The P2P-Next project, which aims to develop software that can stream video over a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing bittorrent network, has released the first version of its client for Microsoft Windows and Linux users (MAC version due soon).

P2P-Next is a pan-European conglomerate of 21 industrial partners, media content providers and research institutions. It is funded by a grant worth upwards of €14m from the European Union and aims to identify the potential uses of P2P for future Internet Television (IPTV) services.

The project hopes that thousands of people will download its first release, known as 'SwarmPlayer', which will continue to be tested and developed over a period of four years. Testers will need to have a broadband connection that can handle speeds of at least 600Kbps downstream.

Naturally the first release will only allow users to view a Video-on-Demand (VoD) weather report and tune into a live Amsterdam web-cam. Those running a firewall will also need to make sure that port 8620 has been opened.

Download Client (Approx. 20MB):
http://trial.p2p-next.org