P2P Next Project Seeks Beta Testers
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Testers are being sought for technology that will allow television to migrate the net. The P2P Next project has created a beta version of software that can stream video across a file-sharing network.
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The European Union has sunk 19 million Euros into the project, hoping that the software the team creates can be used to create a Europe-wide online broadcasting standard. The P2P Next team are looking for thousands of volunteers to sign up to give the technology a suitable test.
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Many broadcasters, such as the BBC with its iPlayer, are already using the internet to allow viewers to catch up on programmes they have missed. Most of these systems use a central server that streams the programmes to user?s computers.
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However, most believe that to deliver this kind of TV through the net would be unsustainable when large audiences go online to watch shows.
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In an effort to create a system that can facilitate a large number of users, the SwarmPlayer uses the widely used BitTorrent peer-to-peer technology. In this type of system, those watching a video share data as they are downloading with other users (peers), who want to watch the same show online.
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The SwarmPlayer lets people download TV shows to watch later, lets users watch video?s as they are being downloaded and can even handle live broadcasts. The P2P Next project wants thousands of testers to install the software to see how the system copes with large numbers of people watching, to see if picture quality suffers as a result.
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Windows and Linux versions of the software are available with a Mac version due soon.
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To be involved you must have a broadband net connection speed of at least 600kpbs or higher. The P2P Next project is expected to run for four years, and the SwarmPlayer is likely to be the first of many prototypes they produce.
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