Archive for October, 2011

BitTorrent Live Studio Test with DJ Hax and VJ Biolumenence

by BitTorrent on October 28, 2011 in Other with 3 Comments

Last Friday was another successful event at the BitTorrent Live studio! Tonight, we are excited to feature DJ Hax and VJ Biolumenence (10/28) at 8:00 PM Pacific Time  (3:00 GMT). Join us at http://live.bittorrent.com/, and help us test and define the future of live streaming technology.

Testing the live protocol is easy. When it is time for the session, visit live.bittorrent.com, download the software client and view the live video stream. Your feedback is important so feel free to provide comments directly in the client and chat with other testers/fans.

Stay tuned for more artist announcements and follow us on the new BitTorrent Live Studios Facebook page.

 

About the artists

DJ Hax

Since the advent of the Micromoog, Hax has been foraging and contributing to the soundscape of electronic music. Trained in the wizardry of the mix, and schooled in the arts of production, he has lent his talents to a broad swath of musicians and genres over the years. After long periods in both Chicago and Los Angeles, having moved through the soundscapes of Industrial and Dark Downtempo, and has now alighted upon San Francisco, where he can be found spinning genre-bending sets of electronic dance music. As both DJ and event promoter, he has worked the PAs for many parties and crews from Gruntworthy, UK’s Radio Glitch, and founded the legendary underground Rhinocorn. With infusions of sounds that seem much more familiar in a world music setting, his unique blend of beats from Breaks and Dubstep to Electro and Tech House has landed him a residency at Hookahdome, in his home town of Black Rock City, NV.

VJ Biolumenence

VJ Biolumenence has been intriguing Bay Area crowds with his dynamic, crowd pleasing visuals for over five years.  His flowing, flowering, fluctuating visuals are beamed from a beating, breathing, bawling silicon heart, filtered through the lithe liquid liturgy of the crowd’s energy and streamed steaming out high lumen projectors from SF venues (1015, Mighty, Concourse Center) to the biggest sound camps on the playa (Opulent Temple, Hookahdome, Fractal Nation).  Biolumenence has thrilled audiences along side such musical luminaries as Opiou, Infected Mushroom, Christopher Lawrence, Sid Gris, Sex Pixels, Cheb i Sebbah, and David Starfire.  Best known for his real-time “audio-reactive” visuals, Biolumenence’s shows are known for creating a flowing sense of synchronicity of the senses, and elevating the crowd’s energy into a frenetic, ecstatic, kinetic realm

BitTorrent Live Featuring DJ/Producer Jef Stott 10/21 5:00 PM PT (11:59 PM GMT)

by BitTorrent on October 20, 2011 in Other with 4 Comments

Last Friday, we had a great time kicking the tires on our upcoming live streaming protocol with DJ/Producer Janaka Selekta from our new office studio. A big thank you to all of you who tuned in – the feedback is invaluable.

In fact it was so useful that we’ve decided to continue our scalability testing efforts by holding these live events every Friday! This week we are thrilled to announce we’ll be featuring Six Degrees Recording Artist Jef Stott (read about Jef below). Please join us and tune in at 5:00 PM Pacific (11:59 PM GMT) at live.bittorrent.com.

Helping us test the live protocol is easy. Simply visit live.bittorrent.com, download the software client and view the live video stream. You can give feedback directly in the client and chat with other testers/fans.

Stay tuned for more artist announcements and follow us on the new BitTorrent Live Studios Facebook page. And thanks again…

About Jef Stott…

Jef has been on the forefront of world fusion music and global the global electronic music movement for over a decade. As a producer and composer, he has released many full-length albums with Stellamara, Lumin, MC RAI and Qadim as well as many remixes including Azam Ali, David Starfire, Gaudi, Cemali, Atash, among others. Jef has also recently become the Hookahdome, a premiere Burning Man soundcamp, artistic director and main DJ for events on and off the playa.

His work has been released on several major labels including Universal, EMI, Six Degrees, Hearts of Space, Triloka and City of Tribes.

