Channel 9 allows you to distribute Underbelly 2 via Bit Torrent !
In what can only be described as an amazing move, Channel 9 are allowing you to download and distribute Underbelly 2 episodes via Bit Torrent.
The very successful first series is now followed up by a prequel series. Almost 2.6 million Australians tuned in to watch the season premiere, but if you missed it you can actually download it – legally!
It does require you to use their HIRO player (12.8Mb), but it’s probably a small inconvenience to get the content, especially if your a fan of the show. The file is 1.2GB (despite the site listing it as approx. 800Mb) for a double length episode (1hr 23 minutes). As another bonus to the on-demand nature of this, it’s commercial free !
Amazingly below the download details was this statement.
“You can also copy and share each episode or even distribute the files via file-sharing applications, such as Bit Torrent. Each file is available from the date the episode was broadcast on TV and remains active until the end of the series. Note: this series is only available to download in Australia.”
Never before in Australia have we seen this kind of strategy and openness to the digital distribution of content. Channel 9 should be applauded for this effort, let’s hope for more of it in the future.
Update
Despite seeing SE201 last night on TV, I tried the download service. It seems NineMSN, might want to call home to the mothership – Microsoft and ask for some more servers. Multiple times during the download I experienced this message.
The Catch-up TV HIRO Downloading Application.
Available @ Ninemsn. or visit the Official Underbelly 2 site.
Author: Jason Cartwright
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1:56 pm on February 13th, 2009
i wanna watch episode1
8:36 pm on February 16th, 2009
Don't even bother. This show is just Home and Away with guns! this has got to be the worst series on Australian television. How can we believe Matthew Newton is a big bad murdering drug dealer, when in real life he is a woman bashing weasel. Underbelly 1 was much better, with the actors being at least partly believable. This new crap series is just riding on the back of the first.
4:45 am on February 18th, 2009
“It does require you to use their HIRO player (12.8Mb),”
Thats simply not true, you can download it from the ninemsn webiste without having Hiro and without downloading the Hiro player.
Question is, does it play in VLC player or a standalone? Of not then “Channel 9 are allowing you to download and distribute Underbelly 2 episodes via Bit Torrent.” is absolutely pointless, dont you think?
6:51 pm on February 19th, 2009
you need hiro its not just the downloader but thay use there own codic too
3:44 am on February 25th, 2009
everything started with blizzard an wow using bittorrent and now everybody is going to