HDV Movie available via BitTorrent

[Ben Buie]

Sorry for the used car ad subject :)

Ok, the BitTorrent download of the WMV HD version of OOWU is ready to go. Check it out:

http://www.prodigem.com/torrents/torrent_454.html

I hope this will satisfy everyone's HDV fix, seriously, we were getting a ton of requests for a downloadable version and I'm happy we finally found a solution. This is the now the cheapest (and fastest) way to get the WMV HD version of OOWU.

This is a 3GB file . . . so it will take anywhere from 2 hours to 10 hours or more depending on your connection (on my ComCast 3Mbps connection it only takes 2 hours). To get the fastest downloads you really need to open up port 6881 on your router. Since the file is so big, it may take 5 minutes or more for the download to even start, so don't panic, it is working.

I will have some more technical info about BitTorrent later, I haven't even had time to update the OOWU web page with this info yet.

Prodigem REALLY has something here, this is the only paid BitTorrent system on the planet, and it seems like the holy grail for people trying to distribute their content on-line.

Later,

Ben

[Patrick Jenkins]

Awesome!

[Christopher C. Murphy]

I'm on a Mac...this stinks!

Since you're using Bittorrent - why not post a version (Quicktime and/or Mpeg) with full HD rez in a format even Mac users can watch? I'd buy it.

[Ben Buie]

<<<-- Originally posted by Christopher C. Murphy : I'm on a Mac...this stinks!

Since you're using Bittorrent - why not post a version (Quicktime and/or Mpeg) with full HD rez in a format even Mac users can watch? I'd buy it. -->>>

Working on it, probably going to do DivX and MP4 (or QT Sorensen). Really depends on how many different versions Prodigem will allow me to put on there.

Each different version takes a while, about a full day to encode, then a full day at least to get it uploaded and set up. But we are working on it. Obviously it is in my best interest to make it as easy as possible for people to see it.

Ben

[Christopher C. Murphy]

That would be cool...and like I said, I'll buy if I can get the full screen high resolution version. I'm sure others would too. It would be something to send a press release out for too. "HD movie available for a small fee on Bittorrent!"

That would make the rounds if you did a press release...the news like that kind of stuff. It's been all negative up until now regarding Bittorrent - the news like to give another perspective. It adds drama and spawns more news!

[Ben Buie]

<<<-- Originally posted by Christopher C. Murphy : That would be cool...and like I said, I'll buy if I can get the full screen high resolution version. -->>>

Cool, the WMV HD version currently on Prodigem is the full resolution version (1280x720), but unfortunately the only platform it will reliably play on is the PC. One of the reasons we started with the WMV HD format is that is has (and will have) a lot of hardware support (such as the LinkPlayer and LinkTheater), and also at 9.2 Mbps WMV HD is basically indistinguishable from the source (Cineform HD .avi, roughly 50Mbps).

[Dylan Pank]

Ben,

In a couple of weeks time quicktime 7 will be out with the H.264 codec. Apple make big claims for this codec and it would be interesting to be able to make a comparison in terms of the quality of the two codecs.

I don't know what the licencing deals for H.264 are, what would you have to pay for DivX?

[Ben Buie]

<<<-- Originally posted by Dylan Pank : Ben,

In a couple of weeks time quicktime 7 will be out with the H.264 codec. Apple make big claims for this codec and it would be interesting to be able to make a comparison in terms of the quality of the two codecs.

I don't know what the licencing deals for H.264 are, what would you have to pay for DivX? -->>>

Decided on DivX because it plays on most computer platforms (Mac, PC, Linux, Unix) as well as on some hardware players.

The file is being encoded as we speak, at roughly 7Mbps. Thus, the file will be a little smaller (2.2GB - 2.5 GB). Audio is encoded at 192Kbps CBR (MP3).

Most people will have the best bet using the 3ivx codec set, it works well with the standard players people are used to using (Windows Media Player and Quicktime), and the installation package is small and easily uninstallable. With 3ivx installed any computer can playback DivX, XVid, or 3ivx files through the standard media players.

As an aside, if you are doing HD DivX encodes from Cineform HD .AVI files, don't waste your time with Dr. Divx. I plunked down the cash for it and it wouldn't encode from Cineform to DivX, I spent countless hours trying to get it to work. I had to get a 3rd party program (Auto Gordian Knot) to do it, so it wasn't a codec problem, just a Dr. DivX problem. I was tempted to use XviD because the file would have been slightly smaller and it is technically more MP4 compliant (and still plays with the 3vix codecs installed) and slightly higher quality, but I figured non-technical people wouldn't have a clue what XviD was and their eyes would glaze over :)

As far as the licensing question, here is a link to DivX's "indie" licensing agreement:

http://www.divx.com/divx/licensing/indies/

Basically it is free.

