The open source, cross-platform video platform, Miro, recently released version 1.1. The new update offers two main improvements. First, Miro has significantly improved BitTorrent performance by giving the user more control and settings for BitTorrent downloads. Miro's support of BitTorrent has always set itself apart from other media players with it's BitTorrent support and we're glad to see them enhancing this important feature.

Second, Miro 1.1 has made it easier to find the search results you're looking for by instituting a combined search across all 5 of their search engines. Users who want to only search the engines one at a time can still do so by choosing the engines they're most interested in seeing results from.

If you're not a user of Miro yet, we encourage you to take a look its way. Miro is a media viewing software package that allows you to view almost any video file format, search for and view YouTube videos, and access video podcasts via BitTorrent. Additionally, Miro is an open source video platform that lacks any DRM and allows unrestricted viewing of their materials. Also, they Miro takes pride in it's selection of HD content.

[via Miro's blog]

Looking for a good, free podcast aggregator/player for Windows? For a long time, Juice (formerly known as iPodder) was the reigning champ. But it's kind of a pain in the behind to get Juice working with Vista. So we're always looking for a better solution.

You can use Miro to download audio podcasts as well as video, but that's sort of like using a tank to drive to the supermarket.

Ziepod, on the other hand, is a bit more like a corvette. It's pretty, easy to use, and fast. The built-in podcast directory is also excellent if you're browsing for new podcasts. Notice we said browsing? There's no search button, which is a bit baffling.

Another odd choice is that while you an set Ziepod to automatically delete podcasts that have been sitting on your PC for a certain period of time, there's no way to customize that setting for different feeds. So if you download some podcasts on a weekly basis and others on a daily basis, there doesn't appear to be an easy way to keep the last 2 days worth of one and 3 weeks worth of the other.

That said, Ziepod does a great job of pulling in your podcasts, storing them, letting you listen on your computer or synchronize with an iPod. There's also a commercial version for $20 with a few additional features like download bandwitdh speed control, and a dockable video bar.

[thanks booblik!]

Everybody's favorite open-source video aggregator/online TV viewing app has finally hit the big 1.0.

Miro is positioning itself as an alternative to Joost, but we're not sure the comparison is apt. Joost lets you watch professionally produced content in a custom-built streaming video player that brings a TV-like experience to your computer. Miro lets you download and watch videos that you could have gotten from other places -- but Miro makes finding video from thousands of sources all kinds of easy.

Miro is also open-source, cross-platform (with Mac, Linux, and Windows versions available), and 100% DRM-free. And while the fact that you can't watch streaming video might seem like a disadvantage, Miro dos a pretty good job of downloading videos that weren't really meant for saving to your computer. In other words, it's a handy application to have around if you want to download "web-only" videos from sites like YouTube.

[via Slashdot]

Remember FireAnt? Back in the day, it was known as a hot internet video aggregator. While the trend has shifted toward web video sites like YouTube, or aggregators like Truveo, FireAnt offers a standalone video player/aggregator that lest you download and watch videos without a web browser. You know, kind of like Miro. Actually, come to think of it, FireAnt and Miro's interfaces are remarkably similar.

But that's beside the point. The point is, FireAnt may be prepared to make a comeback. SonicMountain, the company that made headlines by purchasing podcast aggregator Odeo earlier this year has reportedly purchased FireAnt.

NewTeeVee reports that Odeo (SonicMountain changed their name after the acquisition) plains to integrate FireAnt and relaunch sometime around December. Imagine accessing Odeo's huge index of existing podcasts and podcast creation tools through a downloadable player. Or something like that.

Okay, we know that Democracy was supposed to be renamed Miro when it hit version 1.0. But Miro 0.9.8 is out now. Whoo hoo.

Technically, this is a technical preview of Miro. But as with most of the beta releases of Democracy, it's already a pretty full featured video aggregator/player.

While new programs like Joost and Babelgum aim to provide a peer-to-peer streaming video experience, Miro lets you find, download, and organize videos you like. When you first launch Miro, you'll see a series of popular podcasts/vlogs that you can check out, including Ask A Ninja, Diggnation, and Rocketboom. Or you can search out your own video feeds and add them to the list.

So what's new in version 0.9.8?

• Keyboard shortcuts on all platforms (Mac, Windows, and Linux)
• Full context menu from Windows system tray
• Added "report a bug" menu item
• Added Veoh.com as a search engine
• A whole slew of bug fixes