All Peers - Matthew Gertner - Building Media Distribution Apps

Building Media Distribution Applications

Matthew GertnerCo-Founder and CTO

AllPeers

Building Media Distribution Apps

A brief history of media distribution apps


Napster• Peer-to-peer client

• Centralized index

• Lousy user interface

• Primarily unauthorized works

• No business model

• ...but gave people what they wanted

1999


Kazaa• Peer-to-peer client

• No centralized index

• Slightly better user interface

• Primarily unauthorized works

• Paid content through Altnet

Also: Gnutella, Limewire, BearShare

2000


iTunes

• Web-enabled client

• Complete solution for normal consumers

• Authorized works only

• Initially music, added video in 2005

• Per download fee

2003


BitTorrent• Very efficient peer-to-peer protocol

• Open client

• Terrible user experience

• Both authorized and unauthorized works

• Popular for all types of media content

• Paid torrents

2004


MySpace

• Web application

• Primary focus on socializing

• Secondary focus on music distribution

• Content streaming

• Advertising funded

2004


YouTube• Web application

• Some social features


• Weeding out unauthorized content


Also: Metacafe, Dailymotion, Revver, Brightcove

2005


Joost• Peer-to-peer client

• Interesting social features

• Video only


• Authorized content only


2007


AllPeers

• Peer-to-peer client, inside Firefox

• Current focus on private sharing

• Version 0.70 with “Social BitTorrent”

• Plans for public channels, communities

• “Ask me about our business model”

2007


Streaming vs. downloading?


Streaming

• Instant gratification

• Minimum bandwidth requirements

• Low quality

• Issues with offline viewing

• Lightweight copy protection

?


Downloads

• Mature existing technologies

• Maximum flexibility for consumer

• Offline consumption

• Perception of ownership

?


What about DRM?


Smashing Pumpkins Norah Jones Coldplay

DRM FreeCDs


DRM alternatives

• Watermarking

• Positive incentives

• Rewards

• Status

• Lower prices

?


Web vs. desktop application?


Web

• Easy installability

• Mediocre usability

• Technical challenges

• Offline consumption

• Peer-to-peer

?


Desktop• Much harder to develop

• Need to install software

• Web-enabled or P2P

• Integrate with other media apps

• Media organizer

• Media player

?


Rich internet applications


Rich client apps

• Markup-based user interface

• Multiplatform runtime

• Web-enabled

• Deployment is a challenge


Silverlight

• User interface technology for .NET

• Advantages of RIA and .NET

• Great runtime

• Great development environment

• Uber-proprietary


Flex and AIR• Leverage popular Adobe technologies

• Adobe knows how to propagate its runtime

• Great demos

• Partially open source

• Tamarin

• FlexReference: Pownce


JavaFX

• Java meets Flash

• Leverage Java IDEs

• ...but still starting from scratch in terms of adoption


XULRunner

• Mature technology

• Firefox is a terrific killer app

• Lukewarm support from Mozilla

• Tools support is weak

References: Joost, Songbird, AllPeers


WebRunner• Combines advantages of web apps and

desktop apps

• Will require beefing up of web browser

• Codec support

• Offline storage

• Peer-to-peer

• Social features


My dream media distribution application


WebRunner-based


Stream or download


Peer-to-peer


Integration with best-of-breed

apps


“Commodity” social

features


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All Peers - Matthew Gertner - Building Media Distribution Apps

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