Comments

Liam_Vegas wrote on 3/2/2004, 3:37 PM
We could if the internet truly supporting "multicasting".

Currently most streaming is done via a dedicated end-to-end connection between the server and the viewer. Think of it like a phone call between two people. One calls the other and in doing so there is a dedicated (temporary) physical connection between the two parties.

Cable (or any TV broadcast medium) works in an entirely different way where we are each receiving all of the channels simultaneously and we just switch channels to choose what we would like to view. Also the bandwitdh required to support 100 (or 500 channels) is huge (hence the "cable"). Very few people have that sort of capacility (especially to their homes).
RBartlett wrote on 3/3/2004, 4:12 AM
TV channels have a dedicated piece of medium (be it 6 or 8MHz of bandwidth or 2-20Mbps of multiplex time slot).
The internet would benefit from multicast for a small programme to be narrowcasted. What is more important that this though is the element of assured class and quality of service between such a programme play-out machine and its users.

CoS/QoS is about as likely as a fine system for sending spam. Both possible but neither are practical in the public internet. Eventually the bandwidth we expect for a browser to remain responsive will be enough for broadcast video - but maybe or maybe not in our lifetime. Moore's law isn't currently applying to ISP backbone bandwidth - due to the massive re-investments and electrical/optical physical boundaries. If we all have 10Mbps download speeds, we'll need hundreds of gigabits/sec backbones on our service provider backbones and thousands of gigabits/sec internationally. Who is investing in telcos/ISPs since everyone assumed that they were the same as the .com revolution. The telcos/ISPs are of course utilities, and like electrical power consumption, they need investment with the same ethos that the Victorians used to make drainage systems that were over engineered. Would you flush your water closet down through a hose pipe?

The internet is made for sipping drinking water through, not flushing water. Don't get those pipes mixed up!
AlanC wrote on 3/3/2004, 4:58 AM
Well I must have my pipes mixed up because I get an awful lot of sh*t over the Internet?

LOL
cheroxy wrote on 3/3/2004, 7:25 AM
amen to that.

thanks for the info.