MULTIMEDIA MEETS RADIO

Is peer-to-peer the future of broadcasting?

For once, the hype may turn out to be true: the future of broadcasting really could be on view at this year's IBC. The EBU will test rival peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies for streaming and downloading a/v content.

The EBU demo - in Hall 10, stand 10.411 - heralds a turning point in the history of broadcasting and your participation could make a real difference. P2P technology may provide the industry with its first viable business model for online live streaming, as well as helping broadcasters to reconnect with younger audiences.

The Internet offers users more choice and, with its potential for interactivity, can give users a voice. Until now, the only catch has been that live streaming penalises success - the more viewers a broadcaster gets, the more bandwidth he needs and the more exorbitant become his costs.

P2P technology could change all that because a network of peers relies on the computing power and bandwidth of all the participants. The broadcaster's bandwidth needs are distributed over the entire network, instead of being centralized at the broadcast's point of origin.

Moreover, the network resources available for distributing a broadcast actually grow as the audience increases, while bandwidth costs remain unaffected.

If that does not sound enticing enough, P2P could also help broadcasters recapture a lost audience.

Rupert Murdoch calls them the "fast food generation", the BBC's Mark Thompson prefers the "on-demand generation", while the British telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has identified a "networked generation". But it all comes down to the same thing: young people - the 16 to 24 demographic - are switching off their TV sets, listening to less radio and not buying very many newspapers.

Several studies have indicated that young people increasingly spend their leisure time online, where the World Wide has educated them to make their own choices, rather than soaking up whatever the broadcasters offer. The era of "Auntie knows best" - where programme schedulers and marketing executives push content from the top - is very definitely on the way out.

A recent study by Cox Communications suggests that more than 60 per cent of 13 to 17-year-olds have established "a significant presence" on social networking web sites, such as MySpace, Friendster, or Xanga.

P2P could help broadcasters reach this audience online and on their own terms. Significant bandwidth savings would enable broadcasters to offer not only live and on-demand content, but also interactive applications and opportunities for young people to generate and showcase their own content.

The EBU demo will compare three streaming technologies, those of Rawflow, Abacast and Tribler. They will broadcast this year's Eurovision Song Contest and offer it to internet users worldwide. Alongside the trials, the EBU will use technology provided by CacheLogic technology to highlight the efficiency of P2P for downloading large files, such as the IBC Daily news.

The P2P live streams will be available at 700 and 350 kbit/s from 8th to 12th September, between 10.00 and 17.00 hours. In addition, individual trials will take place on the following days, at the times listed:

• Rawflow only - 8th September, from 10.00 to 12.00
• Abacast only - 11th September, from 10.00 to 12.00
• Tribler only - 12th September, from 10.00 to 12.00

The impact and success of the EBU trials will depend to a large extent on your response. More users will mean higher quality streams and potentially a real opportunity to test the efficiency of the rival systems.

Pocket phone gives reporters more time out in the field

A little over six years ago I went to Hannover (Hanover) to report from the World Expo - it was my last assignment. I arrived with a laptop computer, mobile phone and an oversized Marantz recorder.

I left with a bad back.

Not only was my equipment too much and too heavy, but also I still needed access to an ISDN line to file my reports. Of course, there was a lot of editing left over for when I got back to our offices.

But I'm happy to say that a pocket computer phone and some new software could soon change all that for the current crop of reporters.

The BBC has teamed up with the Maastricht-based Technica del Arte (sic) to transform an O2 XDA IIs pocket phone into a professional recording device. It will enable reporters to spend more time out in the field and less time in the office, or on the physio's couch.

The phone itself looks like a brick and feels like a paperweight, but I'm told that when you see what it can do, you soon stop caring what it looks like. The phone boasts a very high quality internal microphone, ample choice of communication options and a built-in camera.

Radio and web journalists at BBC Local Radio are already using the equipment to send high quality sound, pictures and even video down mobile phone lines and from wi-fi spots.

Andy Roche, Community Editor BBC Lincolnshire, is ecstatic about the equipment:

“The introduction of this impressive technology will have a dramatic effect on the way our journalists work, bringing new opportunities to get more high quality audio material on the air. It is easy to use when on the move, and its built-in publishing feature makes the whole process of recording and sending audio very easy for a non-technical reporter. While it is possible to buy very cheap recording software, it was well worth paying the extra costs for a product which was specifically designed for this kind of use. It will also mean a significant reduction in equipment costs.”

The technology has been shortlisted for an international innovation award, to be judged at the IBC, in September.

Eurotravel

Traffic and Travel Information (TTI) is an essential public service that must remain freely available. That is the message of the Eurotravel conference, which takes place in Geneva, on 9th and 10th May.

Eurotravel is a biennial event that brings together organizations that provide services for "multimodal" travellers - i.e. people who use public and private modes of transport. Delegates come from a number of different sectors, including public service broadcasters, universities, consumer electronics companies, car manufacturers, public transport bodies and regulatory authorities.

This year's event will explore the possibilities for the different players to work together to improve the quality of their services. 

Among the other themes is the special role of radio after a catastrophe or during a major event, with case studies on the management of travel information after the bomb attacks in London and Madrid, as well as the challenges faced by German broadcasters ahead of this summer's World Cup.