Kodi, previously known as XBMC or Xbox Media Center, is being used "fully loaded" with add-ons (such as TVAddons.ag) by millions of households in North America:
New data published by Canadian broadband management company Sandvine reveals that close to 9 percent of all North American households have at least one Kodi device. Roughly two thirds of these actively use pirate add-ons, which is good for millions of families in total.
[...] Sandvine analyzed a dataset from multiple North America tier one fixed-line provider, which covers over 250,000 anonymized households throughout North America. Using this data, it was able to estimate how many households actively use at least one Kodi device. "The Kodi application itself does not generate much data, but it is easy to detect within a household due to its 'heartbeat' traffic which can easily be identified," Sandvine reports.
Overall Sandvine estimates that 8.8% of the households with Internet access across North America have an active Kodi device. This translates to several millions of households and many more potential users. [...] Looking at the various traffic sources for the streaming data, including file-hosts, the company determined that 68.6% of the households with Kodi devices also use unofficial, or "pirate" add-ons.
Meanwhile, UK tabloids are running stories (tall tales?) about Kodi:
You know a technology's gone mainstream when the tabloids start yelling about it. This year the Sun, the Mirror, the Express, and the Daily Star have run splashes ranging from "Kodi Crackdown" through "Kodi Killers" to "Kodi TOTAL BAN!". It's not that they've stumbled on an underground hack scene; the stories have been briefed by copyright owners and law enforcement agencies.
[...] Illicit use of Kodi has reached a point where the UK government's Intellectual Property Office issued a "Call for Views," which closed in April, to find out how law enforcement agencies were dealing with infringing use. They use the term "IPTV," but also refer specifically to Kodi. No conclusions have yet been published, but three basic enforcement approaches are possible: shutting down suppliers of boxes, cutting off illegal streams, and going after end users.
Related Stories
TVAddons, one of the leading add-on libraries for the Kodi platform, has disappeared:
TVAddons, the leading library for unofficial Kodi add-ons, has mysteriously disappeared. The site's domain names have become unresponsive after the DNS entries were removed. It's unclear why these drastic actions were taken, but since TVAddons was sued last week, some fear the worst.
Last week we broke the news that third-party Kodi add-on ZemTV and the TVAddons library were being sued in a federal court in Texas. Since then, the 'pirate' Kodi community has been in turmoil. Several popular Kodi addons decided to shut down, and now TVAddons itself appears to be in trouble as well.
TVAddons is one of the largest repositories of Kodi add-ons, many of which allow users to watch pirated content. The site has grown massively in recent years and reported that nearly 40 million unique users connected to the site's servers in March.
[...] Based on the current downtime issues, it's no surprise that people are getting worried. If TVAddons doesn't return, the Kodi-addon community has lost what's arguably its biggest player. The site's extensive library listed 1,500 different add-ons, of which the community-maintained Exodus addon was one of the most popular. Now that the site is no longer available, people may run into issues while updating these.
Previously: Kodi Panic in the UK and Popularity in North America
Google has been found to "recommend" torrent and unauthorized streaming sites in response to search queries:
Google is an excellent search engine. The company does its best to present users with relevant information wherever it can. With a reel of popular torrent sites, for example, when users search for it. Or a handy overview of streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, Putlocker and Movie4k.to. Whether Hollywood will appreciate this service doubtful though.
[...] When you type in "best torrent sites" or just "torrent sites," Google.com provides a fancy reel of several high traffic indexers.
The search engine displays the names of sites such as RARBG, The Pirate Bay and 1337x as well as their logo. When you click on this link, Google brings up all results for the associated term.
While it's a thought provoking idea to think that Google employees are manually curating the list, the entire process is likely automated. Still, many casual torrent users might find it quite handy. Whether rightsholders will be equally excited is another question though.
The automated nature of this type of search result display also creates another problem. While many people know that most torrent sites offer pirated content, this is quite different with streaming portals.
This leads to a confusing situation where Google lists both legal and unauthorized streaming platforms when users search for "streaming sites."
The screenshot below shows the pirate streaming site Putlocker next to Hulu and Crackle. The same lineup also rotates various other pirate sites such as Alluc and Movie4k.to.
This has SHOCKED Express, which has loudly warned about the UK "Kodi" menace in recent months.
Roku has refreshed its lineup of TV streaming sticks and boxes, shortly after Apple and Amazon released similar products. Roku now has a device that supports 2160p resolution and high dynamic range:
Roku just announced updates to five of its TV streaming products, as well as a new operating system that marries access to over-the-air TV with video streaming services. The announcements from Roku come after both Apple and Amazon have revealed updates to their own video streaming boxes in recent weeks, with all three companies pushing further into the home with things like 4K, voice control, and improved search functionality.
Roku's low-cost streaming sticks are getting the most interesting updates. The basic Roku streaming stick, which at $49.99 is priced the same as last year's model, is getting a processor update that Roku claims is 50 percent faster. The remote is also getting voice control functionality, along with power and volume buttons to control those functions on your TV set.
