Ferret out fake BitTorrent trackers with Fake Finder

soulxtc — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 18:33:48 +0000

Tired of downloading a file on Torrentspy or other public BitTorrent tracker sites only to have it stop at 99% completed? Well, then Fenopy’s Fake Finder is the site for you.

For those that don’t like the hassle of private BitTorrent tracker sites, TorrentSpy, isoHunt, The Pirate Bay, BTJunkie, and Mininova are then no doubt some of your “go-to” sites when comes to finding content to download.

Well, part of the problem with this however, is that not only does your IP address become exposed for the world to see but, you also become susceptible to being tricked into downloading a fake file.

First made popular on KaZaA years ago, the MPAA and the RIAA have teams of people whose sole job is to fill the otherwise healthy content available with fake files and bogus material in an attempt to frustrate file-sharers into submission.

I have to admit it did work well on KaZaA, as it just became another reason why it was time to switch to another P2P platform. After downloading 2 or 3 songs filled with a shrieks and hisses, it was apparent to everyone that fake files were there to stay.

Public BitTorrent tracker sites are no exception to the long arm of copyright sheriffs the world over.

Their efforts have become a common hassle for users who sometimes spend all day trying to get the latest CAM or Screener only to watch helplessly as the download stops permanently at 99% completed.

You gotta love the fact that they do their best to make life hard for you, after all, 99% is the maximum amount of “ha ha” factor allowable.

Now I still don’t understand why people continue to use public BitTorent tracker sites but, in any event, there’s a new site called Fake Finder that allows you to search query a BitTorrent tracker to see if it has already been exposed as a fake.

As you can see below, it’s simple and easy to use. Just “cut and paste” the tracker you wish to verify and then select the “Find Them” tab to see if it’s been reported to be a fake or not.

How often the database is updated or who does the updating isn’t clear from the info available on their site but, it’s still a helpful way of ferreting out the debris and clutter from otherwise good and honest hardworking BitTorrent trackers out there.

For those of you haven’t been able to join a private BitTorrent tracker site for whatever reason, there’s a cool program called Tracker Checker that can be configured to keep you informed of when particular sites are open for registration.

CHECK OUT FENOPY’S FAKE FINDER
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SOULXTC: “walkin’ the streets of P2P”

BitTorrent Inc. wants to provide a “better experience than piracy”

soulxtc — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 00:10:15 +0000

Ashwin Navin recently discussed his expectations for the upcoming BitTorrent online video download store and its partnering with Netgear Inc to stream content from the PC to the TV.

In a recent interview on the program MarketWatch, Ashwin Navin, BitTorrent Inc. CEO and co-founder, discussed the future of the company and how he hopes to compete against the rampant video piracy that the program is so famous for having unleashed.

Next month BitTorrent Inc. plans to roll out its new online video download service, offering some 10,000 plus titles from the likes of Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures, News Corp.’s 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Palm Pictures, Kadokawa Pictures USA, the UK’s BBC, and others.

What will make the service stand apart from other fledgling video distribution models is that it wants to make it something that consumers will find easy to use and a “better experience than piracy.”

As he noted:

[We're]…Providing value to our members, not competing with them. We’re hoping that this is a better experience than piracy and If were no competing effectively with piracy we’re not going to win.

The biggest reason why many online video distribution stores have failed I think is that they never really fully grasp what the consumers is looking for in the experience. If he is to be dissuaded from piracy, a service must compete on a variety levels which include price, speed, and selection.

If a user is accustomed to obtaining video content for free and with relative ease and quickness then a service had better take heed of this if it is ever to have any hope for success.

Judging from this interview it seems that Mr. Navin has grasped this fact in a way that has never been seen before and has great potential to “convert users into legal and paying customers.”

BitTorrent Inc. has also partnered with Netgear Inc. in the release of Netgear’s new Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000) media receiver device.

The two have formed a collaboration to deliver HD videos, music, Internet radio and digital photos from your home PCs and storage devices to your HDTV.

The receiver automatically locates, organizes and plays HD movies, TV shows, music, and pictures. It wail also stream internet-based video, news feeds, weather reports, or radio programs.

But, what Navin importantly understands and discusses in the interview is that the problem many companies have had with bridging the gap between the PC and the TV is that many times companies try to get “…users to do something new, is complicated, and has questionable value.”

BitTorrent Inc. wants to work “with as many hardware platforms as they possibly can” to make this dream a reality, all the while noting the shortcomings in Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune in that users detest “proprietary locked in services.” This is the key.

Navin has previously referred to to iTunes DRM policy as “a time bomb waiting to happen,” and said the same may be true for Microsoft’s policy with Zune if the device becomes more popular.

With over 135 million people having downloaded the BitTorrent client server, and the countless millions of others who are using a different client server like Azureus or uTorrent, the prospective market for a legitimate online video download service is quite promising.

With an estimated 10,000 titles to be offered at its launch sometime next month, the success of its plan will will be evident soon enough.

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SOULXTC: “walkin’ the streets of P2P”

ZeroPaid.com » bittorent

Ferret out fake BitTorrent trackers with Fake Finder

BitTorrent Inc. wants to provide a “better experience than piracy”