UK group to compete with Joost in live streaming P2P TV

by Tim Conneally

UK-based company Velocix (formerly CacheLogic) has begun offering live streaming television content with a hybrid P2P live streaming client.

Live streaming offers a challenge to content providers not present in on-demand delivery. Live streams face a concentrated audience all attempting to access the video feed simultaneously, putting a significantly larger strain upon resources than if the same amount of viewers spread out that demand over a protracted time frame.

Content delivery network Joost recently tried its hand at live streaming video in a partnership with CBS to broadcast NCAA "March Madness" basketball games. As Matt Zelesko, Vice President of Engineering at Joost, anticipated, connections to CBS feeds were reported to have been dropped at inopportune periods.

Velocix offers several approaches to live content delivery, one of which is a BitTorrent-compatible hybrid P2P client which turns each viewer into a sort of "peer host" for additional viewers. Streams are viewable in Adobe Flash or in Windows Media.

The company has partnered with the BBC and IPTV service Babelgum as well as providing services for Bollywood.tv, and Chic.tv.

Though the company doesn't expect millions of consumers to install the Velocix browser plug-in yet, they believe it is the content partners that will draw attention to the service. Their partnership with Connexia could provide Velocix an outlet similar to Joost's March Madness attempt, as they are connected with 2007 World Cup Champion football club AC Milan.

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