BitTorrent is already a streamable P2P protocol. You just need a client that can prioritize downloading the file parts in order.
It is a thing.
Ask HN: Why is there no P2P streaming protocol like BitTorrent?
31–40 of 231 posts
Re: Ask HN: Why is there no P2P streaming protocol like BitTorrent?
#32Isn't that what multicast is for?
Multicast doesn't work on the Internet.
Re: Ask HN: Why is there no P2P streaming protocol like BitTorrent?
#33Isn't that what multicast is for?
i guess but im thinking like multicast with the people sharing like bittorrent, just live. so you'd need to factor in people leaving and people leeching
So a multicast like derivative that is peer aware and can redistribute locally any available parts - which would require some sort of caching, which would probably break copyright etc... So perhaps that's the reason why nothing exists. \o/
Re: Ask HN: Why is there no P2P streaming protocol like BitTorrent?
#34Re: Ask HN: Why is there no P2P streaming protocol like BitTorrent?
#35BitTorrent is already a streamable P2P protocol. You just need a client that can prioritize downloading the file parts in order. It is a thing.
It doesn't work for live streaming without modifications though.
Re: Ask HN: Why is there no P2P streaming protocol like BitTorrent?
#36I would not be surprised if the rise of CG-NAT put another nail in the proverbial coffin of P2P video streaming and related sharing.
Re: Ask HN: Why is there no P2P streaming protocol like BitTorrent?
#37Re: Ask HN: Why is there no P2P streaming protocol like BitTorrent?
#38The only way this will be possible is if there is widespread adoption of an Internet overlay network similar to Tailscale in its design. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it Tailscale is limited to Layer 3 so Multicast doesn't work (it depends on IGMP to function correctly).
Re: Ask HN: Why is there no P2P streaming protocol like BitTorrent?
#39BitTorrent is already a streamable P2P protocol. You just need a client that can prioritize downloading the file parts in order. It is a thing.
I believe Popcorn Time worked this way, but I may be wrong. Never dug too deeply into it.
Re: Ask HN: Why is there no P2P streaming protocol like BitTorrent?
#40BitTorrent is already a streamable P2P protocol. You just need a client that can prioritize downloading the file parts in order. It is a thing.
I believe Popcorn Time worked this way, but I may be wrong. Never dug too deeply into it.
It did.
All of it started with the webtorrent project though. One of the first demos was booting Ubuntu while streaming the incomplete live ISO image, quite impressive for the time.
This is great tech for media files. Currently better than any other. But making it would make those media files very easy to redistribute, and it is hard to change that without loosing the P2Pness goodies.
If Popcorn Time had a synchronized multi-resolution catalog, bandwidth-sensitive auto switch and some paid seed servers, it would be better than any other streaming service (technically speaking).