Then there's the Roku Streaming Stick Plus, which now supports HDR and 4K Ultra HD. It also has four times the wireless range of the basic stick, which is partly enabled by the wireless module being built directly into the cable, rather than the stick itself. The idea is that moving it away from the television reduces interference. This one, which effectively replaces last year's Roku Premiere 4K box, will cost $69.99.
Also at Ars Technica and Roku.
Previously: Roku OS 7: Developer Highlights
Roku Media Player Maker Seeking IPO
Related: MPAA Chief Focuses Attention on the Kodi Platform
Kodi Panic in the UK and Popularity in North America
Kodi Add-on Library "TVAddons" Disappears After Lawsuit
Apple Investing $1 Billion in Acquiring and Producing TV Shows
The Kodi media player has re-entered the Xbox ecosystem. But can it be "fully loaded"?
The popular Kodi media player software returned to its roots today. The team just announced that Kodi for Xbox One is available worldwide through the Microsoft and Xbox store. This means that the project, which once started as the Xbox Media Player, has come full circle. [...] The roots of Kodi are directly connected to the Xbox, as the first iterations of the project were called the "Xbox Media Player." As time went by XBMP became XBMC, and eventually Kodi. The last name change made sense as the software was no longer being developed for Xbox, but for other devices, running on Linux, Windows, OSX, and Android.
While the broader public was perfectly happy with this, the sentimental few were missing the Xbox connection. For them, and many others, Kodi has a surprise in store today after returning to its roots. "Let us end the year 2017 with a blast including a nostalgic reference to the past," the Kodi team announced. "It has long been asked for by so many and now it finally happened. Kodi for Xbox One is available worldwide through Windows and Xbox Store."
Also at Engadget.
See also: Our 'Kodi Box' Is Legal & Our Users Don't Break the Law, TickBox Tells Hollywood
Previously: XBMC Is Getting a New Name: "Kodi"
Five Arrests in 'Fully Loaded' Kodi Streaming Box Raids
MPAA Chief Focuses Attention on the Kodi Platform
Kodi Panic in the UK and Popularity in North America
Kodi Add-on Library "TVAddons" Disappears After Lawsuit
Hollywood Strikes Back Against Illegal Streaming Kodi Add-Ons
Netflix, Amazon and Hollywood Sue Kodi-Powered Dragon Box Over Piracy
Several major Hollywood studios, Amazon, and Netflix have filed a lawsuit against Dragon Media Inc, branding it a supplier of pirate streaming devices. The companies accuse Dragon of using the Kodi media player in combination with pirate addons to facilitate mass copyright infringement via its Dragon Box device. [...] In recent months these boxes have become the prime target for copyright enforcers, including the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), an anti-piracy partnership between Hollywood studios, Netflix, Amazon, and more than two dozen other companies.
After suing Tickbox last year a group of key ACE members have now filed a similar lawsuit against Dragon Media Inc, which sells the popular Dragon Box. The complaint, filed at a California federal court, also lists the company's owner Paul Christoforo and reseller Jeff Williams among the defendants.
According to ACE, these type of devices are nothing more than pirate tools, allowing buyers to stream copyright infringing content. That also applies to Dragon Box, they inform the court. "Defendants market and sell 'Dragon Box,' a computer hardware device that Defendants urge their customers to use as a tool for the mass infringement of the copyrighted motion pictures and television shows," the complaint, picked up by HWR, reads.
According to TorrentFreak (TF) entertainment coalitions such as the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) are continuing to threaten developers of Kodi addons:
The MPA, Netflix, Amazon, and dozens of other content companies are ramping up the pressure on a third-party Kodi addon developer. Last year, JSergio123 was warned by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment to cease his activities and sign a confidential settlement agreement. He did not and now he's coming under pressure to comply. But what are ACE's demands?
[...] JSergio123's reluctance to sign an agreement with ACE hasn't gone unnoticed by the anti-piracy group. In a letter dated March 5, 2018 and signed by Kelly Klaus of US-based lawfirm Munger, Tolles & Olson, the developer is reminded of what transpired last year and what is expected of him moving forward.
"I understand that ACE counsel have discussed with you various of your "Addon" software applications and related software and services, including URLResolver (collectively, the "[redacted] Addons") and other actions you have undertaken to induce and contribute to the mass infringement of the ACE members' copyrighted works," Klaus writes. "I also understand that ACE counsel have provided you with a proposed settlement agreement, pursuant to which you would end your infringing activities and provide cooperation and other consideration in exchange for ACE agreeing not to pursue legal action against you arising out of your infringing activities. To date, you have not signed the settlement agreement."
JSergio123's precise reasons for not signing the settlement agreement aren't being made public. However, TorrentFreak understands that some of the terms presented to addon developers last year have caused considerable concern. In some cases they are difficult to meet, not to mention unpalatable to the people involved. They include promises to ensure that specified addons and indeed any developed in the future can no longer infringe copyright. For those that scrape third-party sources, this could prove impossible to absolutely guarantee. This could effectively put developers out of the addon game – legitimate or otherwise – for good. TF is also informed that ACE demanded a high-level of cooperation, including that the developers should supply what amounts to a full confession, detailing all the projects they've been involved in, past and present.
