CNN.com Using Octoshape's P2P for Live Feed

Written by Ryan Lawler

Monday, December 8. 2008 at 03:20 PM EST 3 comments

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Peer-to-peer (P2P) streaming technology has quietly gained acceptance from Turner Broadcasting's CNN.com, which is using technology provider Octoshape Aps for some implementations of its online live feed.

Copenhagen-based Octoshape is a P2P technology firm that provides live-streaming capabilities with an end-user client plug-in. When connecting to CNN.com's live feed page, users that choose the CNN flash player option are prompted to download the Octoshape plugin, if they don't already have it installed (see below).

Source: Contentinople

While users are also given the option of streaming via Windows Media Player, the use of Octoshape's plug-in by CNN is a huge endorsement for the company, and for live P2P streaming in general.

Octoshape is one of just a handful of companies that offer live streaming via P2P. Others companies that offer similar technology include Abacast Inc. and RawFlow , which has licensed its technology to Velocix . The company has partnered with content delivery networks (CDNs) Highwinds Network Group Inc. and CDNetworks Co. Ltd.

While CNN is one of its first major customers in the U.S., Octoshape has had success in the European and Asia/Pacific markets, where end users and video publishers are generally more accepting of P2P file delivery.

Earlier this summer Octoshape's technology was chosen, along with the CDNetworks CDN, to help deliver 2-Mbit/s video streams over the Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) Website during the Korean broadcaster's Olympics coverage. And last month, the company received kudos from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which leverages Octoshape technology for delivery of live streams for its American Idol-like Eurovision Song Contest.

Representatives at CNN.com declined to comment on the use of Octoshape technology, citing the company's non-endorsement policy, but the site does prompt Octoshape downloads for "better, faster video."

Source: Contentinople