We are excited to have Jef in the studio and want to recruit our fans to help us as we scale BitTorrent Live beta and fine-tune it for a wider release.

Joining the test is simple. When it is time, please go to live.bittorrent.com, install the latest client and play!

For more information about Jef Stott and to preview some of his music check out his Web site and follow him in social media:

https://www.facebook.com/jef.stott
http://www.jefstott.com/
http://www.embarkarecords.com/
http://soundcloud.com/jef-stott-embarka

For more information about BitTorrent Live check out the Web site and Facebook:

Live.BitTorrent.com

BitTorrent Live Facebook

For booking and studio inquiries please email  live-studio@bittorrent.com

µTorrent + BT Mac Versions Go Stable; iPad Gets Remote Makeover

by BitTorrent on October 18, 2011 in Announcements with 17 Comments

Are you on a Mac? Or do you use an iPad?

In the BitTorrent community, the number of users with at least one Apple product is growing at a pretty quick pace. And we hear you loud and clear with your requests for a little more love.

Today, we’re stepping things up with three new Mac releases – new stable versions of µTorrent and BitTorrent Mainline for Mac (“stable” means they are no longer in beta testing), and a new HTML5 mobile Web interface for the iPad.

First up are two new versions of your favorite µTorrent and BitTorrent Mainline applications for the Mac. Each were created with the idea of bringing the most popular features of the PC counterparts to the Mac clients. Key new features include RSS feeds, remote/mobile support and more (see below for a complete list). µTorrent for Mac can be downloaded here, and BitTorrent Mainline for Mac is available here.

New Mac Features

- RSS Feeds and Smart Feed Subscriptions: Subscribe to torrent RSS feeds inside µTorrent and BitTorrent Mainline. Set up Smart Feeds to auto-magically fetch torrents and start downloads.

- Scheduler: Pre-schedule start, limit and stop activity for downloads at regular intervals throughout the week. A valuable feature if you’re stymied by metered and shared networks.

- Remote + Mobile: Simple, secure access to µTorrent and BitTorrent Mainline clients from anywhere. No complicated network configuration required. Add and manage torrents from any browser, mobile browser (iPad and more), and even a native Android app.

- Advanced controls and info: More control and information about what’s happening behind the scenes. Upgraded logging features too. And, now access double-secret-super-advanced preferences (they’re hidden behind CMD+OPT+,). Use wisely.

In addition to the desktop clients, we’re happy to release a gorgeous new Web interface for µTorrent, optimized for the iPad for a great touch experience. It comes complete with all the functionality in the PC-based µTorrent Remote.

Our goal is to balance power and usability while keeping it fast and light. Give it a tap, swipe and a flick and let us know what you think. Check out the new interface from your iPad by logging in here: https://remote.utorrent.com

Thanks Mac fans – and please let us know what you think.

-Brett Nishi, Director of Product Management

Indie Artist’s Documentary Debuts on BitTorrent

by BitTorrent on October 18, 2011 in Featured Content with 4 Comments

Documentary filmmaker and guerrilla artist JaGoFF is kicking off an ongoing effort with BitTorrent today, and we’re very excited to work with them to support independent artists.

The first release is a compelling and humorous documentary chronicling a grassroots campaign to preserve the rights for independent artists to promote live shows in Chicago. “The Chicago Promoters’ Ordinance Kills Independent Music” raises awareness around laws that effect local arts and music communities.

You can download the torrent here, or visit the Featured Content page.

The film follows JaGoFF as they galvanize the independent community armed with a simple camera, a stack of flyers and a role of tape. Their street actions, comedy and honest assessment of the independent artistic community changes the way people think about government’s role in free expression.

This film is about opening the conversation with the greater artistic community and building on each other’s strength and knowledge as a collective unit of independent artists that support each other. At BitTorrent, we love to bring the positive message to the independent film and music community that one artist can make a difference and be successful while adhering to a grassroots philosophy.

