We’ve taught a class in streaming media this summer — but we
mustn’t forget a powerful method of sharing video: peer-to-peer (P2P)
networks.
One of the most successful is BitTorrent. Dave Winer reports today that former Sen. John Edwards is using BitTorrent to distribute campaign videos. He says this is a big deal.
They are using MoveDigital as their service/host. There’s a list of benefits
on their ‘how to’ page — one of these is "pay as you go" for
bandwidth. Plus, your visitors can help pay for bandwidth, in very
small increments (cents, not dollars). Of course, there’s RSS, so your
viewers know when you’ve added files. And a lot of other things (ease
of use being a biggie).
Right now, there are four movies and four
licenses — the largest is 26mb. One suggestion off the bat: they need
to name their files with human-readable names, if the file name is the
only descriptor for the download!
Clicking on the "download" link
does not start the BitTorrent version — for that, you need to click
the P2P link. And to have a BT application installed. My straight
download (the .mov) was much faster than the BT download (unlike Dave’s
experience, I’m still "waiting").
From the BitTorrent website:
Bram
wanted to enable effective swarming distribution – – transferring
massive files from server to client with the efficiency of peer-to-peer
– – reliably, quickly and efficiently. By 2003, BitTorrent had sparked
a global revolution in file distribution on the web. Today, we are
providing millions of users worldwide with a valuable platform to
publish, search and download popular digital content.
I’ve created an account (it’s painless!) and will test the interface
next week. One month free — basic account $10/year. (Yes, you read
that right – per YEAR.)
Here’s the direct link to the minimum wage video (mov).
