Get Ready for Flash Player 10.1 to Stream P2P Video to Millions, Swap Files BitTorrent-style
Forget multitouch: By far the most disruptive — and overlooked — feature of the Flash Player 10.1 beta that Adobe launched this week is the ability to transmit video via P2P multicast. In fact, Adobe built some enhanced P2P capabilities into both the new Flash Player and Air 2 beta that could be used to replicate BitTorrent functionality within Flash, build large-scale P2P groupware solutions that work right within the browser and stream video to millions of viewers without having to pay a fortune for bandwidth.
Adobe has been hinting at big plans for P2P ever since it bought a small P2P startup called amicima in early 2007. It made some of amicima’s technology available to developers about a year ago, but restricted it to small-scale use cases like P2P video conferencing or multiplayer games based on a few Flash players directly connected to each other via P2P. With Flash Player 10.1, Adobe appears ready to open the floodgates. CDNs and P2P video solutions providers would be well-advised to take notice.
VODO Embraces BitTorrent to Distribute Movies, Compensate Filmmakers
UK-based P2P video platform VODO published its second feature film on dozens of file-sharing sites Thursday, hoping that worldwide exposure will bring in donations, subscriptions and traditional distribution deals. David Miller’s documentary In Guantanamo, which is the result of a press tour of the controversial detention facility, has been downloaded around 15,000 times within the first 24 hours, according toVODO founder Jamie King.
The site’s first feature, Us Now, got downloaded around 250,000 times since its release in mid-October. Part of the volume is due to VODO’s relationships with a number of well-known BitTorrrent sites, with Isohunt and The Pirate Bay currently featuring In Guantanamo on their front pages. VODO hasn’t been quite as successful in making money from these downloads, but King hopes that a combination of one-off donations and a subscription level for documentary geeks and movie buffs will help eventually make the site sustainable and provide an additional revenue stream for filmmakers.
Chinese Online Video Companies Fight for Market Share, Licenses
Chinese P2P startup Xunlei has sued its competitor Sohu for copyright infringement, according to the Shenzen Daily. Xunlei is alleging that Sohu’s search engine, Sogou, is infringing on copyrights related to Xunlei’s P2P software as well as its own search engine, Gougou.com. Sohu had previously filed its own copyright infringement lawsuits against Xunlei and other Chinese P2P vendors.
China has long been a P2P video wunderkind of sorts. Efforts to establish P2P-based consumer video platforms like Joost and Babelgum have largely failed in the U.S. and Europe, but similar offerings attract millions of users in China. However, the Chinese market is saturated with literally dozens of video vendors, and efforts to grow their business beyond the PC have stalled due to strict government licensing requirements.
Survey: Online Video Up to 27% of Internet Traffic
Streaming video and audio from the likes of YouTube and Hulu now account for roughly 27 percent of global Internet traffic, according to a new study from network management company Sandvine (hat tip to Multichannel News), which surveyed the top 20 ISPs worldwide. This stat is up from 13 percent in 2008.
The window for peak Internet usage, when most everyone is using their connection at the same time, condensed to 7 – 10 p.m. this year, a more primetime version of last year’s 6 – 11 p.m. peak period.
Comcast Lawsuit Questions FCC Right to Enforce Net Neutrality
Comcast has filed its appeal of an FCC decision issued last August that censured the cable company for blocking P2P files, arguing that the commission doesn’t have the authority to impose the broadband principles that define network neutrality in the U.S. absent a federal law or a full public hearing to make those principles binding as regulatory policy. Indeed, Comcast’s appeal will test the FCC’s ability to enforce network neutrality without either of those things.
Comcast’s intent to appeal the FCC’s ruling was announced last September, but initial briefs, which it filed July 27, are just now hitting the courts. Comcast initially got into trouble in October 2007, after an Associated Press investigation revealed the company was forging packets that would cause BitTorrent connections of some users to drop and failing to inform them of the practice — a serious net neutrality no-no. For more, keep reading over at GigaOM.
