LiveStation – More Than Just Competition For Joost

The growing list of IPTV services that allow broadband users to watch television programming through the internet now has some new competition backed by none other than Microsoft.

LiveStation, which just debuted at IBC 2007 in Amsterdam, is a service that lets you watch television online and is one of the first platforms to use Microsoft's Silverlight technology.

LiveStation has some key differences that make it unlike any of the other internet television services available, which actually make it more like traditional television. LiveStation is all about delivering live radio and television channels to your computer through the internet, hence the chosen name.

“LiveStation is based on real-time peer-to-peer distribution technology exclusively acquired from Microsoft,” explained Matteo Berlucchi, CEO of Skinkers. “This allows broadcasters to take advantage of a managed peer network to reach large online audiences with live radio and television and reduce their distribution costs dramatically.” Essentially, the LiveStation P2P networks collectively uses the bandwidth of active users, which results in reduced traffic between networks.

Skinkers, the company behind the service, has even announced that the use of Silverlight has allowed LiveStation developers to mix high-quality video with animated vector graphics and text overlays.

“LiveStation is a great example of the power of Silverlight, created using familiar tools and technologies, and enabling even lower delivery costs,” said Gabriele di Piazza, director of the Media & Entertainment Group at Microsoft. “Silverlight enables rich interactive applications such as LiveStation to enhance the end-user experience by seamlessly combining video with interactive graphics.”

Look for LiveStation to initially be available as an invite-only beta trial within the next month with limited programming choices, although as the service matures, it is sure to acquire many more broadcasters. The full public launch of LiveStation will take place sometime next year. Don't expect a Mac-compatible version until later down the road.

If LiveStation is successful, it could show how much of a potential threat Silverlight can be for Adobe's Flash format. Depending on how well it is able to build a variety of programming, I believe that LiveStation could also be a competitor to Sling Media's hardware-based options, which allow anyone to connect their television to the SlingBox and view any of their programming over the internet, from anywhere.

Sure the SlingBox is the more logical option for someone who has hundreds of channels through digital cable or satellite, but would you rather lay down $130-$250 for a set-top box (plus $30 for Sling's mobile access applications and even more for any additional accessories) or get a free service that requires nothing more than a simple software download. Future plans even call for mobile availability of LiveStation from phones and PDAs.

It's too early to tell if LiveStation will be the best of the new TV 2.0 services cropping up, but it is definitely aimed to provide some fierce competition, and for more companies than just Joost.