Skypecasting - P2P File Sharing 140
shashark writes "Technologically savvy users are merging these technologies to "Skypecast",
using Skype's service to distribute recordings across the internet for free.
This allows expert users to run their own mini-radio stations, which can be
accessed by any Skype user. Skype does not actively support these uses, but
encourages its users to find new applications for their service. Other possibilities discussed by Skypecasters at
Unbound Spiral or
Moodle are to turn an MP3 player into a radio station for any of Skype's 29
million registered users to dial up using their Skype line. Instructions also
are available on how to record a personal soap opera and use Skype to distribute
it en masse. Even more ominously, some Skypecasters record Skype calls and post
them on the Internet."
Bad Link (Score:5, Informative)
click [henshall.com]
What's the point? (Score:3, Informative)
It's not even difficult to setup -- there is a Winamp plugin -- pick it and hit "Play" and you have a radio station.
Doing it this way requires to to plug a physical device (MP3 player, radio) into your soundcard..
Re:What's the point? (Score:2, Informative)
redirects? (Score:3, Informative)
bitrate? (Score:3, Informative)
usually telephone conversations only need 8 KHz recordings, in mono. If converted to mp3, this would result in FAR inferior-sounding recordings for music than CD-quality.
but, like i said, maybe this is not a limit.. i don't really know.
in any case, why do people always have to take a decent service and twist it into something the authorities will find "questionable"? It's like they are trying to help discourage VOIP or something by exposing its potential for misuse. Use it for what it was intended -- telephone conversations -- and no one will care. I imagine the current P2P technologies are better adapted for spreading music anyways.. but i guess the rule is, if there's a crack, someone will always fill it. humans are weird.
Small Correction (Score:1, Informative)
The only times where rate limiting degrades the performance to below same-room communication is when you add normal phone lines to the mix.
http://skype.net
p2p not client server is the point of all this? (Score:3, Informative)
But skype is p2p, so that instead of you streaming directly to your audience, listeners may stream from you AND some other listeners, obviously minimizing the bandwidth required of the originator. The other alternative software packages are client-server, one to one, correct?
Also, one thing that makes this worthwhile as a slashdot topic is that there is already an established base of about 30 million skype users. So, this could serve as a jumpstart, just as napster did bittorrent, even though napster, like skype is proprietary....
Re:I call bullshit (Score:3, Informative)
Maybe the average user does not know anything about Icecast? Maybe they'd find it hard to use (I don't know, I have to admit I've never tried Icecast myself, though I do use Skype). But yeah, the quality would worry me, too. Still an interesting thing.
"I also doubt Skype will scale up to be able to support more than a small number of listeners at a time."
Could be. But the arcticle says this: "Skype's peer-to-peer infrastructure--similar in construct to Kazaa, Morpheus and other file-swapping programs--makes it well-suited for turning Net phones into a broadcasting system".
So, maybe the infrastructure is smart enough to handle multiple simultaneus users (because Skype supports conference calls, for example)? Does anyone have more information about this?
Re:Wiretapping (Score:3, Informative)
For instance, New Hampshire [rcfp.org] (just picked at random).
'N. H. Rev. Stat. Ann. 570-A:2: It is a felony to intercept, or disclose the contents of, any telecommunication or oral communication without the consent of all parties.'
Re:redirects? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:I call bullshit (Score:1, Informative)
Re:redirects? (Score:4, Informative)
The correct links are:
Ubund Spirals:
http://www.henshall.com/blog/archives/001056.html [henshall.com]
Moddle:
http://moodle.org/login/index.php [moodle.org]
Re:Spypimps (Score:4, Informative)
http://news.com.com/VoIP+calls+get+podcast+treatm
Re:I call bullshit (Score:3, Informative)
Wrong. [slashdot.org] In a multi-person conference, one computer is elected as the "central hub", that relies all communication to the other parties. If you're not the central hub, you only have to send your stuff once and receive it once. Interestingly, the central hub is always determined by comparing the upload and download bandwiths of all parties.
So, in a way, Skype is indeed a broadcasting system more efficient than pure P2P connections.
Re:Legal status of internet radio? (Score:1, Informative)