"Plug and Broadcast" TV station in a box

NetTVworld's device is designed let individuals and organizations more easily broadcast their own TV programs via the Internet. That spiffy black box in the picture below digitizes and packetizes video streams and then sends them over the Internet.



Net TV World touts NetTelecaster as a revolutionary "plug and play transmitter" for Internet television:

"Simply plug in your video signal and it is broadcast to millions over the internet. It's just that simple and easy. You don't need a network of servers or huge bandwidth thanks to our breakthrough ServerShare technology."

As of now, it can only broadcast 10 streams at once, but by leveraging peer-to-peer networks, a single box could send out 20,000 simultaneous streams. The company claims to have hit this number in lab tests. It can probably do more, its president says.

Although the box can potentially deliver 20,000 simultaneous streams, in reality it only broadcasts one single show at a time. Nevertheless, its $5,000 price tag is FAR LESS than conventional broadcasting equipment. Technically, you could rig up a standard server to do the same thing, but this takes the configuration and complexity out of the equation.

Automakers such as Ford or Honda, for instance, will be able to broadcast programs, videos and reviews to their nationwide network of dealers. Private ad networks, similar to what Focus Media has accomplished in China, also seem to be a good fit. Colleges are looking at the device to set up networks to broadcast games for their alumni. ESPN, after all, doesn't show the Drake versus Oberlin game every year.