Veoh: Video Content via Peer-to-Peer
Veoh is in the news because ex-Disney chief Michael Eisner invested in them. The Veoh FAQ says:
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What is Veoh?
Veoh is a new type of Television Broadcasting System, using the Internet and Peer-to-Peer technology is used as the broadcast medium. Unlike traditional Television Broadcasting Systems such as Cable or Satellite, Veoh is an OPEN system that allows ANYONE to broadcast Television-Quality Full-Screen video directly to consumers. If you have ever wanted to broadcast your own TV show, Veoh is what you’ve been dreaming of. No matter if you are a complete novice, or a large Hollywood studio, Veoh provides a broadcasting medium that lets you reach hundreds of millions of users around the world… And (ready for this?) it is COMPLETELY FREE to use!
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How does Veoh work?
The Veoh network uses an advanced peer-to-peer transfer network to share video amongst the Veoh users. This allows the network to “spread the load” between a massive number of computers that are typically under-utilizing their network bandwidth. In essence, Veoh has designed a globally-hosted video server, capable of transferring enormous amounts of video in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional systems. For each computer in the Veoh network, the Veoh network uses a portion of the system’s capacity to “trade” small bits of video content between users, without compromising the security of any of the systems. The amount of resources used will vary from one computer to another, and will generally not be noticeable by someone using the computer. Using this technology, the network is self-repairing. What this means is that as one computer becomes unavailable, others will accommodate. Each video is securely hosted on hundreds or thousands of computers on the network, which means that there is always plentiful access to any video, at any time. Individual computers or servers are not necessary to make the Veoh network function; it’s all about making millions of computers work together to achieve a goal that a few servers could never handle.
There is a nearly unlimited amount of resources available across the Veoh network, which makes it possible to provide access to any video at any time. By making use of computer resources that are not in use, the Veoh network can provide every user with a super video server that is always available. By using a small amount of resources from an incredibly large population, the Veoh network will provide unprecedented performance on a global scale. Unlike traditional server-based video distribution, the costs associated with this approach are already paid. Each user already has a broadband connection, typically paid on a monthly basis. Much, if not most, of the bandwidth is unused. Even so, the monthly fees don’t credit this unused bandwidth.
The Veoh network will use a portion of this unused bandwidth to serve the video to the global community. While no individual computer has enough bandwidth to support a network of this magnitude, millions of computers have ample resources to do it. Using this approach, Veoh can make unlimited video available to users for free. In this case, free means, “no out-of-pocket expenses”. Instead, each user’s computer participates in the network, providing bandwidth for other users. This is the only cost: your unused resources. It doesn’t get much more free than that.
What is PeerCasting?
PeerCasting is a new video hosting technology that Veoh has designed to serve TV-quality video via the Internet. This uses principles of other existing technologies, such as peer-to-peer file sharing, to implement a private distributed video network. PeerCasting extends the concepts of traditional peer-to-peer technology, making it easier to protect and much more reliable. By implementing a managed network, PeerCasting can significantly reduce video piracy, improve overall quality, and provide user-specific features not available in traditional peer-to-peer systems.
In essence, PeerCasting is the next generation of peer-to-peer sharing. The differences are much more significant than the similarities. Most peer-to-peer networks are built to enable piracy of various forms of content, including video. PeerCasting makes this almost impossible, by preventing piracy up front. While current peer-to-peer networks have typically been less than ethical, they have demonstrated that the technology itself works very well.
The Veoh network improves upon this technology to provide an ethical solution to a global market. PeerCasting is also server-free; publishers no longer have to host any portion of their content, including seeds or other references. This will greatly reduce the operating costs for small and independent filmmakers and producers. With such a significant reduction in distribution costs, it affords more time and money to the creative process.
I see no mention of payment to video creators. Hmm. Maybe this is video vanity publishing?
[via Tailrank]