Slighly OT:Warner to Embrace File-Sharing in BitTorrent

[terryj]

Now, on the heels of Fox joining iTunes yesterday,
all we need for revolution to pass is for

1. Apple to embrace BT in OSX 10.5
2. Sony and Paramount to follow Warners
3. Prices to get more in line with consumers: A BT MPeg-2 file
for $19.95? with no extras? WTF?!?!?


Warner to Embrace File-Sharing in BitTorrent Deal
Author: STEPHANIE PRANGE
sprange@questex.com
Posted: May 9, 2006
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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group has inked a deal with file-trading service BitTorrent Inc. for online delivery of motion picture and television content in the United States, becoming the first major studio to provide legal video content through BitTorrent.

BitTorrent will provide the first peer-assisted technology platform to offer U.S. consumers legal content on both a video-on-demand (VOD) and electronic sellthrough basis, day-and-date with the DVD release.

The announcement follows BitTorrent's agreement with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to prevent film piracy and promote innovation in online digital distribution of content. Content published with BitTorrent will be available on the BitTorrent.com Web site and feature downloadable programming.

BitTorrent’s system, which breaks down files into small pieces for faster peer-to-peer delivery, is the first such network in the United States that combines guaranteed availability, high-quality video and rapid download rates, Warner stated.

"The technology behind BitTorrent is elegantly designed for the delivery of large files like TV programs and films. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group was established to provide innovative, next-generation distribution models, and this relationship provides our company with a unique platform to reach a new set of movie fans," said Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. "BitTorrent has made the leap in creating a legal partnership that respects the value of the intellectual property. This has provided us with a next-generation platform for the distribution of our films and TV programs."

The service is intended to launch in summer 2006 and will initially feature more than 200 Warner Bros. new releases, catalog favorites and television series. Featured titles to be initially offered will include Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, The Dukes of Hazzard, North Country and Rumor Has It…, as well as library titles such as The Matrix, Dog Day Afternoon, Natural Born Killers and Vegas Vacation. TV programming will include shows such as "Babylon 5" and "The Dukes of Hazzard."

"BitTorrent is the ideal platform to publish high-quality content on the Internet. By combining Warner Bros.' popular video content with BitTorrent's proven delivery efficiency, consumers will have an unparalleled way to experience entertainment online," said Ashwin Navin, president and co-founder of BitTorrent. "As developers of the leading peer-assisted protocol, we're pleased to be working with Warner Bros., an industry innovator with the largest library of motion pictures, to bring our millions of users entertainment at the click of a mouse."

"Warner Bros. is in the business of making its movies and TV shows available to as wide an audience as possible. The launch of a legal BitTorrent online video service allows us to extend our reach to places our content would not ordinarily be found legally and opens up new opportunities. Entering into agreements such as this to distribute our content is not only a better way to reach existing and new customers but a reflection of the critical role distribution technologies play in the future of the entertainment industry," said Darcy Antonellis, EVP of distribution technology and operations for Warner Bros. Technical Operations.

Warner Bros also plans to sell permanent copies of television series and films online, that can later be burned onto backup DVDs. However the burned copies can be played only on machines that are used for download and not on standard DVD players.

Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group, believes that if they are able to convert even 5 to 15 percent of the peer-to-peer users who currently obtain products from illegitimate sources into legitimate buyers, the new distribution channel can then be held as harboring the potential to effect a major impact on the industry.

Although no specific date has been given, the service is expected to start this summer. The pricing for the service has also not been announced but sources reveal that television shows might cost as little as $1 while films might cost around the same amount as DVDs.

[DanSlagle]

Yeeah I will just go buy the DVD for $20 thanks. LOL

[whitejremiah]

towards the low end of this, i may consider it (like the 1 to 2 dollar range) once you start hitting even like five bux, though, you just lost me on that, because honestly, i like watching dvd's on my tv, not on my computer....

edit: didn't see that the lower end of this was for tv shows and the like....im probably gonna have to take a complete pass on this, since i can legally obtain tv boxsets relatively cheap from time to time (used ones, but i dont care too much, still the same content, and i make sure they arent too shredded up before buying em) that, and there's not a lot of tv shows i personally care about watching the entire series.......for me, tv shows are a good way to kill time when i got nothing better to do, nothing more...surely not worth a dollar for a half hour of mindless entertainment..

edit #2: if they stripped the DRM out of this whole thing, i MAY consider it (although im pretty confident that they are gonna definately be keeping it)

[terryj]

It will be Definitely DRM'd..most likely Mr. Softee's DRM
( as evidenced by the "you can only play it on the computer
you burned it on" remark"), which will screw them out
of the market share, until somebody finds a way to crack it.


But, yeah...you'd think Warner's would learn their lesson...
what am I saying, this from the company that Released
La Femme Nikita (any season) on DVD to the tune of $99 US!
( I got my set used for $29.95)