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MillimeterMark In
Apr 1, 2008 12:00 PM
Norwegian Public Broadcaster NRK distributed Nordkalotten 365— shown here with host Lars Monsen—using Miro’s BitTorrent client. The outdoor show, shot and distributed in HD, garnered more than 90,000 downloads during its first month online.
Web Distribution 2.0
By Dan Ochiva
The world of online video distribution is heating up. Last month, after a long beta period, hulu.com — the joint venture between NBC Universal and Fox — debuted. Making its catalog of TV shows and video clips available for free streaming (you'll still have to watch some ads), Hulu provides material from some 50 media companies — including Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, and MGM.
The video quality via Adobe Flash is good — unlike YouTube video — and that's one thing that sets it apart. But unlike YouTube, you can't download and keep the videos, and available titles change regularly, so you might not find that favorite episode from 24 a few months down the road. Smaller, independently produced productions aren't welcome either; there are no provisions for uploading content from users.
A more interesting approach for independent producers is Vuze (www.vuze.com), a BitTorrent-based content distribution platform. BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer (P2P) technology that distributes video and other files by passing the data among millions of PCs owned by viewers who share their bandwidth, rather than via a company's servers.
Vuze describes itself as providing an open entertainment platform from which users can download, stream, and soon upload “DVD-quality high-res content.” Vuze — a startup that recently received a second round of funding — offers programming from BBC, PBS, The History Channel, and National Geographic. Vuze also hosts the GibCor Channel, devoted to test footage in 1080p and 720p from the Red Digital Cinema Red One camera.
Another approach comes from Open Television Network (www.opentvnetwork.com), an attempt to set up a digital-media-distribution site that monetizes content owners. Its klickTab app allows users to sell audio and video through an RSS feed (basically a podcast feed) that can be loaded into iTunes or other compatible RSS aggregators. When a potential buyer has the link loaded on their computer, iPod, or AppleTV, the software creates one interface that allows them to preview, download, manage, and view the programs. The company touts itself as an unmediated marketplace. Subscribers buy credits that can be used to view videos; pricing comes out to about a penny per minute, from which the company takes a 15-percent cut, then the content owner gets the rest.
Using Miro (www.getmiro.com), another new P2P-based web-distribution effort, Norwegian Public Broadcaster NRK distributed Nordkalotten 365, an outdoor show shot in HD. The MPEG-4 files offer digital rights management-free content, while managers of the show composed the music to avoid dealing with licensing fees. Miro both plays content and acts as a video search engine and aggregator.
According to a press release, using a BitTorrent-capable app drastically cut storage and delivery costs. The broadcaster paid only $350, compared to an estimated bandwidth bill of about $8,000 had NRK chosen a more traditional delivery method. The HD video files were stored and delivered using Amazon's S3 data service.
Miro was created by a nonprofit organization, the Participatory Culture Foundation (PCF) — part of an open-source revolution similar to Mozilla Firefox. “We're not just trying to make a successful product; we're hoping to push the entire online video industry toward open standards,” says Nicholas Reville, Miro executive director.
While broadcasters and ISPs in the United States have tried to squash P2P apps, Europe is making a move toward more open distribution. Recently, the EU funded P2P-Next, a program to create a new BitTorrent client that will develop a “next-generation Internet television distribution system.”
