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Skypecasting - P2P File Sharing
shashark writes "Technologically savvy users are merging these technologies to "Skypecast",
using Skype's service to distribute recordings across the internet for free.
This allows expert users to run their own mini-radio stations, which can be
accessed by any Skype user. Skype does not actively support these uses, but
encourages its users to find new applications for their service. Other possibilities discussed by Skypecasters at
Unbound Spiral or
Moodle are to turn an MP3 player into a radio station for any of Skype's 29
million registered users to dial up using their Skype line. Instructions also
are available on how to record a personal soap opera and use Skype to distribute
it en masse. Even more ominously, some Skypecasters record Skype calls and post
them on the Internet."
That link should be .html, not .htm
click
i don't use skype so i don't know... but i assume, it being a telephone-oriented service, that it has a hard-limited bitrate?
usually telephone conversations only need 8 KHz recordings, in mono. If converted to mp3, this would result in FAR inferior-sounding recordings for music than CD-quality.
but, like i said, maybe this is not a limit.. i don't really know.
in any case, why do people always have to take a decent service and twist it into something the authorities will find "questionable"? It's like they are trying to help discourage VOIP or something by exposing its potential for misuse. Use it for what it was intended -- telephone conversations -- and no one will care. I imagine the current P2P technologies are better adapted for spreading music anyways.. but i guess the rule is, if there's a crack, someone will always fill it. humans are weird.
"There are perfectly good open source tools like Icecast which have been around for years and which work with codecs designed for music."
Maybe the average user does not know anything about Icecast? Maybe they'd find it hard to use (I don't know, I have to admit I've never tried Icecast myself, though I do use Skype). But yeah, the quality would worry me, too. Still an interesting thing.
"I also doubt Skype will scale up to be able to support more than a small number of listeners at a time."
Could be. But the arcticle says this: "Skype's peer-to-peer infrastructure--similar in construct to Kazaa, Morpheus and other file-swapping programs--makes it well-suited for turning Net phones into a broadcasting system".
So, maybe the infrastructure is smart enough to handle multiple simultaneus users (because Skype supports conference calls, for example)? Does anyone have more information about this?
dw.com.com is SPYWARE.
--
make install -not war
MOD THE PARENTS UP!
The correct links are:
Ubund Spirals:
http://www.henshall.com/blog/archives/001056.html
Moddle:
http://moodle.org/login/index.php
My mistake. I copied the links 'as is' from here
e nt/2100-7352_3-5645776.
(Read last paragraphs)
http://news.com.com/VoIP+calls+get+podcast+treatm