Popcorn Time 是什么？
Popcorn Time 中文名大概可以叫「爆米花时间」，简单来说就是一个开源版的「快播」。
（我不会告诉你第一眼眼滑成了 Popporn Time，其实还真有一个分支叫 Porn Time【警告：慎用！】……
最早看到 Popcorn Time 是来自小众软件的介绍：
Popcorn Time 是一个很火爆的开源电影播放器，无需完全下载就可以直接播放 yts 里的高清电影，并且能够加载外挂字幕文件。
由于有版权争论，Popcorn Time 以开源的方式让其不会被版权机构干掉，不过…不知道老外是否想到了天朝早已有类似服务的商业公司。
Popcorn Time 已经提供了 Windows、OS X、Linux 三个平台的客户端，无广告，有搜索、分类。
真假 Popcorn Time
首先原始版「爆米花时间」的官方域名应该是 PopcornTime.io，写文时貌似打不开了，之前打开会发现一封大意是「我们被迫害所以暂停服务，请大家期待我们的新项目：黄油/butter project 」的公开信。
事件的起因是去年十月后 Popcorn Time 项目因为版权问题面临诸多打压被迫自洁乃至下线，在官网被阉割后很快涌出了一大票号称是爆米花时间继承者的站点，heavy 的这篇图文中记载了这些站点的八卦：
With PopcornTime.sh now online, there are so many different versions of Popcorn Time that it's hard to keep track of them all. In addition, different versions claim the other ones are fake or scammers or owned by the MPAA, making everything very confusing. This is a quick rundown of the current versions that are online, who claims to own each one, and what the other versions are saying about them. Click through the gallery to learn more about each version, including PopcornTime.ag, PopcornTimeCE.ch, Popcorn-Time.to, PopcornTime.sh, and PopcornTime.io. Remember, any of these services may stream copyrighted material, which is not legal depending on your country. To stream movies and TV shows legally, subscribe to a service like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime. Then you won't have to worry if the service you're using is legit.
随着 PopcornTime.sh 的上线我们发现网络上出现了很多不同版本的 Popcorn Time，更搞的是这些不同的版本互相指控对方是 MPAA（美国电影协会，版权团体，做掉之前官网的势力之一）设立的蜜罐或者山寨之类的，大家表示直接懵逼了。下面我们来八一下 PopcornTime.ag， PopcornTimeCE.ch，Popcorn-Time.to， PopcornTime.sh 和 PopcornTime.io ，不过要谨记这些服务会串流有版权的东西所以有可能导致你违反你所在地的法律。如果想无需担心法律问题使用合法的串流服务就订阅网飞、葫芦、亚马逊高级会员什么的吧~
Popcorntime.sh is the newest addition to the bunch. It was just released earlier this month and is already leaving people very confused or excited, depending on who you ask. The website and its Facebook page claim that it was created by the developers of the original PopcornTime.io, which was shut down by the MPAA. It uses a GitHub repository and coding connected to the original team. However, the owners of PopcornTime.ag claim on their website and on Reddit that this site is owned by the MPAA and is a honeypot to catch pirates. Meanwhile, a separate active Reddit group says this isn't the case and the rival group is just trying to smear PopcornTime.sh's name. Meanwhile, TorrentFreak has reported that because the owners of the new domain don't want to reveal their identities, it's not possible to confirm or deny if the domain is trustworthy. To learn more about PopcornTime.sh, please see this story.
.sh 版是最新上线的 fork 。本月初（指2016年2月初）刚刚发布，它们在脸书和主页上宣称自己是由原官网 PopcornTime.io 的开发人员基于 GitHub 上的原始代码（已被 GitHub 清理）建立。不过 .ag 版的团队在主页和一个 Reddit 讨论串里指控 .sh 版幕后是 MPAA 在把持，但是另一个 Reddit 群组里的讨论贴又有人提出这是 .ag 在黑 .sh 而已（妈蛋名字好容易搞混我只打后缀了）。TorrentFreak 发文说因为域名的所有者隐藏着身份所以这个故事压根没法证实.
关于 .sh 的更多八卦可以看看：关于 PopcornTime.sh 的五点须知
还有： TorrentFreak 的原文
PopcornTime.ag, which calls itself the Popcorn Time Community Edition, or Popcorn Time CE, has been around longer than PopcornTime.sh. On its homepage, the domain has a warning posted requesting that users not use PopcornTime.sh because it believes the site is owned by the MPAA. PopcornTime.ag has a love/hate relationship with Reddit. A subreddit called PopcornTimeCE supports the .ag domain version and brings together Redditors to help with fixes and updates, according to Softpedia. Meanwhile, others on Reddit say this subreddit isn't connected to the "official" community edition of Popcorn Time at all. They say the official community edition was popcorntime.ml, which has been down since December and subsequently replaced by PopcornTimece.ch (see the next slide for more details.) These Redditors even created an image that labels PopcornTime.ag as being engaged in shady activity or possibly having malware. Meanwhile, PopcornTime.ag claims the same thing about the other side and lays claim to being the successor to PopcornTime.io. According to this Reddit discussion, PopcornTime.ag is owned by the same guy who owns yify.is. Ultimately, as TorrentFreak reported, there's no way to really know which domains are trustworthy and which aren't.
