| Octoshape is a peer to peer
streaming media server and client which uses peer
to peer grid technology to minimize the bandwidth
for any broadcaster to stream any material.
How Octoshape works
Octoshape can be used to multicast stream audio
(Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WMA) and/or video (MPEG-4, Nullsoft
Video, or WMV and other codecs), or any other
stream of data, over the internet. Octoshape uses
peer to peer grid distributed bandwidth to minimize
the load of the broadcaster's bandwidth where
each listener/viewer will relay parts of- or the
whole stream they download to several other nodes
in the grid. This is the trick behind octoshape,
because it makes the grid 100% stable with no
interruptions in the sound or video when peers
logoff.
Pros
* Octoshape provides the following advantages
over conventional streaming technology:
* Allows any multicasters, particularly small
or independent ones, to distribute their streams
without need for much bandwidth, reducing costs.
* Allows (in theory) an infinite number of listeners
as long as there are enough relays (see below).
* When a relay is lost, peers underneath it do
not lose their connection to the stream and will
continue playing
* There is no need to reconnect to another relay.
(Normally a peer would have to accept the point
in the stream the new relay is at, potentially
causing a skip or repeat in the stream like PeerCast
does)
* The project is currently in production with
large public broadcasters and is very stable
* Java based beta versions are available for Linux
and Mac based systems.
Cons
* It is closed source
* Shifts the broadcaster's share of the cost of
bandwidth to the listeners instead by running
servers on the listeners machines.
* May put listeners at risk of violating their
ISP's Terms of Service, particularly with respect
to the operation of servers.
* May degrade the listener's network uplink connection
due to the extra bandwidth load of the server
component.
* The EULA seems to prohibit users running network
monitoring software (e.g. firewalls, spyware blockers,
bandwidth managers, network monitors, etc.) on
their computers which might monitor, interdict,
or intercept "any process" of the Octoshape
software.
* Octoshape reserves the right to expand the scope
of what its software does on listener's computers.
Download
Octoshape
|
