Real time Video Over Web (VoW)

This is an interesting space which I was tracking since 2000. I wanted to blog about it but some how couldn't able to find that time to write it...The reason that now I am blogging is because of the T20 worldcup cricket match, which just concluded recently in UK. It may sound strange but there is a close relation between cricket & VoW!

I am going to write a little lengthy blog, so I am going to use my programing style to write it in Step by Step.

Step-1: CNET Tech Videos
As a passionate technologist, I watched most of the tech video clips in CNET. I particularly was interested in then my CEO Scott McNealy, Bill Gates, Carly Fiorina, Larry Ellision and few others because of their great ability to articulate technology/products and some times their sense of humor.

Problem: Short video clips instead of full videos.

Step-2: YouTube
Like everyone, it created my video interest beyond high-tech. The 2 notable one's are the cricket match highlights + some tamil movie clipings. I still had the full video problem.

Step-3: Proliferation of video sites and blogs
This solved my problem of full videos. But my expectation has gone up and was looking for real time videos.

Step-4: Paid Services
I haven't watched live cricket matches more than 10 years or so and as the VoW evolved, I was kind of curious to explore it on the web...found a website to watch the 2007 cricket worldcup matches. I payed $75 and quality was not bad. Indian cricket team exited in the early rounds and I lost interest in continue to watch. But my family watched some matches.

The end result was my $2k Sony Vaio laptop hard disk crashed for good. I then realised the "heat problems" with VoW.

So, paid service + loss of Sony Vaio laptop = lose of interest in real time VoW(again).

Step-5: YouTube & Desktop
We have a decent workstation at home and recently it is experiencing the heat problem + automatic shutdown. The reason is too many YouTube videos + other static videos. I think this may also crash any time. The thermal issue again...

Step-6:T20 Worldcup Cricket Final
My family is in India. Its a Sunday AM. My former colleague mentioned about a FREE Live website to watch cricket in Facebook. So, I turn on the desktop and watched the complete match live w/ NO PROBLEM!

At the end of the match, I said VoW = WOW!

The reason for my high quality, un-interupted no buffering live match experience was because of a P2P open source software called "SopCast". This time there was no commercial company and no fancy products for this live cricket video. I was really surprised and very satisfied.

But, still the heat problem is there in the client side desktop. I can see the fast spinning of fan and I wouldn't watch this match live on my personal MacBook!

Summary:
As you can see, the reason for my interest was mostly as a consumer of video but of course some technical interest too. IMO, at least after watching the cricket match live w/ no problem, real time VoW is reality. Most of the key issues of network, streaming, presentation and storage is solved. Or at least it looks like it works reasonably well w/o major issues.

They key issue is the heat/thermal problem in the desktops & laptops that need to be solved.

What do you guys think about the real time VoW & issues?