A university consortium has developed software named "Tribbler", a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing service focused on video (like Joost). What makes this one unique is how it puts the "sharing" back in "file sharing" - you earn credit to download content by uploading your own content. Folks can also band together to share download opportunities and to increase download speeds. No more "leeching" and "freeloading" - the terms used to refer to folks who suck down good content and provide nothing to the network in return.
According to the New Scientist article:
"David Parkes of Harvard University believes peer-to-peer will eventually replace existing methods of distributing video, including television...the BBC's iPlayer is built on top of a peer-to-peer network. These programs often prevent leeching by forcing users to upload constantly, which can be a problem for those who may be charged extra for using extra bandwidth.
"It is clear that in the future there will be a greater variety and volume of media to consume, requiring different ways of distributing it," says David Hutchison, who works on alternative methods of media distribution at Lancaster University, UK."
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