P2P(Peer-to-Peer)是一種分散式的網路技術，每台電腦都身兼兩種角色：客戶端（Client）及伺服器端（Server）；P2P在提高資源利用率及擴展服務能力方面具有潛在的優勢，P2P在串流媒體(Streaming Media)中的應用，能夠充分利用以往被忽視的眾多客戶端的資源，是一種性能價格比良好的服務機制。
隨著以 BT（BitTorrent）為代表的 P2P 軟體逐漸發展成熟，傳統的網路電視軟體（如IPTV）也開始採用 P2P的設計思維；P2P 網路電視(P2P TV)，又稱為點對點網路電視，係採用 P2P 技術，其繼承了 BT的特點：使用者越多，下載速度越快；實現網路上大規模的視訊直播，有效的解決網路視訊點播服務的頻寬和負載有限的問題。點對點網路電視是點對點技術的最新應用，一台接收電視信號的電腦成為向另一台電腦傳播視訊資料流的一個平台，接收資料的那台電腦又可以向另一台電腦傳送信號，如此循環下去。使用者只要安裝了 Media Player 或 Real Player 等軟體就可觀看這些節目。
目前大多數的P2P TV PLAYER軟體都還是免費軟體(Freeware)，普遍存在著頻道不足、節目內容不足、侵犯版權、搭便車(Freerider，意即只下載不分享的人)、缺乏數位版權管理(DRM)機制、缺乏合理的收費機制、缺乏適當的獎勵(Incentive)機制等問題。
本研究針對上述問題，提議引進DRM機制以解決侵犯版權的問題，以及引進獎勵機制以解決Freerider的問題，探討應用數位版權管理及獎勵機制於點對點網路電視之可行性；研究結果可提供政府主管機關、有線/無線電視業者、寬頻業者及內容提供業者參考。

P2P (Peer-to-Peer) is one kind of distributed network technology, by this technology, each computer has two kind of roles: client and server. P2P raises the resources use factor and has the latent superiority in the expansion serviceability aspect. The applications of P2P streaming media could fully use the multitudinous resources reside in the end user.
As P2P software, such as BT, becomes more and more popular, traditional network television software (e.g. IPTV) also starts to use P2P technology. The peer-to-peer network television has one important characteristic of BT:” The more users , the faster downloads”.
However, currently the majority of P2P TV player are all free software and generally has the shortcomings of channels insufficiency, programs insufficiency, the infringements of copyright, freerider, and the lack of the reasonable charge mechanism.
To address above shortcomings, this research proposes a P2P TV system which integrate DRM and Incentive mechanism. We discuss the reasons behind this integration and give some directions to implement this integration.

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相關網站
[ESM] ESM, http://esm.cs.cmu.edu/
[PEERCAST] PEERCAST, http://www.peercast.org/
[P2PRADIO] P2PRADIO, http://www.p2pradio.tv/
[COOPERNET] COOPERNET, http://research.microsoft.com/projects/coopnet/
[OVERCAST] OVERCAST, http://www.usenix.org/events/osdi2000/jannotti.html
[PPLIVE] PPLIVE, http://www.pplive.com
[TVANTS] TVAnts, http://www.tvants.com.cn
[PPSTREAM] PPSTeam, http://www.ppstream.com
[SopCast] SopCast, http://www.SopCast.org
[TVKoo] TVKoo, http://www.tvkoo.com
[Tribler] Tribler, http://www.tribler.org/
[BBC iMP] BBC iMP, http://www.bbc.co.uk/imp/
[eMule] eMule, http://www.emule.org/
[Coolstreaming] Coolstreaming, http://www.coolstreaming.us/
[Cybersky-TV] Cybersky-TV, http://cybersky-tv.net/