P2PTV

The term 'P2PTV' refers to peer-to-peer software applications designed to redistribute video streams or files on a p2p network, typically TV stations across the world. The draw to these applications is significant because they have the potential to make every TV channel in the world global.
The benefit of using peer-to-peer technology is similar to that of standard peer-to-peer software. Each user, while downloading, is also uploading, thus contributing to the overall available bandwidth. The video quality of the channels typically depends on how many users are watching; the video quality is better if there are more users. Similarly, downloading video is faster if there are more users.
Many P2PTV applications make use of the BitTorrent technology.
The majority of applications available broadcast mainly Asian TV stations, with the exception of TVUPlayer, which carries a number of North American stations such as Comedy Central, Spike TV, and Fox News.

Contents

Disadvantages

Advantages

Applications

See also

Notes

Disadvantages

★ No QoS. Compared to unicasting (server-client architecture used in streaming media) no one can guarantee a reliable stream, since every user is a rebroadcaster. Each viewer is a part of a chain of viewers which all can have a negative influence on the reliability of the stream (by having a slow PC, a filled downlink or uplink or an unreliable consumer grade DSL or cable connection).

★ Over 40% extra data overhead compared to unicasting. To bypass the QoS issue, P2P networks have multiple peers send multiple traffic to other peers, introducing extra data overhead for retransmits, communication and redundancy.[1] Dutch ISP's have calculated the traffic needed to send a P2PTV stream to a number of users, and measured 40% additional traffic usage compared to unicasting an RTSP stream to a similar audience. Alternately, Multicasting (although not a widespread internet technology) is even more efficient than unicasting, allowing one stream to feed a virtually unlimited number of viewers.

★ No control. Broadcasters prefer to be able to limit access to their content based on regions, and would like good data on viewer behaviour, such as volume, trends and viewing time. Compared to server based technologies P2PTV offers no control and no viewer feedback at all.
For professional broadcasters and distributers, a hybrid solution is used for many years. Distribution servers are not centrally installed, but are rolled out in a smart, decentralized way. A central management facility manages content distribution over multiple peer server (also known as an Edge server, or a Cache) redistributes, strategically located near user swarms (generally popular access ISP networks), manages load balancing, redirection of users, view reporting and QoS. Examples are Akamai.
Akamai still has to buy high cost transit traffic, but new models (as researched by a Dutch team of ISP's, Broadcasters and experts) introduces on-network distribution per ISP and no actual Internet distribution, introducing extreme lower distribution costs, distribution rights management and the highest QoS possible.
Although some projects target broadcasters (see below), most P2PTV technology is used to redistribute TV channels on the Internet without a proper license to do so. This utilization of P2P technology is particularly popular in the piracy of programs that are either not available or require paid subscription on the Internet, such as NFL games.[2][3]

Advantages

★ When used as a method of distributing video using files (downloads), it can greatly enhance distribution because files are downloaded more quickly

★ Contrary to a previous viewpoint (above), it has been demonstrated that Peer-to-Peer downloading can save substantial amounts of bandwidth costs because many peers are likely to be within a single ISP (Internet Service Provider) and hence "interconnection" costs are reduced.

★ From a distribution point of view, Peer-to-Peer technologies facilitate better and more targeted distribution because sharing can take place within communities having common interests, communities that would typically already exist to take advantage of the content.

Applications

★ Alluvium

★ Babelgum

★ CoolStreaming

★ Cybersky-TV

★ LiveStation

★ Miro

★ Feidian

★ Joost

★ Octoshape

★ PeerCast

★ PPLive

★ PPStream

★ ReelTime.com

★ TVants

★ Tvuplayer

★ Vuze

★ Zattoo

See also

★ Internet television

★ IPTV

★ Streaming Media

★ Webcast

Notes