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."

Comments

RIAA?

[Bananatree3]

I sure hope the RIAA doesn't ask the Federal Govnerment for wiretapping rights to see if VoIP calls are really U2 songs. [shivvers in corner]

Bad Link

[fwice]

That link should be .html, not .htm


click

Blame Game.

[Anonymous Coward]

" Even more ominously, some Skypecasters record Skype calls and post them on the Internet.""

Remember: Blame the users, not the technology.

Wiretapping

[YrWrstNtmr]

Even more ominously, some Skypecasters record Skype calls and post them on the Internet.

Wonder if the various wiretapping rules will eventually come into play. And if not, why not?

Slashapple

[lordsilence]

Bringing you a friendly message from the Apple-zealot: In the name of the great Apple. We were first, and it's called PodCasting. Not mp3-streaming, internet-radio, skypecasting or anyother non apple-related term.

RIAA and the options left --

[shashark]

Skype calls are encrypted end-end. Even if RIAA gets the wiretapping rights to see if VoIP calls are really U2 songs, it'll be hard for them to snoop in. And skype is just a beginning.
With ever increasing options of sharing digital media, RIAA really has only two options left-
* Get the govt to ban *any* kind of peer-peer activity. Might be a possibilty, esp given those money bags involved. Don't underestimate your govt. yet.
* Embrace the change. Move out of media-brokerage business and let the artists provide their creations on whatever media they choose. Change Happens.
--
All your music are belong to us.

Re:RIAA and the options left --

[acb]

There is a lot of pressure to "update" the IPv6 specification to establish a stratified internet of servers (which could be licensed and regulated) and clients (which would have low upstream bandwidth and be unable to act as servers), in the interest of protecting the content industry's business models.

Re:RIAA and the options left --

[arodland]

No, some people (who, by the way, work for Skype) told you that Skype conversations are encrypted end-to-end. But because the source isn't available, and the Skype developers believe that obscurity is the best security, you have no way of knowing that. For all anyone knows, it could be that there's no real encryption at all, but that the data is just whitened by a PRNG so it looks encrypted. It could be that there is real crypto going on, but the key-exchange is boobytrapped so that Skype and/or the appropriate TLAs have snooping power. It could be that any one of a number of flaws makes what was intended to be an effective algorithm vulnerable. We don't know any of these things, but the fact that the people who wrote the encryption software in the first place don't trust it to remain unbroken in the face of public scrutiny means that you shouldn't trust it either.

I call bullshit

[Sanity]

What is the point of this? Skype's codec is optomised for voice, not audio. There are perfectly good open source tools like Icecast which have been around for years and which work with codecs designed for music. I also doubt Skype will scale up to be able to support more than a small number of listeners at a time.

This sounds like some marketing droid at Skype trying to invent a phenomenon by pretending that it already exists.

Its simple

[Sanity]

What advantage does this provide over running something like a Shoutcast station?

The advantage is that this has "Skype" in the name, which is great if you happen to work in Skype's marketing department.

This just in

[Anonymous Coward]

Humans come equipped with aural input devices, called ears. These devices are NOT protected against copyright infringement activities! Looks like we need to get into the brain and change the bios around a bit to fix that.....

Spypimps

[Doc Ruby]

Why did shashark ebmed the links to Unbound Spiral and Moodle (defanged here) in dw.com.com SPYWARE links? Is this the sleaziest submission scam yet, which actually forces us to install spyware to follow a frontpage Slashdot link? Are all those jokes about soulsucking NYT registrations really true about shashark? This should be the abuse that finally forces Slashdot editors to check the links on submissions.

"dw.com.com is advertising-oriented spyware (adware) that downloads and displays new advertisements in a popup window while a user is browsing the Web. dw.com.com is difficult to remove, as it does not provide an uninstaller."

Re:Spypimps

[shashark]

My mistake. I copied the links 'as is' from here

http://news.com.com/VoIP+calls+get+podcast+treatme nt/2100-7352_3-5645776. (Read last paragraphs)

Re:redirects?

[Doc Ruby]

dw.com.com is SPYWARE.

Re:redirects?

[Evan Meakyl]

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