Posts Tagged: media

Downloading Media and Copyright Trolls

Posted | Category: Media Business.

People are getting their media fix in a variety of ways these days. Some use our software to record or download for their personal use, others go to clearly illegal download sites, and some use BitTorrent. While downloading is the most convenient and fastest way to capture video or audio, it does have some inherent risks. And some unscrupulous people will try to take advantage.

Take the case of Prenda Law, documented by blogger Popehat and others here. (Read the link backwards for a good history.) In a nutshell, a few lawyers allegedly bought the rights to worthless adult movies, had them posted on BitTorrent, and then watched as other people used Torrent software to download them. They captured the IPs of the downloaders, and then subpoenaed the internet providers to get the name of the customers. Then they filed copyright actions against these alleged downloaders, in the hopes that they would settle rather than going to court to defend themselves from downloading porn. A pretty clever scheme.

This is starting to fall apart, as many bloggers and opposing lawyers claim the very same lawyers who were doing the suing also formed the company to buy the copyrights, and tried to hide this fact from the courts. Oh – and these guys apparently did some identify theft to make a CEO for these holding companies. One federal judge is particularly not amused, and has ordered all the parties to appear in his courtroom April 2. A lot of people are following this, as it’s pretty unusual for a judge to take these steps.

Nevertheless, I understand from reading articles about this that many people caught downloading have decided to pay up to $3000 instead of fighting this in court, which is the preferred outcome to begin with for these (alleged) schemers.

The moral – when you download something from a file download or torrent site, your IP address is available, and anyone motivated enough can find out who you are. Using products like ours – where the server logs look like normal use – is one way to protect yourself.

Download Video from the BBC iPlayer with Replay Media Catcher

Posted | Category: Applian Software, Replay Media Catcher.

BBC iPlayer Logo

BBC iPlayer

Last week we were at a trade show demonstrating our software and were so surprised at how many people didn’t realize that Replay Media Catcher can download video from the BBC iPlayer. When we showcased Replay Media Catcher in action people were really amazed.

I made a short little video showing how Replay Media Catcher works with the iPlayer – you can see it here.

There is such wonderful content available through the iPlayer. Downloading the shows and watching them on my iPad – when I am offline – has been great. Replay Media Catcher makes that so easy. Especially with its built in converter.

Are there other sites that you are interested in downloading? Remember we have a great tool on our homepage that will show you which products will work with each site. Have you tried our tool recently?

Why not give it a whirl.

Enjoy!

Convert YouTube Videos to iPod, iPad, DVD, etc. – now just $9.95

Posted | Category: Applian Software, Replay Converter.

After reading a lot of commentary, and doing some testing, we’ve decided to lower the price of Replay Converter to just $9.95 last week. A lot of people are downloading videos to copy to other devices or DVD’s, or to prepare them to make mashups, and Replay Converter does a great job at this.

We decided that as a company it’s best to encourage more people to use our products, even if it means making a little less money. So if you’re looking for an easy to convert FLV files, or other things downloaded from the web, give Replay Converter a try.

New First-ever Streaming Flash Video and MP3 recorder

Posted | Category: Applian Software, Podcast, Replay Capture Suite, Replay Media Catcher, Replay Music, Replay Radio.

Forget the XM and Sirius merger, the really big news is Replay Media Catcher, a hot new utility that captures MySpace video and MP3s, as well as lots of other premium audio and video content from sites like ABC.com, NBC.com, and thousands more. The technological breakthrough is the ability to capture streaming Flash, which nobody has been able to do before. Go to www.replay-media-catcher.com to download a free trial copy and check it out!

Here’s the official press release if you’d like to learn more:

New Streaming Media Recorder Captures Previously Unrecordable Online Video and Audio

February 21, 2007, San Anselmo, CA – Applian Technologies today announced the release of Replay Media Catcher, the first ever Online Video and Audio recorder for streaming Flash and MP3 sites. Replay Media Catcher allows customers to capture perfect digital reproductions from previously unrecordable premium destinations like ABC.com, NBC.com, MySpace™ and thousands of others, as well as popular places like YouTube™ and Google Video.

Replay Media Catcher uses a simple one-click recording interface. Customers just click the Start Recording button, and then play the streaming Flash video or MP3 audio to capture. Once Replay Media Catcher detects the media stream, it will continue to save a playable video or audio file on the PC hard drive, and the customer can then go in search of other media to record. Replay Media Catcher is able to record multiple streams simultaneously, limited only by the speed of the customer’s internet connection. Also included is FLV Player, which lets customers watch their recorded videos.

