PPLive is a peer-to-peer streaming video network created
in Huazhong University of Science and Technology, People's Republic
of China. It is part of a new generation of P2P applications,
that combine P2P and IPTV, called P2PTV.
Basic
operation
-
After
a user selects a TV station from the list, which is accessed
by right-clicking the PPLive icon in the Microsoft Windows
system tray, the program will then connect to peers and buffer
the stream. PPLive typically uses ports 8008 TCP and 4004
UDP to connect to peers.
-
When
the buffer is reasonably full, PPLive launches your media
player, either RealPlayer or Windows Media Player, pointing
it to read a stream from a local port (usually 8080),
-
Closing
down your Media player will not end the stream. The PPLive
program will remain in the background streaming data until
you close it from the tray or change the channel.
Compatibility
The
PPLive program is installable on Asian and English language versions
of Windows XP. By default, it uses Windows Media Player and RealPlayer.
The media player that is opened depends on the type of stream.
Known
problems and limitations
Since
PPLive video stream depends on the network connection and peer
numbers, the occasional glitch such as the short pause during
the viewing or re-buffer is not unusual. In some circumstances,
the stream could stop completely if source video file crashes
or not enough peers available to establish a smooth streaming.