按照 .ag 版的自述它是 Popcorn Time 的一个社区版本，在它的主页上有针对 .sh 版本的警告，同时 .ag 版本也和 Reddit 有着爱恨纠结的孽缘……据 Softpedia （类似华军软件园的下载站）说 .ag 是一个修复和更新分支，但也有 Reddit 乡民报告官方的社区版本是 popcorntime.ml，后来换了个域名叫 PopcornTimeCE.ch 。这些乡民爆料 .ag 是由 yify.is （话说我想起在注册 yi.gs 时 yi.is 还未被注册~）的所有者持有。
Next is PopcornTimeCE.ch, which is billed as the real Popcorn Time Community Edition. (PopcornTime.ag also claims to be the Community Edition.) This website is supported by the PopcornTime subreddit here and the newly released PopcornTime.sh. According to PopcornTimeCE's website, this is a community edition created by developers around the world which, at one point, sold subscriptions to a VPN. A Reddit thread explains that this website was the last version of the original PopcornTime.io with a few fixes added, but no new features expected.
然后是 .ch 版，它被誉（或者说自称）为真正的 Popcorn Time 社区版，据说是由全世界的开发人员共同维护，同时提供一个虚拟私人网络订阅服务（号称为了隐私或者回避法律问题）。有 Reddit 贴说 .ch 版是依据原始的 PopcornTime 版本修复而来，没有添加新特性。
Finally, we have Popcorn-Time.to (which Popcorn-Time.se redirects to). This site has been created by a completely different set of developers who are not connected to PopcornTime.ag or PopcornTime.sh. This site, which bills itself as "Time4Popcorn" on Facebook, has tried to stay out of the ag vs sh war. However, a diagram circulated on Reddit still claims that this site is untrustworthy. TorrentFreak, however, reported that this site of all the PopcornTimes provides the most consistent service. It's been around almost as long as Popcorntime.io and, like Popcorntime.io, claimed to be the original successor to the very first PopcornTime. This Reddit thread talks about how some people say the site includes adware with downloads, but the author never experienced that.
最后还有 Popcorn-Time.to （与 Popcorn-Time.se 域名指向同一个站点，目前是 Google “Popcorn Time” 结果的第一位），它还为自己建立了一个叫 Time4Popcorn 的脸书页面，并尝试着不介入前面提到的 .ag 版与 .sh 版的战争，然并卵还是有人po文黑它……照 TorrentFreak 的说法 .to 版提供了与原始版爆米花时间最一致的体验，但也有 Reddit 乡民报告 .to 版捆绑了广告软件。
However, things do get a little confusing when you start looking into everything more deeply. There's a Reddit war going on over this site too. The PopcornTime CE subreddit claims that this website, PopcornTimeCE.ch, is a fake community edition that spreads malware and only PopcornTime.ag should be used. Meanwhile, the PopcornTime subreddit claims that this version is the official community edition and PopcornTime.ag is a sketchy service. Both sides like to slam the other and both sides claim to be the "official" successor to PopcornTime.io, so it's hard to know where the truth lies. Ultimately, as TorrentFreak reported, there's no way to really know which domains are trustworthy and which aren't.
总之这事一片混乱，大家互黑之余都声称自己是官方版 PopcornTime.io 的继承者。就酱~
BTW: 我下载 Popcorn-Time.to 试用貌似没发现什么异常，这里有 .to 版的在线查毒记录：virustotal 的查杀结果。
选用哪个 Popcorn Time 版本？
推荐中文用户使用由 Vincent Lu 编译的 Popcorn Time 0.3.9。
下载地址点击：爆米花制造机
版本说明看这里：爆米花工廠重新開張。
作者在 .sh 版的基础上针对中文字幕问题进行了修正，还自画了一个组合版旗帜（XD
国产\中文化 Popcorn Time
在国内，很早就有一些小组织开发或修改了类似 Popcorn Time 的东西，可惜命长的不多，目前基本都借用腾讯的QQ旋风离线资源来玩花样：
1、萝莉云
之前在各种福利站间传播，目前已自杀，有个变种叫 「黑科云」。
槽点是官方下载用的百度云盘链接所以完全不敢下载没有使用欲望……
2、BC私有云
看上去和萝莉云一个团队或有关联团队出品，目前还没自杀。
3、APIV.GA
APIV.GA 与上面两个不同，不用下载，在线播放，所以也是我唯一用过的……
目前播放热门（且非违禁）资源体验很好，基本随点随播，不过需要一些技巧来寻找资源本体的40位HASH码。
Popcorn Time 的替代者 WebTorrent
WebTorrent 大概是目前最易用的全网磁力链接播放工具，使用便捷度与全盛时的迅雷系、快播系、旋风系不相上下且无广告等干扰使用的体验，既有基于 Web 的实现也有 WebTorrent Desktop 桌面版客户端。
有趣的是这个团队还做了一个用来传文件的 instant.io，虽然是写着「Streaming file transfer over WebTorrent (torrents on the web)」，我觉得“正确”的用法是把冷门资源的磁力链接贴上然后等全网分流 ；）
更新记录
2017年01月16日更新
增加 「国产\中文化 Popcorn Time」 小节
2017年07月11日更新
增加 「Popcorn Time 的替代者 WebTorrent」 小节
收藏备用。