Meanwhile, Dish Network is continuing to pursue a lawsuit against TVAddons and ZemTV.
Related: MPAA Chief Focuses Attention on the Kodi Platform
Kodi Panic in the UK and Popularity in North America
Kodi Add-on Library "TVAddons" Disappears After Lawsuit
Hollywood Strikes Back Against Illegal Streaming Kodi Add-Ons
Kodi Returns to its Roots With an Xbox One Release
Two New Lawsuits Against Makers of "Pirate Streaming Devices"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 06 2017, @03:28PM (1 child)
Kodi is great on a Fire stick.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Nerdfest on Saturday May 06 2017, @03:39PM
So are marshmallows.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 06 2017, @03:57PM (8 children)
Myth: Cable piracy is wrong.
Fact: Cable companies are faceless corporations which makes it okay.
Myth: It's only fair to pay for quality first-run movies.
Fact: Most movies on cable get two stars or less and are repeated ad nauseam.
So You've Decided To Steal Cable [youtube.com]
I can't afford it.
When I can afford to pay for it, I will.
But I can't so I'm not going to.
The Simpsons ( 1989 ) > Season 2 > Episode 13 [primewire.ag]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by jmorris on Saturday May 06 2017, @06:14PM (7 children)
No, you are rationalizing. If cable is overpriced crap you simply don't watch it. In the end that brings about change far faster. For as much as they want your money they need your eyeballs more because they measure success by influence and that means if you watch their crap they win.
Read a book. Project Gutenberg has the flowers of Western Civilization curated and ready for you to learn from or simply be entertained with minimal effort. Then go look through the vast trove Google has been assembling, not as clean (some haven't even been properly OCRed) or as organized yet but vast. Assuming you could read so much of that as to be bored and unable to find another book, wander over to your local public library; they have newer books and most also have DVDs. And all of this is as free as pirate TV and without the moral corruption that will follow from deciding that a 'little' stealing from 'faceless corporations' is ok. Next thing you know that sort of degeneracy will lead to voting for Democrats.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 06 2017, @06:34PM
TV, movies, books, articles, leaks. If I want information, I'll go and steal it. You can't even comprehend the extent of my degeneracy.
I am Googman. I am Bingman. I'm coming for every fucking thing, man.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by fustakrakich on Saturday May 06 2017, @06:35PM
a 'little' stealing from 'faceless corporations' is ok
We don't see it as stealing. The ownership is in doubt. Their claims of such do not necessarily make it so.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday May 06 2017, @06:37PM (1 child)
I wouldn't watch American cable TV even if they offered it to me for free -- in fact, they'd have to pay me to watch it. The intellectual level of the programming has become so sub-retarded that it's painful to sit through.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Sunday May 07 2017, @12:11PM
The intellectual level of the programming has become so sub-retarded that it's painful to sit through.
Even stupid, yet entertaining, content is simply obsolete. In 2001 if you wanted to see hot, underdressed women, you could tune in Survivor, but super-casual stuff like that has been replaced by various subreddits on the omnipresent phone. Why even bother with the TV... As for stupid entertaining comedy style content there's youtube.
For me the problem with TV is the propaganda level, accelerated too far beyond cultural escape velocity to be relevant or interesting. Around the turn of the century, a TV show like Survivor was a dumb game show for women in bikinis which has wide appeal to at least 50% of the population, and the purpose of the show has shifted over time such that a typical segment now is three gays talking about outing a trans person, WTF is this?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 06 2017, @07:07PM
Next thing you know that sort of degeneracy will lead to voting for Democrats.
Americans did, jmorris! But you see, information was illegally stolen by the Russians working for the Republicans and Mike Flynn, and deployed by the deplorable Comey. So what was that you were saying about books?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 06 2017, @08:56PM
Hyperbolic, but I agree for the most part. If cable is too expensive, fuck 'em. Once enough people make that decision, they can either lower the price or go bankrupt.
You know, if you stopped being so reactionary you might not have high blood pressure. Take a deep breath and just accept that some people are different. You don't have to interact with them.
(Score: 1) by chair on Sunday May 07 2017, @04:38PM
I believe the post you are responding to was satire, which is a little clearer in the video clip the poster linked to.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Gaaark on Saturday May 06 2017, @04:47PM
and now millions(?) of Brits/citizens of the world who'd never heard of Kodi are now gooooogling like blazes, lol.
Go media: shut down that shite by trumpeting it to the world.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 5, Interesting) by kaszz on Saturday May 06 2017, @04:47PM
shutting down suppliers of boxes
Like Microsoft? must been a thought mishap here.
cutting off illegal streams
Tried with that bay of ships with black flags. Success? ;-)
going after end users
It's called routing through the fruit with many layers and something with fence patterns. And when found.. it's all gibberish.
easy to detect within a household due to its 'heartbeat' traffic
Kodi, coders.. take notice and fix this?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 06 2017, @05:04PM
With luck this lets the cat of truth out of the bag, and that most people see thru the false statements being made.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 07 2017, @12:08AM
If "your" citizens are ignoring your laws en masse maybe you are doing something wrong.