BitTorrent Blog

Today, in partnership with our friends at VODO, we welcome you to first edition of Other Worlds– our newest Featured Content offering to our BitTorrent audience. Download here!

Other Worlds is a collection of HD Sci-Fi short films brought together by VODO’s own curators. These seven slices of heaven bring talent from award winning filmmaker and effects guru Grzegor Jonkaty grim and Nikita Ovsyanniko to name a few.

With the finale release of Pioneer One behind us, we think it is a fantastic time to offer BitTorrent users another series new sci-fci series. The first installment of Other Worlds includes:

• The Third Letter (Grzegor Jonkatys)
• Perspective (Mehment Can Kocak)
• The Return of John Frum (Christian Sschlaeffer)
• Candy (Nikita Ovsyannikov)
• Dimentional Meltdown (Ofer Pedut)
• Kitty-Kitty (Michael Medalgia)
• ITD (Framescape)

You can check out more information and download all Other Worlds shorts here.

And remember if you like what you see support the artists who support BitTorrent by donating here (even a little means a lot!).

It’s been an incredible journey. From progressive P2P experiment to massive global online success, Pioneer One is finally wrapping up.

Today is the launch of Pioneer One Episode 6: War of the World. (Download the episode or the entire series here.)

We’re definitely feeling a sense of nostalgia here at BitTorrent. All the credit and our infinite respect go to filmmakers Josh Bernhard and Bracey Smith and to Jamie King at VODO for his tireless efforts. We are extremely proud to have offered promotional support for such a worthy venture. Pioneer One was one of our original Spotlight Artist ventures, before we even formally created the program.

When we partnered with VODO and released the first Pioneer One episode last June, we had no idea how popular the made-for-torrent sci-fi series would be. Today, as we help unveil the much anticipated six and final episode to our users, the Pioneer One series has collectively been downloaded over 3.5 million times and raised almost 100,000 in fan donations. Want to express your thanks to the filmmakers? Donate here

“War of the Worlds” begins as Taylor prepares to go to the public with Yuri’s story, and everyone discovers the consequences of their actions in this wrenching finale to the heart-stopping series. What will happen? You will just have to watch and see! We know we can’t wait to find out.

Congratulations to the entire team at Pioneer One and VODO for all of your success, and a huge THANK YOU for believing in the BitTorrent community. Your efforts have opened new doors for independent filmmakers everywhere. A toast to you.

- All your fans here at BitTorrent

More Pioneer One

Feature Artist Page

Pioneer One Web Site

Donate

Facebook

µTorrent Plus is live! That’s not all – we also just released µTorrent 3.1 (free), BitTorrent Mainline Plus, and BitTorrent Mainline 7.6 (free). Read on…

The big news today is µTorrent Plus. Before we get into the details, we first want to sincerely thank all of the people who downloaded our alpha and beta test versions. Your feedback has been incredibly valuable, and we sincerely appreciate the help.µTorrent Plus enhances the original tiny-but-mighty client with select new features to make your experience more convenient and secure. One such feature is integrated antivirus from BitDefender, which automatically scans your torrents so you know they’re safer. Another is a drag-and-drop file convertor that lets you move your torrent content onto devices such as TVs, smartphones and tablets.  And there’s more (read on).“Our goal was to enhance µTorrent to be a powerful tool that lets you free your personal content from the PC,” said Jordy Berson, director of product management for µTorrent. “Plus adds key features needed to accomplish this, and then adds security to keep you safer.”µTorrent Plus is $24.95 and comes packed with rich features including:

• File conversion: Transcode downloaded files right within the µTorrent Plus software. Initial supported codecs include: MPEG-4, H.264, Theora, and VP8 video codecs; MP3, AAC and AC-3 audio codecs. With these codecs, µTorrent Plus enable users to convert files and shift them easily to Apple, Android, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 devices.
• Antivirus: Powered by BitDefender, the built-in antivirus automatically scans downloaded files for hidden viruses and malware and handles any detected infections.
• Integrated HD media player: Download a file and play it immediately in standard definition or high-definition, within the µTorrent software.
• Remote downloading: µTorrent Plus users will unlock a new feature in the popular µTorrent Remote Web service. In addition to nearly full remote control of their home torrent client through any supported browser, µTorrent Plus users will also have the ability to download files from their home torrent library to the remote computer.

Berson continues, “At the core of µTorrent Plus is always the foundation: µTorrent. We are just as enthusiastic as ever about developing and growing the free software as well as building upon µTorrent Plus.”

That leads to the next bit of news - µTorrent 3.1 (free) has just been released! Check it out – it now has an integrated media player and drag-and-drop file shifting to other devices. We also optimized client performance etc.

Lastly, for those of you who use BitTorrent Mainline, we have two surprises. 1. Plus is available for you too. A new version of BitTorrent Plus was just released, adding all the new features found in µTorrent Plus listed above. Check it out here. 2. BitTorrent Mainline 7.6 (free) also just launched! As with the new µTorrent 3.1 client, it also adds an integrated media player and drag-and-drop file shifting to other devices. Download it here now.

A press release with additional details is available here.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the holiday season is in full swing. What better way to celebrate than checking out all the pretty lights? Or rather, checking out the awesome new made-for-BitTorrent Pretty Lights media bundle available today as our new Featured Artist.

