StreamCast has begun shipping a pre-release BitTorrent-enabled test version of its upcoming Morpheus 5.0 P2P software, the company said yesterday.

The announcement comes while the P2P world awaits an answer from the US Supreme Court on the vexed question of whether companies like StreamCast are as guilty of copyright infringement as many of their users are.

Describing Morpheus 5.0 as a "breakthrough" product, StreamCast admitted the new code may be seen as "an even greater threat" to the entertainment industry than previous incarnations of the software were alleged to be.

In addition to searching for BitTorrent-delivered content, Morpheus 5.0 incorporates updated search and download technology that will provide users with "lightning fast download speeds" and much-improved search accuracy.

StreamCast said the Morpheus 5.0 beta release contains no bundled software from third-parties, no spyware and is free of pop-up ads. However, it's not yet clear how much third-party code and advertising will make it into the final version, if any.

Some final version features are also missing from the beta, including iPod compatibility, Podcast searches, a mobile version of the app, and support for purchased downloads.

On Monday, the US Supreme Court declined to issue a ruling on the MGM vs Grokster and StreamCast case, as it had been expected to do. There is one week left in the Court's schedule this season, so it is likely that there will either be an answer next Monday, 27 June, or none this session. Decisions are typically released on Mondays, but observers are now hoping for the final word on today. ®

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