Mance Media, an independent distributor of films and TV shows, said it will sell a handful of films in 4K format via BitTorrent Bundle, a global platform that enables content owners to upload their content and offer it as they see fit.
Mance Media said it will offer trailers and full-length movies in partnership with BitTorrent. Consumers can obtain the 4K trailers for free, and pay between $5 to $6 to unlock the full-length title in 5.1 surround sound as well as a hi-res digital version of the movie’s official movie poster.
Mance Media, which is using HEVC compression for 4K, claims it can deliver a 90-minute movie in 4K and 5.1 in a 3 gigabyte file without sacrificing video quality. From a file-size standpoint, that’s a far cry from BitTorrrent’s initial 4K distribution of Superorganismfrom Mickey Hart, the former Grateful Dead drummer, which was delivered in 2013 as a largely uncompressed 286 Gigabyte torrent.
The work with BitTorrent Bundle "is groundbreaking in terms of distribution,” Matthew Mancinelli, CEO of Mance Media, said.
Mance Media’s other announced 4K distribution partners include M-GO, Sony, Amazon, and Dish Network, which is will offer content in the new format via the 4K Ultra HD Joey, a device that's slated to become available this summer.
Titles from Mance Media that will be offered in 4K through BitTorrent Bundles include TheToy Soldiers, Dragons: Real Myths And Unreal Creatures, Scarlet’s Witch, and nature documentary Circles Of Life: Iceland In 4K.
“Today marks the first collection of 4K films to be distributed via BitTorrent,” Straith Schreder, director of brand marketing at BitTorrent, said in a statement. “We’re excited to work with Mance to share this ultra HD collection with our global network of fans.”
BitTorrent, which is expanding into original content, said in February that about 200 million users downloaded or streamed a Bundle over the last 18 months.
