Company

Core Technology

Currently, almost all streaming media is served from large (i.e., expensive) centralized servers. Furthermore, in the online environment costs scale linearly with the number of viewers - which is in sharp contrast to traditional cable and broadcast markets, where costs are essentially upfront and fixed, regardless of the number of viewers. Thus, in the online world every additional viewer translates into additional expense, while in the broadcast world additional viewers translate into additional revenues.

NFT is leading the use of distributed systems to overcome this broadcast bottleneck. The basic idea behind such systems is that each viewer's computer will not only act as a receiver of a video stream, but also as a rebroadcast node - passing a copy of its stream onto a small number of other viewers (in the basic NFT system either one or two other viewers).

The major challenge faced by those pursuing the distributed broadcast approach is how to manage the resulting distributed network to provide stable and reliable service when large numbers of viewers are continuously tuning in (joining the network) and tuning out (departing the network). This challenge is perceived by many as so daunting that the number of direct competitors to NFT is quite small.

NFT's advantage over its competitors - and the reason why NFT has the potential to revolutionize online broadcasting - is its collection of patented algorithms for constructing and maintaining the network. The core NFT algorithms seamlessly handle the constant arrival of new nodes and departure of old nodes without interrupting the viewing experience of other users.

NFT takes what others have perceived as a challenge to be overcome (the arrival and departure of viewers/nodes) and uses this natural turnover to increase network stability and promote the most reliable and capable nodes to the most critical portions of the network. In a sense, the NFT approach turns the entire problem of network stability on its head, leading to elegant solutions to otherwise difficult problems.

The company has repeatedly proven the scalability of the NFT TV server and client software. First, by conducting a series of tests over the open Internet. And second, by using our technology for online, real-time distribution of commercial broadcasts, for paying customers, to tens of thousands of satisfied viewers.

During one of our test broadcasts a single PC running NFT TV server was connected to the Internet via a standard cable modem. This hardware setup, which is normally capable of broadcasting to only 2 people, was used to build and maintain a network of over 100 simultaneous viewers. Thus, in this case, NFT reduced the bandwidth costs of this broadcast by a staggering 98%.

Feedback from initial customers has been overwhelmingly positive. NFT's hybrid distributed/traditional broadcast solution can enable established broadcasters to reach larger online audiences at lower costs -- without negatively impacting their end-user viewer experience.