What Is the Meaning of P2P Internet Television Software?
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) refers to a computer network in which the responsibility for processing data is distributed over the entire population of that network, rather than using the more common configuration of server/client. A recent adaptation of the P2P technology allows real-time redistribution of live TV programs over the Internet. This new technology, known as P2PTV, lets you view TV channels from anywhere in the world after installing readily available software.
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Installation
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Users install P2PTV software onto a computer. Once installed, the software locates channels being rebroadcast by other users. While you are watching a TV program using the P2P software, you are also redistributing the TV stream to other viewers in the P2P network, and they in turn are distributing it to others. Several hundred thousand or more viewers could be watching the same channel worldwide over this shared network.
Significance
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TV viewers are, for the most part, limited to the channels they are able to receive through terrestrial-based local TV stations or the channels their cable or satellite TV providers make available. With the advent of P2PTV software, however, consumers are able to receive programs from anywhere in the world. For example, residents of Florida could view a soccer game being broadcast locally in Cuba.
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Features
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P2PTV software offers many of the same recording and playback options as satellite or cable TV. Some software packages let you set your computer to record a specific channel or at a specific time, halt playback, rewind to a particular part of a program or skip over advertisements, much like a digital TV recorder can.
Benefits
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Commercial software is readily available for purchase, but there are also many P2PTV software programs available for free over the Internet. Once the software is installed, viewing is free. Numerous open-source (freely distributable software that comes with little to no licensing restrictions) groups, such as the P2P-Next project in Europe, have begun to research the further development of P2PTV with the goal of developing worldwide, legal peer-to-peer TV networks. As the software to run P2PTV can be loaded onto any PC, including a laptop, the ability to watch your favorite TV channels while you travel or sit in your own backyard is attractive to many users.
Drawbacks
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P2PTV, by its very definition, relies on individuals who are willing to take the time to rebroadcast TV channels. While a channel may be available one day, it may be unavailable the next, as the user in the P2P network is no longer connected or has chosen to broadcast a different channel. A more pressing concern is the possible prosecution for relaying copyrighted content, which can result in heavy fines or even jail time should an offender be successfully prosecuted.
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References
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