An enterprising Mail.app user by the name of Matt Comi has ironed out a simple yet powerful trick for using Mail.app as a remote bittorrent client, of sorts. Basically, he set up a rule in Mail.app with a custom AppleScript that looks for torrent file attachments. This AppleScript then sends the torrent file to Azureus for downloading. Check out his site, Big Bucket Amusement, for instructions, screenshots and the script you'll need.[via Hawk Wings]
HDClips.net - high-def content via Bit Torrent
Even though there is a good amount of HDTV stations available now, we still need more content. We stumbled across HDClips.net via their high-def trailer site of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The site has some forums and general news but the true gem is their torrent listings of HD clips. Currently there isn't that much on the site as they seem kind of new but we would totally recommend downloading some of the HD Demo Loops that they have. These are the loops that you will find in retail stores that make the HDTVs look so good. Our favorite one so far as been the Seven Seasons Sony loop - astounding.
Warner distributing movies via BitTorrent
No mention of resolution, although they seem to compare only to DVD so high definition is probably out of the question, but digital distribution is getting a big boost this summer when Warner joins with BitTorrent to release day-and-date with their DVDs over the internet. The bad news is that the DRM will prevent any copying to DVD.We'll see how well this works out, as BitTorrent is still very much the Wild Wild West when it comes to content. A quick search for HD on the website brought up our good friends over at mariposaHD...and lot of HDRips. Good luck with that piracy prevention Warner.Disclaimer: Time Warner is the parent company of this blog and Warner Bros. Entertainment[Via Engadget]
High-def E3 content via Bit Torrent
Check this out: high definition content right from E3! A few gaming sites have this type of content out but it is part of their premium services. It would have been sweet to see these live but that's what we have HD for, right? These are all torrents so you will need a torrent manager like uTorrent in order to download them. Judging by the size of 'em they don't seem like they would be to long but any high-def is better then no high-def. Let us know what you think. Are these PS3 game clips dramatically better then the 360s?[via Digg]
Patoh's external P2P client / NAS
What do you get when you cross a 250GB Buffalo LinkStation network attached storage (NAS) device with some custom home-server software, a multi-protocol peer-to-peer client that supports FTP, Kad, BitTorrent, Overnet, FastTrack, and eDonkey? Well, for one you get a small device -- not unlike the LamaBox -- that can continuously download and seed your torrent data after you've shut down for the night, thereby keeping that ratio up and preventing you from getting booted from your fav invite-only tracker into the cold, harsh world of Scandieland downloads from less reliable anonymous sources. Do we sound like we know way too much about this stuff? Maybe so, which probably has something to do with the fact that we're a little stoked for Patoh's external RochiP2P 250, which should supposedly set you back €299 ($380 US) for the above features in that same familiar looking old Buffalo box shown here. Unfortunately it appears the Patoh uses desktop software to control all those torrents instead of a nice web interface, but we, um, never get our media online or do any torrenting ourselves, so what Patoh does or doesn't do with their products is really none of our concern. Ahem.
HDTV on BitTorrent: Soderbergh's next film
Everyone's favorite day-and-date releasing director, Steven Soderbergh recently spoke at the Tribeca Film Festival and had some sharp words for Hollywood's current distribution model as noted in Wired. What they didn't mention was that his next project, a short film for a DVD monthly, will be distributed via BitTorrent. Is he going to be able to redesign Hollywood from scratch one torrent at a time? We don't know but we'll keep our uTorrent client at the ready just in case.[Via digg]
Widget Watch: BitSticks
VanillaSoap Design, the folks behind the slick Capture Dashboard widget, have released a public beta of BitSticks, their newest widget. BitSticks is a stand alone Bittorrent widget, and it works just as you would expect. Grab a torrent file in the Finder, invoke Dashboard and drop the file onto BitSticks. Next, sit back and relax as your download progresses. It's not a full-featured client, of course, but it gets the job done with those smaller files you simply need to grab.
Akihabara HD
AkihabaraNews is one of our favorite sites, the best English language site I know of for tech news in the land of "gadgets we'll never see here", aka Japan. They also feature video downloads of some of these cool items, and now will be showing them off in stunning high definition.So if you could, please stop by and check out the test clip they're distributing via BitTorrent (uTorrent is the best client out, period), and look forward to some sort of Sanyo HD surprise on January 11th.
ipodnova.com lists iPod torrent sites
Care to take bets on how long ipodnova.com will stay up? This site lists various torrent repositories that have sprung up that are dedicated to letting you download videos for that new iPod you got for Christmas. While TUAW does not condone such behaviour we feel that it is our bloggerly duty to point out the existence of this site.
mariposaHD: The Internet's first high definition TV show?
I must applaud the gentlemen at mariposaHD. These innovators no, pioneers, nay, heroes are (I think) the first people to produce a show in high definition for distribution over the Internet. It must be a rough life videotaping young women frolicking in South America, and I for one salute them in their efforts to spread the joy of 1080i everywhere. If you support these young men in their endeavors please donate the two gigabytes of hard drive space necessary, download and seed the torrent. I recommend uTorrent (via DownloadSquad) as an excellent BitTorrent client.The videos are made available free of charge, as WMVHD files in either 1080i, 720p or iPod video format. Sounds perfect for streaming to the Xbox 360, if you have Windows Media Center of course. Where did I put my list of reasons to envy Kevin cuz I need to add one more. I suspect that this show will require much more in depth coverge and hours and hours of long research, but if the guys at mariposaHD can make it, then it is my purpose and duty to view it (many times).Read [Via digg]
Mac Guide to Torrent TV
Check out this visual guide for downloading TV torrents to your Mac, entitled "The Poor Man's TiVo." Pretty sweet. Very easy.The networks need to start enabling net distribution of their shows via torrent. There is clearly a market for this service, legality issues be damned, and it wouldn't be hard to subsidize the endeavor with advertising on the website and in the video files. For more on how smart this would be for the networks, read this.Imagine: instead of setting your PVR to record your shows, set your Mac mini to automatically download your favorite shows. I don't know if Bittorrent for OS X (the program covered in the tutorial) supports such automation, but there is a plug-in for Azureus, RSS Import, that can be set to automatically check RSS feeds and download the relevant files. Actually, forget imagining. You can do this right now.[via MacSlash]
