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Play any video from ThePirateBay with this chrome extension (chrome.google.com)
20 points by 0x4139 4294 days ago
8 comments

So my interpretation of how this works is that there's a server at api.iflix.io[1] which acts as (caching?) torrent client, and the browser just streams from that server. Seems like it probably won't last very long due to copyright issues, and/or will have very high bandwidth costs?

You can use it to download arbitrary torrent files by modifying the URL. For example, a changed link[2] downloads an Ubuntu ISO.

So there's no peer-to-peer work done by client-side javascript. (The server is written in NodeJS.)

[1] http://api.iflix.io/play/_SOME_MAGNET_HERE_/0

[2] http://api.iflix.io/play/b6b8ce579988a85b2a3ec8cd870ccb785d7...

ZZLBox/Furk have been doing something similar for a long time for real bandwidth costs on their side. If the DMCA had the authority they wished they had, Pirate Bay wouldn't exist.

I would like to hear the answer to your other question though. It looks like a marriage between the iflix server and your own connection with most bandwidth being put on your side.

Well, the thing is that this will work as a storage space with streaming capabilities what you put there is your problem, in short terms some kind of loophole in some countries can be found, the bandwidth is not a problem, solutions can be found there.
ihim :), it would be cool if you would watch a movie, not download an ubuntu iso :)
Nice release, but how is the bandwidth going to be sustainable?

Also, for projects like XBMCTorrent the torrent is seeded while the user is viewing the movie. Wouldn't abundant leaching completely destroy the ecosystem?

Tried it on a Breaking Bad video and it works like a charm. Question for the author, are you sharing while streaming? Can your IP also be tracked like a normal torrent client? Thanks.
if you mean the client's ip then the answer is NO! it's made especially for the guys that can't download torrents. well, the swarm, the peer connection and everything is implemented from scratch, i could do upload but i'm not
Can you explain how it gets the content then?
TL;DR Asks for the packets in the torrent in order and sends them to the client, caching the location of the peers for future use
Well, it's a torrent client that uses some specific trackers instead of using dht for the swarm, after he gets the peers he requests the packets in order that are send to a stream, that stream is sent to anyone that requests it.
Do you have a non tl;dr version, this is HN, we do like to read here.

How does it not get the ip?

if you can't install the extension or you are using a different browser use the website instead http://iflix.io
....porn startup. All the porn torrents online. Bangbros, Brazzers, people would just use this technoogy to start that...can we still get into the current YC batch? lmao
Really impressive. I remember lots of attempts at this a while ago but no real success.
Wow, incredible. I can even skip forward and I am not sure how this works.
magic!
Sufficiently advanced technology!
Can't download...
you can't install the extension? use the website instead http://iflix.io