Comcast Teams Up with P2P Video Startup Company

May 20, 2008 by Yonah · Comments Off
Filed under: Announcements & Events, Entertainment Industry, File-Sharing Programs, Networks & Services

Comcast announces agreement with GridNetworks at the Cable Show in New Orleans, hosted by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.

The Philadelphia-based cable company which had previously “suggested” its interest in Seattle video startups when it bought thePlatform in June 2006, has made a forceful comeback by merging with GridNetworks in developing p2p file-sharing techniques that are “friendly” to ISPs.

This move may be partially motivated by the fact that Comcast is not off the case yet for messing with file-sharing traffic, a technology that GridNetworks’ implements at to distributing online video.

The p2p system that GridNetworks employs enables that millions of users to view Internet videos at the same time without significant interruptions. GridNetworks seem very proud of this technology which, they say, surpasses that of many other competitors such as Akamai, Move Networks, Limelight Networks and Pando Networks.

According to Tony Werner, Comcast’s chief technology officer, Comcast is treating the matter very seriously and has engaged alongside technology companies and the Internet Engineering Task Force in developing superior peer-to-peer file sharing technology – “We are interested in the application of P2P concepts in a manner that puts the quality of the consumer experience first, and enables lawful distribution of copyrighted content while also efficiently utilizing the network,”

However, other giant corporations have also seen a window for great business investing in GridNetworks : some time ago the company received $9.5 million investment from Cisco Systems.

Learn more about Gridnetworks and Internet television

http://www.comcast.net

http://www.gridnetworks.com

Tags: Akamai, Comcast, file-sharing technology, file-sharing traffic, Gridnetworks, Internet Engineering Task Force, Limelight Networks, Move Networks, online video, P2P concepts, p2p technology, Pando networks, peer-to-peer file sharing technology, video startups

The DCIA is helping Comcast and Pando with the “P2P Bill of Rights”

May 4, 2008 by Yonah · Comments Off
Filed under: Announcements & Events, Legal P2P News & Issues

Back in April we informed you that Comcast and Pando Networks were planning to create a “P2P Bill of Rights and Responsibilities”. The first step they would take (as announced) was a test of Pando’s Network Aware P2P technology on Comcast’s network. The purpose of the test would be the gathering of data by Comcast that would allow it transfer to a protocol-agnostic network by the end of the year. Before this announcement Comcast had made another one about its future collaboration with P2P company BitTorrent to find more efficient solutions to “issues associated with rich media content and network capacity management.”

Now, back to the “P2P Bill of Rights and Responsibilities”, the DCIA stepped in to help the ongoing process that aims at solving the matters of capacity and network management that according to some are the result of excessive use of P2P networks to download video and other large files (most of the pirated).

StreamingMedia reports that Comcast director of corporate communications Charlie Douglas, expressed the company’s wish to collaborate with an impressive number of ISPs, P2P companies, content providers, and others to establish a set of best practices and rights that will make it easier for the industry to address these and other issues that P2P applications account for.

Douglas made no specific remarks regarding what this bill will look like considering that at this point it’s important that a channel of communication has been reached.

In his turn DCIA CEO Marty Lafferty announced the company’s intention to draw other companies into this group that will come up with the bill with the occasion of the P2P Media Summit, planned for May 5 in Los Angeles.

Tags: BitTorrent, Comcast, DCIA, ISP, p2p, P2P Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, P2P Media Summit, p2p networks, p2p technology, Pando networks

Comcast to Create a “P2P bill of rights and responsibilities”

April 16, 2008 by Yonah · Comments Off
Filed under: Announcements & Events, File-Sharing Programs, Networks & Services

Comcast announced on Tuesday its partnership with Pando Networks to create a "P2P bill of rights and responsibilities" as they called it. This P2P Bill of Rights aims at file-sharing networks, Internet service providers, and others. Its development is was much speeded up by the largest U.S. cable operator as it still engaged in recovering image from those past attempts to block its users from accessing P2P traffic like BitTorrent.

Comcast and Pando have merged and are now preparing to set the rules together with specialists in the industry and also with a number of P2P companies and Internet service providers on the rules.

The P2P Bill of Rights will be very clear on how users are allowed and expected to use P2P programs, and how ISP are required to handle the file-sharing clients on their network.

Comcast and Pando will be conducting tests on how file-sharing application run on other ISP networks, including cable, DSL, fiber and wireless and make estimation regarding performance, distance, speed, and geography and bandwidth consumption.

Tony Werner, Comcast CTO declared that “We hope to get other industry experts, ISPs and P2P companies together this spring and publish the P2P Bill of Rights and Responsibilities later this year.”

Tags: BitTorrent, Comcast, file-sharing, file-sharing network, internet, ISP, p2p, P2P music, Pando networks, torrent