Managing live streams: StreamRoot offers broadcasters a peer-to-peer based solution

As the world rallies for the next round of international sporting events, broadcasters brace themselves for unprecedented demand and viewer expectations. Scaling these events will be key to avoid the threat of server failures, over-capacity and congestion.

With the advent of 4K technologies and an increasingly connected world, sports broadcasters have to raise the bar, all while providing infrastructures capable of receiving larger files and increasing traffic. Disruptive technologies will play a leading role in guaranteeing a high-quality user experience.

Among a vast array of playout solutions, young tech company StreamRoot is developing a peer-to-peer based approach designed to overcome what it describes as the limitations of current unicast streaming.

Based on WebRTC protocols, Javascript and adaptive bitrate streaming, StreamRoot’s peer-to-peer solution allows viewers to exchange video segments directly with other users rather than connecting to a server each time.

“We decentralise data transfer so viewers can collect content from the source that can provide it the fastest – whether that be the server or another user,” explains co-founder Pierre-Louis Théron.

StreamRoot’s technology stands out from other peer-based solutions in that it requires no plugin or extension for end-users. It can be seamlessly integrated into a wide variety of video players supporting standards such as DASH and Smooth Streaming. The solution is currently in production on live football streams with several thousand simultaneous viewers, and has also proven its capabilities on video-on-demand and replay platforms.

Most importantly, says StreamRoot, this adaptive peer-to-peer technology can greatly improve the scalability of the streaming architecture. The more simultaneous viewers, the more opportunities for content sharing – and for optimising playout as demand rises.

For broadcasters, this translates to satisfied viewers, reduced bandwidth costs and protection against infrastructure malfunctions.

“Peer-assisted video delivery can represent a key competitive advantage. It allows distributers to scale up, improve quality of streams and handle traffic peaks, all while reducing costs and lightening the burden on saturated network infrastructures,” adds Théron.