Azureus, makers of the open source, cross-platform BitTorrent client of the same name, have launched Zudeo, a new video sharing site in the YouTube mold, but based on BitTorrent technology. That fact could either be its success or its downfall. Its downfall because BitTorrent does not lend itself to streaming, so a video must be downloaded in its entirety before being viewed. Its success because it allows them to serve videos of much higher quality without spending a fortune on bandwidth. Unlike most video-sharing sites, when you click on a video download link in Zudeo, you're prompted to install a special Zudeo version of the Azureus client, and then whenever you want to watch a video on Zudeo, the link will open in the client and begin downloading. Within the client you can browse and search the entire site as well as upload your own videos.

In its current form, Zudeo is not awe-inspiring. The interface is slick and polished, far moreso than I expected, but having to install a desktop client, though made supremely easy, is still a bit jarring. And even though all of my downloaded videos are conveniently kept in my Library, it still launches an external video player whenever I want to watch one of them. Downloads are blazing fast, however, and for those looking to share videos with a little more resolution might be attracted to Zudeo. According to TechCrunch, Azureus has signed deals with "20 major TV and film studios" to provide free programming, and the company also just got $12 million in funding from Redpoint Ventures and BV Capital, which TechCrunch's Natali Del Conte points out is more than it took to originally finance YouTube.