“We are thrilled to be working directly with BitTorrent. It’s a natural, no-brainer distribution choice and fits exactly into the do-it-yourself message that we have been evangelizing for the last decade and a half, ” said JaGoFF.

“While much of our evangelism has traditionally been focused on the greater independent artist community, in 2008 the battle hit us in our own backyard (via the Chicago Promoters’ Ordinance – LINK). Ironically, when the Promoters’ Ordinance was introduced, we were taking part in a study w/ Hank Perritt for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, in an attempt to figure out the best way to retain our artists, rather than have them leave town to achieve greater success elsewhere.“

If you’re interested in JaGoFF’s efforts on behalf of independent artists, you can download “The Chicago Promoters’ Ordinance Kills Independent Music,” free today directly within your client or by clicking here. Want to support them? Donate to the filmmakers through Kickstarter here: http://kck.st/peBCpA

Continue reading →

R&D Live Streaming Test Friday

by BitTorrent on October 13, 2011 in Other with 3 Comments

If you’re hanging out and want to be a part of something very cool tomorrow, well then we might have your Friday night ticket. We’re suiting up for an early R&D technology test, which is open to anyone interested in helping us move our Live Streaming technology forward. Join us and our BitTorrent live testing community at 5PM PDT this Friday (10/14) for an online show featuring San Francisco’s popular DJ/Producer Janaka Selekta.

Imagine a place where Indian classical folk traditions collide into the fringes of electronic music. Where the laid back space of dub reggae meets the energy of bass rattling dancefloors. This is the contoured landscape San Francisco based DJ and Producer Janaka Selecta evokes with his debut album, Pushing Air, out on the new label Chaiwalla Boombox on July 6, 2010.

To catch the show, check in here by 5PM PDT this Friday: live.bittorrent.com.

Hope you can make it. And stay tuned for more live tests.

Pioneer One Debuts Episode 5 on BitTorrent

by BitTorrent on October 13, 2011 in Featured Content with No comments

The long awaited new episode of the popular made-for-BitTorrent series Pioneer One is now available directly via BitTorrent and µTorrent software. The torrent may be downloaded here.

The exclusive Web series, a true progressive work of art, is about the lone survivor of a lost Soviet mission to Mars and the Cold War tensions he reignites upon return to Earth. Titled “Sea Change,” the new episode marks the fifth installment of the fan favorite Pioneer One series, masterminded by writer Josh Bernhard and director Bracey Smith.

The fifth episode begins when an unannounced visitor breaks in to the Calgary base with just days left in the Quarantine. Tensions are at an all-time high.  The fate of Yuri and everyone on Tom Taylor’s team is about to be decided.

If you have not been able to catch an episode in the series we highly recommend you check out the Pioneer One content channel in both the BitTorrent and µTorrent clients. All episodes to date are available for download free.

For more information about Pioneer One, and to donate to the crowd-funded project, go to the Pioneer One Web site here http://pioneerone.tv. Support filmmakers who support BitTorrent!

µTorrent Plus Update

by BitTorrent on October 6, 2011 in Announcements with 24 Comments

Today is a small but notable milestone for µTorrent Plus. We’re launching a new test community and new alpha version! While it’s invite-only for a small group of our most active testers, if you really want to give it a test run, click here

(UPDATE: we’re currently out of invites – sorry! If you leave your email on the sign-up form, we will let you know if more are released. Or you may find a news story with a handful of remaining invites). And as a member of the test community, you’ll receive a free one year subscription to µTorrent Plus, a $25 value).

Here’s a quick reminder of some of the great features you’ll find in the final µTorrent Plus: - Integrated anti-virus from our partners at BitDefender - Drag and drop file conversion (transcode files and move them from your PC to your other devices) - A built-in media player - Remote file transfers - Dedicated customer support We’re continuing to develop µTorrent Plus and look forward to the feedback. As a reminder, you may find an invite or two here, and if you don’t, stay tuned…we’ll do our best to release more soon and we’ll send you a note. – Jordy (Director of Product Management, µTorrent)