Roll Your Own Television Network Using Bittorrent

Cryofan writes "Mark Pesce, lecturer at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) writes here and here about using p2p networks, specifically bittorrent, to create a grassroots television network. He cites as an example the BBC's "Flexible TV" internet broadcasting model using that as the core of a "new sort of television network, one which could harness the power of P2P distribution to create a global television network." Producers of video entertainment and news would provide a single copy of a program into the network of P2P clients, and the p2p network peers distribute the content themselves. Thus, a virtual 'newswiki' where the content is distributed bittorrent using some sort of 'trusted peer' or moderator mechanisms as a filtering/evaluation mechanism. So what is stopping anyone from doing this now? Awareness of the concept, perhaps? Lack of broadband connections? Lack of business models for content producers?"

Comments

Hmm...

[Mike Rubits]

Between this and the Podcasting article, one thing is to be for sure:

Slashdot is looking to become the next media giant

I, for one, welcome our new Slashdot overlords?

Re:Hmm...

[Anonymous Coward]

Slashdot is looking to become the next media giant

What? You don't like CowboyNeal Sings Mother Goose?

You communist!

SlashdotTV?

[ackthpt]

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to SlashdotTV's News, I'm Timothy, your host. If you have moderation points or metamoderation you may use them <ouch> at anytime during the <ouch> netcast. Please use res<ouch>ponsibly. Later we'll broadcast a slashpoll with CowboyNeal somehow worked <ouch> into the final option.<ouch><ouch><ouch>

Oh fsck this, <ouch><ouch><ouch> damn, take <ouch><ouch>these wires off<ouch> damn, what a <ouch><ouch>way to run a <ouch> network!

Re:SlashdotTV?

[Soko]

Sorry about that ladies and gentelmen, the moderators responsible for that have been sacked. Now for the News.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to SlashdotTV's News, I'm Timothy^WCmdrTaco, your host. If you have moderation points or metamoderation you may use them <ouch> at anytime during the <ouch> netcast. Please use res<ouch>ponsibly. *Aside* - What do you mean by 'dupe', CowboyNeal? Later we'll broadcast a slashpoll with CowboyNeal somehow worked <ouch> into the final option.<ouch><ouch><ouch><ouch>

Dupe?<ouch><ouc h> What do <ouch>you<ouch> mean dupe? Dammit! <ouch><ouch>Who's fscking idea <ouch>was<ouch><ouch><yeeowch>th is anyway? You <ouch>moderators are going to be sacke<bzzzzzzt>

Re:SlashdotTV?

[Cereal Box]

SlashdotTV wouldn't even need Bittorrent, seeing as how there would only be one episode that gets repeated every day.

Re:SlashdotTV?

[jrockway]

Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked, have been sacked.

The directors of the firm hired to
continue the credits after the other
people had been sacked, wish it to
be known that they have just been
sacked.

The credits have been completed
in an entirely different style at great
expense and at the last minute.

Re:SlashdotTV?

[gcaseye6677]

Goatse links would suddenly become a lot scarier on Slashdot TV.

Re:SlashdotTV?

[logicat2001]

This page was generated by

• a Cadre of Rabid Chickens
• 40 Specially trained Ecuadorian Mountain Llamas
• 6 Venezuelan Red Llamas
• 142 Mexican whooping Llamas
• 14 North Chilean Guanacos
  (Closely related to the Llama)
• Reg Llama of Brixton
• 76000 Battery Llamas from "Llama-Fresh" Farms Ltd. near Paraguay
• and
  
• CmdrTaco & CowboyNeal

Re:Where I live

[Anonymous Coward]

So why don't you move?

Re:They are doing it... illegally

[Anonymous Coward]

1. Create a service where people watch your show over bittorrent.
2. ???
3. Profit!

In light of recent news, step 2 is "sue your customers."

Re:Content

[moofdaddy]

You can bet that nobody wants to watch my home videos.

I don't know, it depends on what you are doing in them...and more importantly who your doing it with.

Reality Bittorrent TV?

[moofdaddy]

Great, this will allow people to create their own reality tv shows out of their homes, as if reality tv didn't suck enough already.

Re:How do you advertise?

[Anonymous Coward]

Advertising on the web is not terribly expensive, just submit to slashdot. As far as equipment costs, I think web cams are pretty damn cheap, pc's are cheap, and broadband is moderately cheap. So while the cost is not $0.00, it is much more reasonable than a normal television network. At least I think a $500 dollar per studio startup cost with a $40/mo upkeep is a bit cheaper than what I imagine CBS pays, but I could be wrong.

Re:My first question was, 'why'?

[Kehvarl]

It's all fun and games until someone finds a way to post the goatse image.

Re:No No fundage necessary

[Anonymous Coward]

A friend and I produce a little 1/2 hour news talk show which we broadcast on local cable channel three. Now we are looking to get it on our local pbs station. costs are negligable.

i think i've seen it...here is a still

Re:Where I live

[ImaLamer]

broadband is nice, but it's certainly not the most important thing you can have in the world.

Bite your tounge young man...