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Vuze

Powerful and user-friendly tool for interfacing with BitTorrent sites

6.9

1041 Votes

  • Category P2P
  • Program license Free
  • Version 5.7.7.0
  • Size 72.01 kB
  • Works under: Windows 10
  • Also available for Android 
  • Program available in English
  • Program by Azureus Software, Inc.

Multitalented BitTorrent clients come along from time to time, but few of these would-be contenders measures up to Vuze, an application that adds convenience-based management features to peer-to-peer file-sharing. The software incorporates a familiar user panel where searches for media can be conducted, but this is where the comparison with other clients ends, for Vuze is a fully-fledged torrent manager that incorporates its own media player and transcoder. This latter module is intended for users who desire playback freedom, and it can be used to process video or audio content so that the output file format is compatible with many popular devices.

At its core, Vuze is an intelligent file-sharing client, but it builds on the traditional foundations of the peer-to-peer protocol to deliver many integrated features. These include the aforementioned multimedia player, a panel that works in standard or high-definition. Meanwhile, in the main window, peer-to-peer administration is addressed. This organized interface hosts currently downloading and stored media. From here, the bandwidth and download speed can be set. The queue is also prioritized from here, as is content tagging. But true power doesn't reside here: It lays in the metasearch feature. Put simply, metasearch enables searches to diligently plow through many indexed trackers at once, so a desired video or audio file can be found that much faster thanks to the customizable power of one search box.

The additional features stack up tidily, one atop the next, all thanks to the integrated modules. Subscriptions are next on the review agenda, for this time-management setting can confound the most organized user. Subscriptions are on hand for when a favorite show is aired in an episodic format. Just download the first episode, subscribe, and Vuze will automatically download new episodes as they're transmitted. The intent of the software designers, at least in this case, is to create an all-in-one download and viewing experience. High-definition videos and different audio formats download seamlessly thanks to this approach. They then play back without buffering on the inbuilt media player. Again, if the user isn't fond of using a computer as a playback device, then the file is entirely open to playback on other devices. Of course, the selected media format will have to be transcoded so that it works on the selected smartphone, console, or smart gadget of the user's choice.

Vuze downloads legal multimedia content, plays that content locally, or converts the media so that it can be loaded on another device. It's also a very competent torrent-management application, one endowed with the kind of feature-rich extras that make BitTorrenting a pleasure instead of a pain.

Pros

  • Delivers an all-in-one workflow
  • Powerful BitTorrent management features
  • Metasearch engine seeks content on many trackers
  • Incorporates a subscription feature
  • One source and free
Cons
  • Exhibits occasional memory management hiccups
  • Not as user-friendly as alternative BitTorrent clients
  • Transcoding issues
  • DVD Burning is only available in Vuze+
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Free Media Player, BitTorrent Client, and Downloader for Mac, Windows, and Linux