There is no doubt that Microsoft was unprepared for video downloading. From slow download speeds, to complete download failures, there are a slew of problems that could be solved with a proper P2P setup like BitTorrent.

And this is how it could work.

Roughly speaking:

1. Users can have the option for faster downloads through Live's P2P sharing network.

2. By Microsoft heavily controlling super-seeding (distributing different parts of files evenly), a P2P-shared file could hit an efficient early transfer/share rate.

3. For a portion of your upstream bandwidth (that could be specified by user), gamers are able to download faster (and as a top uploader, you get access to top downloading speeds).

4. Microsoft rewards power users with points per preset upload amount (1gb=50 Live points).

5. Brian Lam stops getting error messages.

6. Unicorns return to Earth.

It's a simple strategy that, most importantly, promotes a populated user base. Too bad Microsoft will never, ever use it. – Mark Wilson

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