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I want my Torrent TV - March 21, 2008

Here's one to contemplate over the weekend: A Boston-area start-up called Myka has introduced a BitTorrent-enabled set-top box that allows users to view any of the millions of BitTorrent files on the Internet directly on their TV sets. Three different models are available from the company's Web site, at prices ranging from $299 to $459, with hard drives ranging from 80GB to 500GB. The box, which looks like an Apple TV box but appears slightly larger, comes with an LAN port, HDMI port, component video outputs and a USB port.

Promo copy on the company's Web site takes direct aim at Apple TV:

And because it's BitTorrent, that means Myka can deliver any kind of content to your TV, developed in an open platform. No closed, proprietary system that works only on, say, Apple TV.
That means you don't need iTunes or any other prepackaged, closed system.
This is the Internet as it was meant to be experienced - without borders and open to any kind of content for consumers and any kind of innovation for developers.

[snip]
BitTorrent is the leading peer-to-peer file-transfer protocol with more than 160 million installed clients. That means the more popular a large video file, the faster it can be transferred with BitTorrent. The result is quick, easy-to-use, high-quality, video downloads from major studios and content providers without tying up you computer for hours.

And Media Wonk's personal favorite:

Not Built By Kids
Myka was designed and built by veterans in the Internet video industry who know the importance of providing an open system that is easy to publish to.

Before you say "contributory infringement," the Web site TorrentFreak quotes Myka boss Dan Lovy claiming, “We’ve looked the legal side extensively. We are like a movie projector. It has kept the competition down though, to our advantage.”

TorrentFreak helpfully adds that "it may be possible, with [the Magic Box's] h.264 support, to playback Blu-Ray torrents."

Beyond the quote Lovy gave TorrentFreak, however, the company is keeping a low profile. The About Us section of Myka's Web site reads in its entirety, "Myka is being produced by a privately held company in the Boston area. More to come..."

We can't wait.

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