The latest beta version of the official BitTorrent client has been released. Project Chrysalis brings personal content channel to the client which can be used to share files with friends and family, simplifying the process of creating personal torrents from your own files. This provides a great way to share large files, such as photos and video, with a large number of people without having to send emails with attachments.

This is the first beta version of the latest BitTorrent software, and things have come a long way since the Alpha version in March. The new file sharing features are a clear attempt by BitTorrent to demonstrate the fact that torrents can be used for legal file sharing. By creating personal content channels, the ability to quickly and easily share large files is opened up to a whole new audience.

Creating a content channel is incredibly simple, and could be used in many ways – it would make a useful accompaniment to a forum, for instance. Other people can be invited to the channel via email, Facebook or Twitter and they will be notified whenever new content is added to the channel. In this way, BitTorrent is evolving further down the social networking route, but there is also scope for marketing.

The client beta enables you to discover content that may be of interest to you – from software and music to podcasts and more. This outlet could easily be used by musicians to showcase their music, or artists in other areas such as films and TV. PayPal integration means that there is also scope for charging for content. While BitTorrent 8 is in beta, there are no restrictions placed on the size of files that can be shared, but it is unclear whether this will be the case in the final release.

As is to be expected when moving from Alpha to Beta software, Project Chrysalis includes a wide range of big fixes as well as performance and stability improvements.

You can find out more and download a copy of the beta software by paying a visit to the BitTorrent 8 beta review page.