Chapter 5. PeerCast: Watch Videos on Your PC Anywhere in the World

AUTHOR: Dan Fernandez

DIFFICULTY: Advanced

TIME REQUIRED: 10+ hours

COST: Free

SOFTWARE: Visual C# Express or Visual Basic Express, Windows Vista

HARDWARE: Two PCs, one running at home and another one working remotely

DOWNLOAD: http://www.c4fbook.com/PeerCast

PeerCast is a Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) application that enables you to stream videos between PCs over an ad-hoc peer-to-peer network.

Overview

I can't help but sound like an obnoxiously loud TV infomercial salesman wearing a cheap polyester suit with too many question marks when I try to describe what Peer Cast does. The truth is PeerCast is pretty basic: it streams video from one PC to another. Here's the kicker, though: if both PCs are on the Internet and can communicate using Peer Name Resolution Protocol (PNRP), you can stream videos from anywhere in the world. No special software, no monthly subscription fee, no custom hardware—just your videos, streamed to you anytime and anywhere. Let me clear my throat while I get my polyester suit on:

"Bored at work? Wish you could watch recorded episodes of Law and Order on your Media Center to pass the time? Now you can with PeerCast! Or maybe you're traveling for work in the middle of nowhere, with just an Internet connection (that works with PNRP). You could be watching any video file on your home PC with PeerCast! How much do you think PeerCast costs? Would you believe it if we told you that PeerCast is completely ...

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