NTL and BitTorrent have announced details of a new "technical trial" with a view to launching a legal video download service in the UK.

The trial, beginning next month and involving around 100 NTL homes, will feature a "large variety" of licensed content including movies, TV shows and music videos.

The BitTorrent software uses peer-to-peer (P2P) technology, where every downloader of a file also serves as an uploader. The trial will have the added element of technology from Cambridge-based firm Cachelogic, who will accelerate downloads and reduce costs by storing frequently-downloaded files locally on the NTL network.

"NTL is delighted to be working with its technology trial partners, BitTorrent and CacheLogic, in order to extend its high-quality video experience from the set top box to the media player," said Kevin Baughan, director of network strategy at NTL. "The trial will be a unique combination of BitTorrent's P2P client closely coupled with CacheLogic's network based content caching and NTL's deep fibre network in order to offer a transformational video downloading experience."

Ashwin Navin, co-founder and president of BitTorrent, added: "As the world's leading P2P application, we are engaging artists and ISPs to build a consumer-friendly ecosystem around our protocol that allows all involved to benefit from P2P. We are pleased to announce our work with NTL and CacheLogic, as both entities share our vision for the future of content distribution."