Operation MySpace Has Real Tech Behind It: Debut of Kulabyte
Michael Arrington
22 comments »
The Operation MySpace concert for U.S. soldiers in Kuwait next week (see ridiculous video below) is getting lots of press, but it’s all around who’s performing: Pussycat Dolls, Jessica Simpson, Disturbed, Filter, DJ Z-Trip and Carlos Mencia.
What’s far more interesting, in my opinion, is what they are pulling off technically - high definition live video streaming of the event to as many people who want to watch it, on a Flash player. That isn’t trivial. The big networks can do it, of course, but they’re piping it into your television, and the cable companies own both ends of the network (including a box in your living room) as well as the pipes in between. Encoding the high def stream in real time for packaging over the Internet is a problem that companies are just starting to solve. And some of those solutions require special hardware at the consumer end.
MySpace says the stream will be 480p (848×480) and will play on most versions of Flash via the VP6 codec (they are not using the newer H.264 because that version of Flash does not have enough consumer penetration yet). That’s the low end of high definition, but the reason they aren’t going higher is bandwidth limitations at the user level. The stream requires a steady 1.5 Mbit/s - about the limit for most U.S. consumers. An average MySpaceTV or Youtube Video, by comparison, needs only a 400 kbit/s connection. And those videos are served via a progressive download, not live.
Kulabyte Makes It all Happen
Here’s how the video gets from Kuwait to your computer screen: video is shot at the army base in Kuwait and fed to a Satellite. There’s no line of site to Los Angeles where MySpace is based, so the stream is downlinked on the east coast and shot up to another satellite, then down to Los Angeles.
At that point a third party, Texas-based Kulabyte, takes over and does the really hard part - real time transcoding to VP6 for video, MP3 for audio, in a FLV wrapper. Kulabyte is launching a newly developed technology they call TimeSlice for the first time with Operation MySpace.
Kulabyte then hands off the packaged stream to Akamai, a content delivery network, who ensures that as many users who want the stream can get it.
At the end of the day, MySpace users get to watch a concert taking place in Kuwait live, in high definition, over the Internet. On a normal Flash video player and no special hardware on their end. A small bit of history is taking place, whether they realize it or not.
If you want to watch the concert, go to myspace.com/operationmyspace on Monday March 10 at 11 am PST.
That is quiet a challenge, but I would be far more interested if there was something more aligned with my taste buds on the viewing end.
That really is pretty cool. Glad that something as ubiquitous and seamless as Flash is the medium for something like this. Now if adobe would open up Flash a bit more then we’d have nothing to worry about in the future :).
I bet $10 bucks this thing won’t work right.
848×480 isn’t high definition unless you’re a Best Buy salesman trying to sell an open box plasma TV with a missing remote control.
@ 4
lol, that is so true
Hopefully it’ll be better than the average MySpace TV clip - not a single one ever played seamlessly over here in Germany.
This comment is not directly related to the MySpace post.
Sorry for posting this here, didnt find any other way to convey.
Suddenly from few hours techcrunch home page, on IE7 is giving a warning as suspicious website by the phishing filter. Just wanted to bring it to TC’s notice.
Welcome to new wholesome entertainment only on http://moviemazic.com
Pretty interesting, if it all works out right…
I love how anything better than garbage quality(YouTube), is automatically called high definition. That’s not even an HD resolution. Besides, who wants to watch those crappy bands stream over the internet.
ztrip…lucky bastards
Mike, its “line of sight”, not “line of site”
It’s been awhile since I looked into video streaming technology but I seem to recall something about being able to multicast (instead of unicast) a stream so many people can view at the same time but only 1 stream is being broadcasted. Why couldn’t they do something like that instead of this complex setup?
Where to begin…
Several people already pointed out that 480p isn’t HD. And encoding 480p in realtime is not difficult; you could do it years ago with QuickTime Broadcaster (for free even!). Kulabyte’s tech looks nice, but realistically it’s an incremental development. But in Web 2.0 I guess there was no video before Flash video, so let’s all reinvent history and claim it as a breakthrough.
If anybody here can help me understand on what all platforms is it supported?
I am watching the video on MySpace as I write this reply. All in all, the sound is very clear on my laptop and sounds as if I’m simply listening to an MP3.
However, the video is not nearly as good. The picture quality is very good, but the video almost resembles a slide show. It’s not a consistant stream and does not match the audio whatsoever at all.
Just thought I provide my $0.02
The quality of this broadcast is AMAZING.
I have seen nothing like this.
Kulabyte have made history…watch out for this company.
I agree with Jonathan S. about the quality. I hooked up the computer to my 42 inch HDtv and compared to the lousy compressed network shows it was pretty clean. When Kulabyte goes public with a stock option, I’m in.
As for MikeW, you owe me $10 bucks. Eazy, remember that we don’t have enough bandwidth coming into our homes to support a clean error free 720p or 1080i/P stream unless you have a DS3 line coming into your home.
The speed of a DS3 line is equivalent to that of 28 DS1s or T1s. Thats roughly 44.736 Mbps. Sure you can compress the signal to fit the pipe, but then it looks compressed.
All in all, the stream only froze up twice within four hours of the broadcast and the audio on my system was fine with a few out of phase moments.
Great new way of streaming and my hat is off to KULAbyte.
Mr. Davis owes everyone 10 bucks! The quality of that broadcast (watched Both) was absolutely amazing. I used a 1080p montior in the living room and it ROCKED!
Other than an interruption which appeared to be the satellite feed from kuwait in the first broadcast, for about 1 minute I have never seen anything, at this high quality, streamed over the Web Live! I also watched Oprah’s “hugely” touted Live event last night and the very small window player which could not be resized appeared at reduced frame rate. it was pretty good quality for a You Tube styled video, but nowhere in the same league as those Kulabyte Guys.
Other friends watched as well whom I talked to last night, all were amazed!
Hart.
I watched the Operation MySpace on my new Nobilis laptop and I had no wait time. I am not a techie and I don’t know what my monitor has, however, compared to the 1st night of Eckart Tolle on Oprah’s book discussion, the quality of video and sound by Kulabyte was excellent– whether I selected low, medium, or high on my screen. It was just like live TV, especially when I widened it to fill the 17″ screen.
“What’s far more interesting…”
Umm, the technical achievement aside, I would say that the far more interesting piece are these companies, and these performers coming to do something cool for the troops.
You know, the actual human beings involved, not just the fancy technical solutions?
If Kulabyte can do Live high quality, 2 pass VBR encoding and stream compliant to Flash players, now in VP6; then after NAB they say for H.264 Flash, then the world will change. Mac users and 99% of others (flash adoption) around the world have an easy-no hassle solution for Live high quality, even HD stream viewing over existing networks and programing, the world will change. I hope Adobe capatalizes on this makes it a top strategic effort this year for the company, if so Flash will slaughter Microsoft efforts again to get domination with silverlight (or was it Crackle, Sparckle, Sizzle or the others they tried before silverlight). I also understand that MTV and Viacom has purchased several encoding units this month from Kulabyte and plans to use them for the Nickelodean Kids Choice awards on March 29 and other live events. I saw the Operation My Space on a 42 inch HD LCD in my living room and it was Awesome! I will be waiting to see this March 29 event if MTV uses it for this.