Lighting up the decks and energizing dance floors of the electronic dance music community’s biggest venues since ’09, Pretty Lights has partnered with BitTorrent to bring you a new ultra-cool bundle of some of their best genre-bending electro music, directly to our community.

Check out more info, see pictures and download the full bundle of cutting edge party beats here, including the Glowing In The Darkest Night (EP – 8 tracks), Making Up A Changing Mind (EP – six tracks), Spilling Over Every Side (EP), Pretty Lights Live @Bonaroo (Video), and the bonus hit single I Know The Truth. You can also grab the torrent directly here.

Gracing the stages and headlining some of music’s most popular festivals such as Lollapalooza, Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival, Ultra Music Fest and Bonaroo, Pretty Lights already has a huge loyal following. If you haven’t heard Pretty Lights’ unique sound, you may just miss a fantastic show when Pretty Lights swings through town. That’s why we’re privileged to bring you what you want (the Best of Pretty Lights), when you want it (right now), all in a single torrent bundle.

This release is keeping with Pretty Lights’ belief that music will and continue to be free to all who wish to enjoy their soulful funky electro sound.

When asked why BitTorrent, Pretty Lights (currently on tour in Australia) said, “I believe that the recipe for my success has been three fold. One, producing fresh and original soulful music. Two, continuing to always invest back in the production of my live show/experience. And three, pushing the envelope in the way that I distribute my music online to new listeners. The third is why I’m so excited to be partnering with BitTorrent.”

BitTorrent’s chief strategist Shahi Ghanem said, “BitTorrent has always been about technology innovation. With the Spotlight Artist program, we’re aiming to offer artists access to a massive audience to help them build a new frontier in self-distribution. This new album is the epitome of this revolutionary style, and we’re looking forward to a lasting partnership.”

Indeed as huge Pretty Lights fans ourselves, this is what we’re all looking for, the next musical high that keeps us on that dance floor to hear and see the lights, the hard-hitting bass and heart-stopping beats , the people…all in harmonic rhythm. And now you can download this special bundle today. It’s just a click away.

And if you’re in Australia, go see Pretty Lights LIVE at Oxford Arts Factory in Sydney, Australia Thursday night (tickets), and at the Stereosonic festival in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane Australia on Dec. 2-4 (tickets).

For more information about BitTorrent’s partnership with Pretty Lights, check out the press release.

Connect with on Pretty lights online:

https://www.facebook.com/PrettyLights

http://www.prettylightsmusic.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/PrettyLights…

http://twitter.com/#!/PrettyLights

Latest tracks by prettylights

http://www.myspace.com/prettylights

Have you tuned into our live studio sessions yet? These Friday night events have been a lot of fun! Our goal is to test Bram Cohen’s new live P2P streaming protocol, but the result has been truly unique for fans and viewers.

This Friday (tomorrow, 11/18) at 8:00 PM Pacific Time  (3:00 GMT), please join us to watch Lance DeSardi’s unique brand of house and techno and VJ K4′s generative visual art…a perfect way to kick off your evening before you hit the town. Visit http://live.bittorrent.com/…it’s super easy to join in. Just download the client and visit the Web page to log in and view the stream.

These tests are critical to help us get this cutting-edge technology right. So please tell your friends. The feedback and support both during the events and on Facebook are invaluable. Provide your 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.

About Lance DeSardi

Not willing to claim any one dance genre as his ‘style’, Lance DeSardi’s musical output teeters somewhere between the deeper sides of house and techno. At 32 and currently living in San Francisco, his music embraces all of his influences from over the years to the fullest, creating a unique juxtaposition of styles that anyone with discerning taste can get behind.

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Lance got into music at very early age. After finding an affinity for bands like Nine Inch Nails, Nitzer Ebb, LFO, and 808 State, it was obvious that his calling was in music of the electronic persuasion. As he dug deeper, the raw energy of the sounds from Detroit and Chicago came calling, and djing and producing weren’t far behind…

Not long after getting his production and dj career under way, Lance uprooted and moved to California. There in the fog and lights, he found his element and quickly became a mainstay in the west-coast house music community, releasing records on labels like Classic, Naked Music, Coco Machete, Seasons, and PIAS, to name a few. With his 2003 underground hit “Tie Me Up”, under the moniker Land Shark, or his huge remix of Zap Mama’s “Rafiki”, he’s firmly solidified his place in dance music lore.

These days Lance has his a hand in many different aspects of music. He runs a label and coinciding club/underground night called Bang the Box, has a slew of new releases set to go, and even does mix-down and pre-mastering work out of his home base studio, Drums & Wires. With house music back in the dance world’s favor, 2012 is shaping up to be quite a year for one of SF’s finest.

For more info visit: www.soundcloud.com/lance-desardi

www.soundcloud.com/bangtheboxsf

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1401053840

www.residentadvisor.net/dj/lancedesardi

About VJ K4:

K4 (VJ Kai) is a Visual artist with a focus on live video performance and generative visual art. As a trained New Media and Video Effects, interactive softwares, as well as develops hardware solutions using Jazz Lemur multi-touch and touch OSC technology. Since 2009, he has VJ’ed at clubs, events, and participated in festivals around the North American including Burning Man, Opulent Temple and Opel productions. His work also includes music video, art installation, stage design, video mapping, facade visual, and theater.

For more information about VJ Kai, please visit: http://vj-k4.com/