P.S. Might try Quicktime 7 and H264 when it is available, hopefully it is better at dealing with HD source files than Quicktime Pro 6, and does a better job at encoding (QT's MP4 output is pretty ugly compared to everything else I've seen).

Ben

[Ben Buie]

Originally Posted by Christopher C. Murphy

I'm on a Mac...this stinks!

Since you're using Bittorrent - why not post a version (Quicktime and/or Mpeg) with full HD rez in a format even Mac users can watch? I'd buy it.

The DivX HD version is live. Check it out:

http://www.prodigem.com/torrents/torrent_457.html

DivX is basically just another MPEG4 variant, plays on every platform under the sun. Pretty easy to setup, just download and install the DivX codec (http://www.3ivx.com is the best and easiest) and you can play DivX movies in your normal media player (like Quicktime, for example).

I appreciate any feedback on the DivX HD version, we do not have a Mac or Linux PC for testing. From what I've read DivX is very Mac and Linux friendly, especially if you use the codec from 3ivX.com.

Oh yeah, and this file plays on the AVEL LinkPlayer without a hitch too.

Ben

[Ben Buie]

Originally Posted by Christopher C. Murphy

That would be cool...and like I said, I'll buy if I can get the full screen high resolution version. I'm sure others would too. It would be something to send a press release out for too. "HD movie available for a small fee on Bittorrent!"

That would make the rounds if you did a press release...the news like that kind of stuff. It's been all negative up until now regarding Bittorrent - the news like to give another perspective. It adds drama and spawns more news!

Check it out:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb229020.htm

Great minds think alike Murph :)

Ben

[Ben Buie]

Originally Posted by Christopher C. Murphy

I'm on a Mac...this stinks!

Since you're using Bittorrent - why not post a version (Quicktime and/or Mpeg) with full HD rez in a format even Mac users can watch? I'd buy it.

There is a Mac-friendly MPEG4 version up now:

http://www.prodigem.com/torrents/torrent_473.html

It is full 720p, encoded at 6 Mbps.

Ben

[Till Krueger]

Hey Ben...thanks for an excellent effort!

i just purchased the WMV HD version of your movie last night and started watching it this morning...looks almost flawless (although i notice some solarization in some of the interviews so far...are those compression artifacts, or did you do some processing that caused that?).

anyway, i only had time to inspect the first 20mins. before other responsibilities got in the way...but i wanted to spend a few minutes to let you know how impressed i am by the look and feel of it all...the story seems to develop nicely as well (although "nice" isn't really the word to use here).

supporting you with a $6 download is something that is so much worth the money as well...i hope you fair well with this and that you get at least a little bit of your time and hardware investments taken care of this way...but mostly it is the inspiration that is priceless and $6 dollars is a small price to pay to get inspired.

again: thank you for doing what you're doing.

best,
Till Krueger

[Ben Buie]

Till,

Thanks for the nice comments! I'm not sure what you mean by solarization, but some of Anthony's interviews were cropped and resized by over 150% (the original framing was way too wide). Also, we put the whole show through chroma-noise reduction, which does create some ghosting artifacts during scenes with a lot of motion and bright colors. It is hard for most people to notice, and is much better than the alternative (which was chroma-noise).

Thanks again for the comments, it makes it all worth while. Prodigem has created an awesome on-line distribution model here.

Originally Posted by Till Krueger

Hey Ben...thanks for an excellent effort!

i just purchased the WMV HD version of your movie last night and started watching it this morning...looks almost flawless (although i notice some solarization in some of the interviews so far...are those compression artifacts, or did you do some processing that caused that?).

anyway, i only had time to inspect the first 20mins. before other responsibilities got in the way...but i wanted to spend a few minutes to let you know how impressed i am by the look and feel of it all...the story seems to develop nicely as well (although "nice" isn't really the word to use here).

supporting you with a $6 download is something that is so much worth the money as well...i hope you fair well with this and that you get at least a little bit of your time and hardware investments taken care of this way...but mostly it is the inspiration that is priceless and $6 dollars is a small price to pay to get inspired.

again: thank you for doing what you're doing.

best,
Till Krueger