“Replay Media Catcher is the first ever production software to be able to capture RTMP Streaming Flash streams used by many of the top-tier content sites,” said Bill Dettering, CEO of Applian Technologies. “These unprotected, unencrypted files have been previously impossible to record for your personal use, and now Replay Media Catcher makes it possible to archive and enjoy more great online video without having to be connected to the internet.”

Replay Media Catcher is ready for download and immediate purchase from replay-media-catcher.com for $39.95. A free demo is also available. Replay Media Catcher requires a PC running Windows.

About Applian Technologies
Applian Technologies was started by Bill Dettering in 1997. In 2001, Bill created Replay Radio to be able to record and enjoy his favorite radio programs during his long daily commute to Silicon Valley. Now, several years after the launch of Replay Radio, Applian is recognized as the global leader in online recording software. Other popular Applian products include the Audio Video Streaming Capture Suite, Replay AV 8, Replay Music, Replay Converter, and Replay Screencast. Learn more about Applian Technologies and all their products at http://www.Applian.com.

YouSendIt and Applian Partnership

Posted | Category: Applian Software.

Replay A/V is going to have an interface to YouSendIt, so you can send recordings to yourself from one PC to another device. How cool is that!

Here’s the Press Release:

YouSendIt, Applian Partner to Record and Deliver Large Streaming Media Files Via the Web

Partnership Allows Customers to Retrieve Recorded Online Media Anywhere

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & SAN ANSELMO, Calif. — YouSendIt, Inc., the leader in web-based file delivery for business and Applian Technologies, the global leader in software products for recording streaming media, today announced a partnership that will allow Applian customers to retrieve their recorded media anywhere they have Internet access. The combined offering will enable users to capture, convert and send media with Applian’s Replay A/V 8 and YouSendIt’s Web based file transfer service.

The YouSendIt Plug-In for Applian’s Replay A/V 8 is the first to allow users to send streaming media files directly from within the application. Customers can set up file transfer to start automatically after the recording is completed.
“YouSendIt is known to be very easy to use,” says Ivan Koon, CEO, YouSendIt. “The integration into Replay A/V 8 allows users to send files directly from within the application, eliminating the pain associated with using FTP or burning a CD and sending it via overnight mail.”

“We are excited to partner with YouSendIt — building the ease of use, speed, reliability and security of YouSendIt’s solution into Replay A/V 8 will help our customers record, convert and then retrieve their favorite recordings anywhere they have Internet access,” said Bill Dettering, CEO, Applian. “The combined solution will be the most powerful and versatile recording program on the market. Our customers will now be able to enjoy their favorite shows wherever and whenever they like.”

Replay A/V makes it easy to record all types of online media. Several hundred thousand Applian customers already benefit from the ability to record almost any streaming audio and video instantaneously, or schedule recordings to happen automatically later. The integrated Replay Media Guide lets users pick shows to record with a single click. Replay A/V is the only software that combines Stream Capture, Audio Recording and an Enhanced Podcast Client in one easy-to-use interface.

The Replay A/V YouSendIt integration will allow users to receive captured streaming media files anywhere. For example, a home PC can record a radio show, and customers will be able to listen to that show while at work or travelling.

Replay A/V with YouSendIt service will be available in March 2007, with a beta version in February.

About YouSendIt
YouSendIt is the leader in file delivery for business. The company is based in Mountain View, CA and offers professionals in small and medium businesses a reliable solution to move and track large files. Proprietary technology and enterprise-level server farms on both coasts guarantee excellent response and reliability. YouSendIt offers three business subscription plans and a pay-per-use plan, in addition to a free service. With over two and a half million registered users from 220 countries, YouSendIt transfers over 1 million files per day — over 400 million to date. YouSendIt is led by its CEO, Ivan Koon, former SVP, Enterprise Intelligent Documents Business Unit at Adobe, and funded by Alloy Ventures and Sevin Rosen Funds.
For more information and to send a big file via YouSendIt, please visit http://www.yousendit.com.

About Applian Technologies
Applian Technologies is recognized as the global leader in software products for recording streaming media. Other popular Applian products include the Audio Video Streaming Capture Suite, Replay Music, Replay Converter, and Replay Screencast. Learn more about Applian Technologies and all their products at http://www.Applian.com

Contacts:
YouSendIt,
Inc. Florian Brody,
650-265-0520 (Media) Sr. Director Marketing Communications [email protected] or Atomic PR (for YouSendIt) Mike Barash,
415-402-0230 (Media) [email protected] or Applian Technologies Leslie Bee,
415-608-2263 (Media) Director of Marketing [email protected]

PC Mag Editor not happy about Sling Encryption

Posted | Category: Media Business.

