RSSMedia's NMT Blog

Despite all the things you can do with new media technologies, from interacting with others socially, to sharing information, to deciding the future course of tv programmes etc etc, it seems the ultimate purpose for all new techs is to show TV programmes (well, perhaps not allnew techs). As well as BSkyB using broadband for TV, and video on mobiles, Microsoft are developing their own version of BitTorrent software. This is a welcome return for peer-to-peer networking software, so much maligned after Napster, KaZaA and BitTorrent to name just a few. Amongst other things, TV programmes can be downloaded and watched on-demand, and with American programmes often long before they're aired in the UK. If you haven't come across BitTorrent, there's a good article on the Guardian's website. The principle is very similar to previous popular versions of peer-to-peer software: users can share whatever is on their hard disc, or can locate material others have put on the internet. The only problem is that much of the shared material is copyrighted... and as parents are now starting to realise, this can be expensive. Of course the concept of being able to access virtually any TV programmes and films on-demand is a very attractive one; users will continue to break the law until a legitimate and comprehensive service is available, regardless of a few high-profile court cases. Music downloading has been transformed over the past two years or so, not as a result of legal action but surely as a result of the ease of use of services such as the iTunes store; users will pay if given the option. With broadband rates soaring in the UK, the demand can only grow.