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Android Scans DVD Bar Codes, Downloads Movies

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the unifying-theory-of-gadgetry dept.

cars writes "Remember how you can scan any bar code with an android phone and it will tell you where to find that product for cheaper? A new Android application called BarTor (formerly ScanTorrent) can scan any DVD bar code and then signals either uTorrent or Vuze on your PC to download the movie from BitTorrent. How long do you think this will last?" Other features include purchase opportunities on barcode lookup, Google base product lookup, and site-level filtering.

15 of 181 comments (clear)

  1. Charging 2.99 by geekoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

    to people who don't want to pay for a movie? GLWT.

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    1. Re:Charging 2.99 by eln · · Score: 4, Funny

      I assume there will be a cracked version out shortly.

    2. Re:Charging 2.99 by castorvx · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Try not to confuse people who don't want to spend a ridiculous sum of money for a 90 minute film that probably sucks with people who are simply thieves.

      I suspect a lot of people download movies rather than paying for them because $30 for a movie is just not viable.

      People may well buy that application for $2.99, because $2.99 is a reasonable price for a little phone application.

    3. Re:Charging 2.99 by eln · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If $30 for a movie is unreasonable to you, there are plenty of other ways to see the movie without violating the law. You could go rent it at Blockbuster. Or you could get a Netflix account and get it there. There's no particular reason you need a permanent copy of the movie to call your own, especially if it "probably sucks".

      There are a lot of excuses as to why people download movies rather than renting them, but they're all pretty suspect.

    4. Re:Charging 2.99 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      > What's wrong with waiting a whole four days and then buying the book yourself?

      The buying.

      > Or, waiting a few days longer and borrowing a used copy from a friend?

      The waiting.

      > Or, waiting a few days longer and buying a used copy via eBay?

      The buying.

      > Or, borrowing a copy from your local library when they have it?

      The waiting.

    5. Re:Charging 2.99 by CannonballHead · · Score: 4, Insightful

      People spend $30 at Starbucks in a week pretty easily, spend probably half an hour or so in line (presuming 10 visits to Starbucks at $3 each visit, 5 minutes in the store). Many still think that $30 (or even $15) for 1.5 to 3 hours of entertainment, no matter how bad it is, is too much.

      And Starbucks, IMO, isn't even all that great coffee.

      There are a lot of excuses as to why people download movies rather than renting them, but they're all pretty suspect.

      IMO, very true. Seems one of the more common ones is "Well if I like it, I'll buy it." Apparently, we only have to pay for what we use if we like it. Try doing that at a restaurant, hehe.

    6. Re:Charging 2.99 by The+End+Of+Days · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I kinda wish you had logged in. You gave the first respectable list of reasons to pirate this site has ever seen, without succumbing to the temptation to make it look noble. I commend your honesty, even in the face of your cowardice.

    7. Re:Charging 2.99 by snowraver1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I have a home.

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  2. Android... by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 4, Funny

    For a moment, I thought that they were saying that Lt. Cmdr. Data was now using BitTorrent.

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    Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
  3. This isn't an iPhone by GweeDo · · Score: 4, Funny

    You can install apps that aren't blessed by the Hand of Steve. This app might not stay on the store, but it sure won't go away...now where is my Windows Mobile version?

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    Unstable Apps: Our Android Apps Don't Suck
  4. They charge you for it? by d474 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Sounds like a nefarious MPAA plot. They've got your intent (barcode) and identity (paypal/credit card).

    If the MPAA didn't hatch this idea, I bet they wish they would have.

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  5. Quality? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Will it find a version with quality appropriate to playback on the device? Ripping a DVD and transcoding it to play back on a mobile device is often more effort than I can be bothered with. Being able to just wave the device at one of my DVDs and have it automatically grab an appropriate copy would be great.

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  6. Re:Err...uh...2 days, 6 hours, 23 minutes 38 secon by D+Ninja · · Score: 4, Funny

    What's next? Video texting?

    Been there. Done that, old man. We're now onto Googlefacevidtweettubing.

    Everybody's doing it.

  7. Re:nice by BlackCreek · · Score: 4, Informative

    The barcode recognition is the biggest feature IMHO. Imagine the apps you could build with a good barcode recognition.

    Scan a list of 'to buy'. Sort of a "Wedding registry" but how many times are you out and you see something that looks like a decent product but you want to check reviews? Scan a barcode, dump it into a Google docs document.

    The biggest IMHO is "crowd sourcing" grocery lists. So you go to the store and scan in what you're going to buy, punch in the price and it gets added to a database. Use the GPS to determine the store.

    What you describe already exists for Android since pretty much day one: http://www.biggu.com/

  8. Re:nice by cdrguru · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The biggest IMHO is "crowd sourcing" grocery lists. So you go to the store and scan in what you're going to buy, punch in the price and it gets added to a database. Use the GPS to determine the store.

    Get a few hundred people checking prices and you'll have a fairly accurate database of prices. Then you go home, made a grocery list and have it calculate where the cheapest place to shop is.

    The problem with this is this pushes grocery stores to complete solely on price. Selection no longer matters, customer service doesn't matter, just price.

    Personally, I see enough of that already. The Internet certainly has the power to transform all purchases into a simple decision based on price while taking all other factors out of it. Then, we will all be shopping at WalMart. Forget about anybody else, they can't compete as effectively on price.

    Is that what you really want? Because that is exactly what we are in danger of getting.