Big file-sharing is about to hit the small screen. Peer-to-peer protocol developer BitTorrent and Slovakia-based IPTV maker Antik have partnered up to deliver television-based file-sharing. Showing off a BitTorrent Certified update to the latter's line of "Juice" set-top boxes at CES this week, the pair believe the partnership will ease new users into the potentially tricky process as more and more consumers connect their televisions to the Internet.
While most immediately associate BitTorrent with piracy, Antik Technology CEO Igor Kolla touted its legal applications as the main draw.
"Thanks to our partnership with BitTorrent, we launched the world's first set-top box with BitTorrent technology baked in as a solution for customers who want to record hi-def memories with their smart-phones, digital SLRs and HD camcorders," he said. "The BitTorrent Certified Juice set-top box will help consumers find, play and share all types of media files."
The set-top box business is still niche, but has shown signs of growth. Apple currently leads the market with its Apple TV player. The company sold four million units of the device last year and holds over 30 percent of the nascent market.
BitTorrent, which revealed that a combined 150 million people actively use its μTorrent and Mainline software clients, sees the partnership as a no-brainer.
"Personal media files are becoming bigger and bigger because the resolution of the recording devices has improved dramatically," said Shahi Ghanem, chief strategy officer of BitTorrent. "Peer-based computing is the fastest way to send these huge files over the Internet."
Set-top boxes aren't the final frontier for the file-sharing leader. BitTorrent is working with Turkish TV manufacturer Vestel on a project to place its software directly inside a TV. The company also inked a deal with BBK Electronics to bring its peer-to-peer clients to various devices in the Russian market.
