decentralised TiVo?

Filed in archive Technology on March 14, 2004

It seems I had missed an important discussion some weeks ago. RSS and Bittorrent might be make together much more than just the sum of these technologies.
Matt Jones has more on this intriguing new idea:

"With the addition of RSS, BitTorrent could really be taken to the next level, and I'd be able to forget about the plumbing of TV altogether. I want RSS feeds of BitTorrent files. A script would periodically check the feed for new items, and use them to start the download. Then, I could find a trusted publisher of an Alias RSS feed, and "subscribe" to all new episodes of the show, which would then start downloading automatically --- like the "season pass" feature of the TiVo."

"The result: the TV distribution networks are completely end-run by an ad-hoc, decentralized, loosely-coupled network. And in the process, significant opportunities are afforded to independent content producers of audio and video to reach a mass audience with insignificant distribution costs."

There is a first trial site I found. However I hope we will hear more from it at the Wired Rave Awards.

#Update: Wired also has a view on this new idea.