Paramount is set to embrace BitTorrent for the launch of its latest horror film, The Tunnel, with the studio using the technology to debut the movie online for free.

Usually when BitTorrent and movie studios are muttered in the same breath it is because of piracy, but Paramount Pictures has opted to use the tech for distribution's sake.

It isn't abandoning physical media altogether for the movie launch, though, as a DVD will be released simultaneously – complete with two hours' worth of special features.

Light at the end of The Tunnel

The makers of The Tunnel, according to Torrent Freak havetried a variety of new ways to get the film fundedsince the movie's inception.

One way was to sell the movie one frame at a time to investors, while resigning to the fact their movie would end up on BitTorrent regardless of what launch strategy was put in place.

"From day one we've maintained that The Tunnel is not supporting or condoning piracy, but instead trying to incorporate a legitimate use of peer-to-peer in our distribution strategy internationally," said producer and editor of The Tunnel, Enzo Tedeschi.

The release date for The Tunnel is 19 May – and for once, the makers of a movie want you to get torrenting.

Read more: http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/ ... z1GxRT4l1l

PR work done, and it's not often I say this with regards to a studio, but best of luck to them

They can probably release it a lower quality but enough to allow people to decide that if they like it that they can buy the DVD.

I had a discussion with a friend last year, who's a focus puller. He is also friends with a lot of people 'in the biz' - the upshot seems to be that most folk on the inside don't really care if you torrent their movie.
If anything, getting you used to this method of distribution is the first step in changing their distribution models.

I guess we'll find out in a couple of months, but I very much doubt it.

When you're advertising a product, you want to give the best impression possible. They do not show trailers in blurovision, and in effect this is just another form of trailer. I would expect it to be available in 3 or 4 different formats, ranging from an iPod sized mp4 up to a HQ 1080p version weighing in at over a gig.

1080p will be somewhere around the 5Gb up mark. Some 1080p movies are as much as 15 Gb in size.

Blimey, they are really big aren't they. Some Potter collections on TPB are over 80GB

Warner tried this about 3 or 4 years ago, they brought out Bablyon 5 as a BitTorrent download. You bought a key to decrypt it, but the whole 5 seasons were available over BT... I don't believe it worked that well, I think most of the people used BitTorrent weren't prepared to pay for content and those that would pay didn't know how to download using BT.

It is their size which saves the movie industry as they are too big to get past some ISP's data caps.

In part, probably also why the studios keep on pushing 3D.

I have yet to see any 3D versions on bit torrent, but maybe I am not looking hard enough? ;-P