Probably one of the most interesting things going on in online distribution is the P2P movement. One of the reasons for the push is the cost savings. According to Abacast, using Windows Media Server for live events can save you over 50% in CDN costs. That is a huge savings for companies like us putting on large live events for the masses.
The second push for it is the quicker response time for the end user. Users will be able to get the content quicker using the P2P network. In the future, using a P2P network will be to help offset any concerns about clogging networks especially with more people wanting to view live content in HD.
I am still working through a couple of concerns. I am being told that the current live Flash Media encoded files don’t work on a P2P system. This is an issue that must be corrected. Maybe with the next upgrade to the Flash server this will be changed. The other concern is the acceptance of users installing P2P applications on their personal computer. It appears P2P applications are becoming more acceptable with consumers but has not reached critical mass at this time.
My plan is to move our live shows to a P2P system for the 2008 year. This transition will be based on how Flash works on that system. The next Flash upgrade is expected to run on the P2P applications which can't come soon enough. Hopefully Adobe will lower the cost of Flash streams as well. If not, I can see companies like us and many others making the transition to Silverlight in the not to distant future.
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