Scalable high-quality network

Based on peer-to-peer technology originally developed at Microsoft Laboratories in Cambridge in the UK, Livestation delivers remarkable quality audio and video using a simple software application.

With conventional streaming services, each stream is typically delivered from central servers or using a special content distribution network. Every additional user receives their own stream, which places enormous demands on the distribution infrastructure and ultimately limits the number of users that can be simultaneously supported.

In some cases it is possible to use multicasting to deliver a single stream to multiple addresses. Unfortunately, many networks do not currently support multicasting.

A peer network approach offers many of the benefits of multicasting, without requiring a multicast network. Effectively, it enables an overlay network to be created using the combined intelligence and network capacity of the computers of its active users.

In a peer network, each node functions as both a client and a server, sharing its data with other users. This helps spread the load to the edge of the network, so that capacity grows with demand.

Livestation works by splitting a stream into multiple stripes, each of which can be shared with other users. This allows users to share some of a stream with other users, without having to relay the whole stream. This dramatically reduces the central serving capacity required to deliver live audio and video to very large numbers of users.

The net result is actually more robust than receiving a single stream from a single source. A level of resilience is built into the system making it more resistant to general network traffic congestion.

As with any broadband service, the quality is ultimately limited by the speed of the connection of each end user. With faster networks, even high definition television could be delivered in this way.

Register for the Livestation beta

Livestation is now in beta. Please register here.