I used and like your FTP idea, especially when you are able to have control over the members' restricted access. Takes a wee bit longer than DDL i suppose but it's worth the security.
The server only permits login to member accounts. Anonymous login is rejected
Member accounts are disabled after the download. At the moment only the account of Cirus is enabled.
Folders shared to each member account can also be controlled.
Even if an account is leaked it’s already disabled, when enabled next time the folders already downloaded are not shared to that account again.
Just in case an account has suspicious multiple downloads of the same titles, it’s deleted.
To someone in the US the max speed was about 900KB/s=7.3mbps with 4 connections but I don’t know what his max speed is.
You should be able to make 10 connections, please change the number of connections and see which is the fastest.
The server is in Asia, so it might be faster to someone in Asia and slower to someone in Europe in general.
My connection is gigabit with a real upload of about 240mbps=30MB/s but international speed might be limited somehow.
Although upload goes above 20MB/s on some fast torrents, upload to Hotfile's FTP is about 7MB/s when fast.
i find megaupload to be the best of the bunch especially for us who don't have an MU account (i use JDownloader to queue my free DDLs). Fileserve and Sharingmatrix both work well FREE with Jdownloader too.
Megaupload
The shortcoming of MU is that you can’t have parallel uploads.
Megamanager looses your uploads and you need e-mail to recover.
The Multiuploader on the homepage can batch upload but no parallel upload.
FTP is reserved to premium users.
Is there any way for free users?
Rapidshare, Hotfile, FileFactory
These have parallel uploads for free users, all worked OK.
Sharingmatrix(Filesonic)
For me completely impossible to download anything since a few weeks ago.
Fileserve
Haven’t tried it yet.
But FTP is still my #1 recommended way to go for ease and security.
Nearly as much security is given on a Torrent using a private tracker only for the members.
Every member downloads a Torrent with his unique ID.
The tracker has records of the downloads that you can see if one ID has many downloads.
So you can disable the access for leaked .torrent files and disable the account of this member (as far as I know).
And it’s easier and faster than the FTP as everybody contributes by his own upload.
In my opinion the ranking is
1. Torrent on a private tracker only for members
2. FTP
3. File hosting
Is file hosting that fast for premium users?
I don't know as I have never had a premium account.
As free user I get only about 100KB/s-300KB/s from all of them.