The BitTorrent peer to peersters Azureus have launched Zudeo, a service for sharing videos. The main selling points are that Zudeo uses BitTorrent to facilitate fast downloads, and allows users to share high definition videos.
Azureus CEO Gilles BianRosa told Wired that the company will add television shows and movies later this month, although it's not clear what kind of DRM and/or pay structure there may be for premium content. BrianRosa says deals are in place with 12 television, film, and media companies to provide content through Zudeo.
On the one hand, this service is aimed at the YouTube crowd, users who want to upload, download, and generally share homemade videos and fun clips they've found around the internet. But the focus on high quality video could also make this an attractive service for filmmakers and users looking for a quick and easy way to download high definition content.
On the other hand, it's not a simple web service like YouTube. It requires you to install Azureus software, and while there's a tantalizing link next to a downloading video that says "stream" it doesn't do anything yet. Currently the only way to watch a video is to download it entirely before clicking play. It then opens in whatever program you have set as your default media player. It's a pretty clunky solution for the casual user, if you ask me.
That said, even most of the content that's not listed as HD is encoded at higher bitrates than anything you'll find on YouTube, and looks great once it's downloaded.
