BitTorrent Live May Change The Way We View Television

Students at the University of Kansas seem to like the idea of viewing television programs over the internet, and the recent introduction of BitTorrent Live, an online television streaming service, may help more students follow the trend.

Transcript:

 

Brett Crawford: This is Brett Crawford with Politech here today to talk about a new way to view television and the reaction it’s getting here in Lawrence. Television has always been a great way for students to keep up with the news, watch their favorite TV shows, and even stay up to date with their favorite sports teams.

Soundbite

Crawford: With the recent introduction of BitTorrent Live, a new online service provider, people will be able to access TV not just in their living rooms, but also through their computers. Many students said that they don’t have cable and already watch most of their programs online, like Thomas Richmond, a junior from Kansas City.

Richmond: “I don’t have cable on my TV, so it would just be so much easier just to get on your computer, which I mean I’m already doing the same sort of stuff. Like if I want to watch something then I just go look it up on Hulu, or borrow my friend’s Netflix and that’s how it gets done. My roommate and I just watch something on my computer screen, which, I mean, it’s not that different.”

Crawford: Some students, like Kelsie Schuman from Shawnee Mission, said it’s just more convenient to watch their programs online.

Schuman: “I already watch all my TV on my computer. Even though I do have cable, I just watch Hulu, like, all the time. So I’d be all over that, 100 percent. I think it should happen.”

Crawford: Students like the idea of being able to watch TV on their computers, including a freshman from Kansas City, Missouri, Danny Murdock, who suggests that this new trend might stick around for a little while.

Murdock: “I think, just especially with our generation, we are on our computers a lot more and I can definitely see this becoming just a new norm; everyone watching TV on their computer. And I do understand if people want to watch it on a TV, because first of all, it’s bigger and you can sit around the couch, and more people can watch it, but as far as normal viewing I think a computer trend will be a lot more popular.

Crawford: As BitTorrent Live moves closer to being a reality, time will tell if the days of Super Bowl watch parties will no longer be centered around a TV, but a computer screen. This is Brett Crawford with Politech.

Response to Fox’s Washington Arrest

Documentary filmmaker Josh Fox was arrested Wednesday in Washington D.C. while attempting to film a meeting where House Republicans were discussing new natural gas procurement practices.

Fox sparked controversy with his recent documentary “Gasland,” which focuses on hydraulic fracturing by energy industry giants, a process that pushes tons of pressurized water and chemicals into the ground, sparked controversy among legislators.

Fox and his crew were in attendance at the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment hearing before they were asked to leave by Republican Chairman Andy Harris and subsequently arrested.

“It seems pretty cut and dry to me,” said Trever Ellis, a sophomore in business management and finance at KU. “I don’t think he should have been arrested. They have the right to ask him to leave, but not to arrest him.”

The question is now arising whether or not Harris had the right to have Fox arrested.

“I think that the issue being covered is something lots of people don’t think about on a day to day, but the issue of fracturing is something that should be getting lots more public attention,” said Mike Pedals, a senior in English at the University of Kansas. “A violation of the idea of ‘freedom of the press’ is nothing new, and this is just a testament to the actual brand of ‘state’ that we live in.”

National law states that House hearings can be documented, but Fox’s presence seemed to be overstepping the boundaries of many Republican House members.

“For being a public hearing, it seems like a blatant slap in the face to 1st amendment rights,” said Cody Fotovitch, a Lawrence resident, “both to the people who couldn’t be there personally who might have benefited from the footage, and the reporters who took the time to legally be there.”

Journalists, filmmakers and Internet bloggers have been responding to the issue since it happened, raising awareness about the current state of the press and the supposed stance the government is making on the media.

“I’m really kind of surprised they actually arrested him,” said Luke Ranker, a junior from Ellsworth, Kan. and reporter for the University Daily Kansan.

“I don’t understand why they didn’t grant him a press pass or his stand in crew a pass. The Capital grants press credentials daily. Arresting him doesn’t look good especially since this is a controversial topic and transparency is always a major issue.”