What is Popcorn Time ?
This is an application that allows you to watch movies or series with an interface as simple to use as a platform for video on demand (VOD).
It uses the files available on the “torrents” platform and presents them in a fun way. No more waiting to download the entire movie or the television series to start watching it.
The subtitles are easily available.
It is now available for almost all platforms: Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, Android, iPhone iOS and Android TV lately.
That’s why, it terrifies Hollywood!
It was renamed the “Netflix pirates”
Warning the use of this application put you in the same position as illegally downloading “torrents” files. In Germany and the United States many fines were issued from 800 to 10,000€. In Italy, Popcorn Time web sites are blocked by the government.
How to get Popcorn Time ?
You have to choose among the different versions of Popcorn Time, download (~40MB) and install it.
How Popcorn Time works ?
The Popcorn Time Software call the torrents files distributed over the Internet.
You don’t need to wait for the entire film or series to be downloaded over to your computer to start watching them. The job of this software is to download torrents pieces in the order with the goal of starting the film or the series as fast as possible.
Over time, developers have extended the software to add subtitles and VPN function. It encrypts the flow of torrents so nobody can observe the downloads.
History of Popcorn Time Software :
February 2014, the first version of Popcorn Time is out. Its creator is an Argentine developer, named Sebastian (or “Pochoclín” popcorn in Argentina). He had the idea to develop this application as he was facing difficulty to access films in his country.
A Buenos Aires team formed around the project. The result is available on http://getpopcornti.me
March 2014, Hollywood studios saw a threat in this kind of software. They got the servers hosting of the software closed. The developers throw up the sponge. But left the code available as an open source on the Internet.
April 2014, teams are formed to take over the development of Popcorn Time with the sources available online.
Several projects were born: Flixtor, MoviePanda, Box Show, Movie Box.
Two stand out:
1. Popcorn Time IO, the most diffused Version
2. Popcorn Time SE (ex “Time4popcorn”), the most active version
May 2014, Popcorn Time Team SE (eg “Time4popcorn”) released the first version of Popcorn Time for Android
July 2014, Popcorn Time Team SE (eg “Time4popcorn”) added functions to support Chromecast and Apple TV
September 2014, Popcorn Time Team SE (eg “Time4popcorn”) released the first version of Popcorn Time for iOS. It is available on the “Cydia app store.” The iPhone has to be jailbroken so the app can works.
January 2015, Netflix described Popcorn Time as one of its main competitors in a letter to their shareholders.
April 2015, Popcorn Time Team SE (eg “Time 4 popcorn”) simplified the installation of the application for iOS. The jailbreak was no longer required.
April 2015, Hollywood studios convinced the government of the UK to block several websites that host the Popcorn Time applications. In the months following, similar bans were made as well in other countries, Israel, Italy and Denmark
August 2015, some members of the team that developed the first Popcorn Time now now supporting one of his fork, which is recognized by its domain name Popcorntime.io
http://getpopcornti.me now redirects to the website Popcorn Time IO
September 2015, The Popcorn Time creator, the “Netflix” hacker used by millions of people around the world, has revealed his identity. His name Federico Abad, an Argentinian of 29 years old.
October 2015 : The Popcorn Time IO team published the first version of Android TV
October 18th 2015, Dissension within the team Popcorn Time IO.
The team is divided in two side:
– On 1 side around the co-developer of the VPN component of Popcorn Time (the one that generates income)
– The second side that wants a legal version of Popcorn Time.
October 19th 2015, Browser Popcorn, the alter ego of Time Popcorn software available directly from an Internet browser without software installation is created by Milan Kragujevic, a young Serbian developer of 15 years old.
Browser Popcorn closed 72hrs after opening due to pressure coming from the association responsible to defend United States film industry interests (MPAA)
He published his sources before he stopped and proposed to get hired “If you’re looking for someone familiar with the technology of streaming, you might need to hire me.”
October 21st 2015, Browser Popcorn website is re-opened with the domaine name BrowserPopcorn.biz or Browserpopcorn.gq
October 23rd 2015 : Butter, is a legal version of Popcorn Time IO its presented by its developers as a version “that will work within a clear legal framework to develop the best technology” and will be “able to leverage all the traditional open source web infrastructure “.
Butter code is on GitHub.
It will allow the future Popcorn Time to expand based on an existing and successful base.
You can find the project on Butter Project
October 23rd 2015 : Popcorn Time IO works intermittently. The remaining developers organized to make their systems operate again.
This situation would have allowed Popcorn Time OS (eg “Time4popcorn”) to get out of the shadow of his older brother Popcorn Time IO.
November 2nd 2015 : Stremio made the buzz to take the place of Popcorn Time IO who became mute since October 23th.
Popcorn Time IO ex-users were seeking for a successor, Popcorn Time SE or Stremio or StreamStudio ?
November 4th 2015 : The closing of Popcorn Time IO and its torrent YTS service link was potentially due to pressure and complaints coming from the MPAA
November 17th 2015 : A Popcorn Time IO patch is released. It allowed to change the content servers. Wally, the developer took things in hand.
November 25th 2015 : Popcorn Time was back with a new name Popcorn Time EC. It was published on a new website: popcorntime.ml
December 16th 2015 : The Popcorn Time CE team (Popcorn time.ml) have stopped broadcasting their version of Popcorn Time following complaints from the MPAA.
December 23rd 2015 : Popcorn Time Community Edition migrated to popcorntime.ml popcorntimece.tk following complaints from the MPAA.
Next on the Popcorn Time saga yet to be written …
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