Future of P2P: What Comes After The Pirate Bay
The verdict against The Pirate Bay could turn out to be something of a game changer for P2P file sharing. Granted, the four defendants have already filed their appeals, and the site is currently up and running. In fact, there are 22 million peers connected as I write this, which suggests that most Pirate Bay users don’t feel threatened in any way by the court’s decision.
However, history has shown that court verdicts against high-profile file-sharing services can lead to the emergence of newer and technically superior platforms. This trend could be accelerated by renewed attempts to take down The Pirate Bay’s infrastructure. So what’s in store for the future of P2P?
Vuze Moves to the Big Screen
P2P video platform Vuze today announced that users can now watch content downloaded to their Mac or PC on mobile and TV screens. The Vuze software update supports viewing via iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, PS3, and Xbox 360.
In the latest version of Vuze, there is a “Devices” tab listing the various viewing options. Users drag and drop videos from their Vuze library to one of these destinations and the software will determine whether the file can play on the device selected, convert the file and make it available for playback. For iTunes users, the video will be pushed into the iTunes library, where it can be moved around to various Apple devices. For Xbox and PlayStation users, the content will be streamed to the game console from the computer.
Last year was a rough one for Vuze as the company went through two rounds of layoffs, losing half of its work force. In October, Vuze launched a revamped client that was aimed at both beginners and power users (read: pirates), and around that time switched from a paid download model to ad-supported content in an effort regain some of the losses it experienced as users moved to other BitTorrent clients.
Vid-Biz: iTunes, Watchmen, Adidas.tv
Why Being a Hit on iTunes Isn’t So Great; Robert Seidman looks at the economics of being number one at Apple’s download store and find there just isn’t enough there yet. (TVbytheNumbers)
FYI Signs Six-Figure Watchmen Promo Deal; deal includes integration into three episodes of Kyle Piccolo: Comic Shop Therapist. (Tubefilter)
All Day I Dream About Streaming? Adidas to launch Adidas.tv as a global hub for video content produced by the shoemaker. (AdWeek)
BitTorrent Rules the P2P School; BitTorrent protocol responsible for 45 – 78 percent of all P2P traffic. (TorrentFreak)
Economy Hits Comcast; cable company loses more basic subscribers and gains fewer digital subscribers than Wall Street had hoped. (GigaOM)
Five Million Homes Not Ready for DTV; despite 641 stations going digital as of yesterday, 4.4 percent of the country was unprepared for the switch. (Broadcasting & Cable)
Why YouTube and Music Companies Can’t Get Along; like most disputes, it boils down to fear and money. (paidContent)
Why the End of the RIAA Lawsuits Won’t Change Anything
The Recording Industry Association of America has decided to end its five-year-long lawsuit campaign against music file sharers, the Wall Street Journal reported today, with the major record labels opting to instead work with ISPs to combat the practice. Some major ISPs have apparently already agreed to take part in a graduated response program: Share once, and you’ll get a slap on the wrist. Get caught the third time, and your contract gets canceled.
Mathew Ingram over at GigaOM thinks this is a bad idea because it privatizes copyright enforcement, meaning that alleged offenders won’t have any clear recourse when they’re wrongly accused. That’s true, and definitely something to be worried about, but it’s not exactly new. ISPs took on the role of copyright cops a long time ago; for some, the new agreement only formalizes policies that are already in place. And not much changes for the users, either. They can still get sued, despite the agreement. And yet, they will still continue to share music, and a whole lot of video as well.
Joost Abandons P2P – Or Not?
Joost has informed its users via email that it will discontinue the support of its desktop client today and instead completely concentrate on its new web site. This is a big step for a company that once aimed to revolutionize online video with P2P technology, and whose founders previously succeeded with P2P apps like Kazaa and Skype. But it’s way too early to declare the death of P2P video streaming, as some seem eager to do in light of Joost shifting course.
Not only are others far more successful with P2P video clients, but it looks like Joost may bring back some elements of its software sooner or later. This includes P2P distribution, but also other social and interactive features that made Joost’s software unique. Maybe we’ll have to hold off writing the obituaries for both Joost and P2P just a little longer.
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