This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Name: Put.io
Quick Pitch: Put.io is a storage service that fetches media files remotely and lets you stream them immediately.
Genius Idea: Put.io is cloud-based solution for fetching, housing and streaming files from the Internet. Think of it as an alternative repository for torrents and entertainment media such as music and video. Instead of downloading files to your desktop, you can “download” them to Put.io where you can access and stream them from any device with a browser — think laptops, iPads, mobile phones and gaming consoles.
Put.io’s secret sauce is its ability to automatically fetch files on the web. Put.io can pull media from bittorent, FTP sites, direct download links and even automatically download content from your favorite RSS feeds. Another boon is that Put.io lets you convert most video files to the mobile-friendly MP4 format for mobile consumption.
Put.io is also appealing because the system supports shared folders. Users can share their media library with friends and reap the benefits of access to their friends’ shared libraries as well.
There’s also a Put.io application for Boxee, which means Boxee users can stream media directly from Put.io’s servers. For future Boxee Box owners and Apple TV hackers, this means instant access to web-based entertainment media on the television.
Put.io’s one catch is that it comes with a monthly price tag. You can test out the service for a three-day free trial period, but on-going subscription plans start at $4.99 per month depending on the storage and bandwidth you want.
Put.io is like a modern-day Napster for today’s generation of online media consumers. With a structure that supports one-to-may exchanges of media files, we can only assume that it too will garner some heat from entertainment industry players fearful of its disruptive model.
Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.
Reviews: Boxee, Internet
More About: bizspark, cloud storage, entertainment, put.io, spark-of-genius, torrents
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