From Stu, one of our best customers and sources of information:

Jim Louderback, the editor of PC Mag, made a mention that his favorite add-on no longer works. He was referring to your Slingbox recorder. This was done on his podcast – What’s New Now? (July 21)

Looks like Sling is going to be facing more competition – not just from Sony’s LocationFree, but also new companies called HAVA and AirEpoch. It’s going to be hard to maintain the encryption policy, especially if the competition is open to recording.

I predict that there will be a permanent recording solution for Slingbox devices by January 1, 2007. Or even earlier if they want to HAVA good Christmas season.

Fight For Your Right to Record

Posted | Category: Media Business.

I posted this on the Sling Community forum, and liked it so much, I decided to share it with you. It’s in response to why it’s such a big deal about Sling encrypting their stream. I feel it expresses what Applian stands for as a company really well.

Why should anyone care? It’s important to fight for your right to make recordings for your personal use. If you have a TiVo, imagine a world without it. Or what if ripping MP3s from a CD became illegal? Every so often, a piece of horrible legislation is proposed to curb your personal recording rights, and so far, none have passed. Even if you don’t own At-Large Recorder, you have a vested interest in retaining the status quo vis a vis your rights to record.

So far nobody’s been able to come up with a good law-based explanation why being able to record your Sling stream is illegal, or puts Sling in any legal risk. Granted there is the desire for Sling not to do more to rock the boat with the Content Owners, but recording and place-shifting are really two distinct, separate issues.
You’re already paying for your Cable or Satellite TV. You can record it via TiVo or your PC and copy it to your iPod. You should be able to do the same with your Sling stream.

The Sling Encryption Mystery

Posted | Category: Media Business.

There’s quite a thread going on at the Sling Community forum regarding Sling’s new encryption “feature” and its impact on At-Large Recorder. Jeremy T from Sling is doing his best to answer the critics, and has made his third post.
The money quote (emphasis mine):

Finally, I’ve tried to be clear that there are issues regarding this topic that I simply cannot discuss. Some of the other users in this thread have guessed at them, and I appreciate those posts. In my last comment I asked readers to sit back and really think about our motivation here. You think we are motivated to try to “screw third parties”? I already stated we plan to have some form of API/SDK coming out down the road. You really think that we want to “screw Slingbox owners”? Why on Earth would we want to do that??

I guess Jeremy didn’t really make it clear that there were other motivators to the decision. Web users, and especially early adopters like those who buy Slingbox devices, are very sophisticated, and the attempt to say encrypting the stream to “protect users privacy” didn’t really make sense to anybody. Likewise with the protecting “content owners” reason. He probably would have been better off saying “I simply cannot discuss” like he finally did in the third post. While nobody likes that excuse, they can respect it at least. I respect it.

The fact that Sling cannot discuss the rationale for the decision makes for an entertaining game of speculation. The Sling Community forum participants certainly have a lot of theories. Since I have no inside knowledge, I get to speculate, too!
Sling has received a huge amount of investment money – $55 million or so. One of the investors is EchoStar. The content people are always paranoid about these new technologies (TiVo has investments from the major networks), and investing in these companies is a good way to keep the technologies under control. One theory is that as a condition for the investment, Sling agreed to ensure the stream couldn’t be redirected. They probably didn’t think it could be done until At-Large Recorder appeared, hence the need to quickly add encryption, and the fact that this was “always on the product roadmap” as Jeremy suggests.

This also keeps them out of possible legal trouble with HBO, MLB any anyone else concerned with geographic rebroadcast issues.

Sling has taken great care to ensure the streams couldn’t be “split” and beamed to several people at once. Theoretically, if the stream can be recorded, it can be retransmitted to several people at once. This breaks the legal protections they have put in place.

I don’t think the “recording” aspect is the cause for the consternation. The way At-Large Recorder works, you can’t really retransmit in real time anyway, as the file isn’t viewable until recording ends.

Anyway, that’s MY theory. We’ll probably never know.

Sling is in a bit of a pickle, in that they can’t do anything and everything to make their product the best it can be. It would be great is they could be more open about the reasons behind the decision, but this may leave them open to legal trouble by recognizing any legal weaknesses publicly, so it’ll likely remain a secret. I believe that if Jeremy T could say more he would – he’s clearly (and rightfully) a little upset about being beaten up on the Sling forums.

Sling and Applian are a little similar, in that we both are pushing the envelope of what people can do with their media. Sometimes we can’t market our products the way we’d like either. Fortunately, people are still able to find us when they want the best tools for recording online video, music or radio, and they tell their friends.

If Sling wants to work with us to make a recording solution that doesn’t put them in legal jeopardy, that would be terrific. It would be great for Sling, and their users. Or maybe products like HAVA and others will add this capability, and they’ll just open it up, as it will cease to be an issue if everybody is doing it. I hope we’ll be able to come up with a solution soon.

Recording Online Media Since 1997
Located in Marco Island, FL

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