Overview
Livepeer is a decentralized video protocol built on the Ethereum blockchain that aims to seamlessly integrate video content into applications in a decentralized manner at a very low cost. Traditional video processing relies on centralized servers, while Livepeer distributes this process to node operators in the network, who complete the encoding and conversion of the video. This process is crucial to ensure that end users can receive video content in the best state and adapt to different device screen sizes and network conditions.
Technical and economic models
Livepeer uses blockchain technology to process video content, using game theory, cryptocurrency economic incentives and smart contracts to ensure effective collaboration among network participants. Livepeer tokens (LPT) are the network's native assets, used to distribute and coordinate video processing tasks among network participants, ensuring their reliability and security.
Development Background
With the popularity of social media and the booming creator economy, especially during the pandemic, video content uses more than 82% of Internet bandwidth. Founded in 2017, Livepeer has processed more than 150 million minutes of video with the support of thousands of distributed nodes, providing high-quality and affordable encoding services to video application developers and creators.
How it works
Livepeer is built on the Ethereum blockchain and is a network that connects video processing demanders and service providers. Compared with traditional centralized solutions, Livepeer incentivizes network participants to provide reliable, secure and affordable video transcoding services through LPT tokens.
The main participants of the network include "coordinators" and "delegators".
Coordinator
Anyone with a video mining device can stake their LPT on the Livepeer network and take on video processing work. In return, they receive a share of the video processing fee in the form of LPT and ETH. These participants who provide services are called "coordinators."
Client
Even people without video mining equipment or processing experience can participate in the network by delegating their LPT to capable node operators who process videos through the Livepeer Explorer and are called "delegators."
The role of LPT tokens
Livepeer's native token LPT is an ERC-20 token used to ensure network security and distribute video processing tasks among participants. The more LPT tokens there are, the more stable and secure the network will be.
The amount of work assigned to coordinators is related to the amount of LPT they stake, their geographic location, and their reliability. Since the more tokens delegated, the more work they get and the more rewards they will ultimately receive, coordinators will compete to attract more delegators.
Reward Mechanism
Every round (usually one day), the Livepeer protocol mints new LPT tokens according to the set inflation rate. This "stake-based" system ensures that participants are rewarded in proportion to their contributions. Users who actively participate in the network by running nodes or staking tokens can receive rewards, while users who do not participate will not receive rewards.
Coordinators can also increase their income by receiving commissions from delegators. This system encourages active participants to continuously increase their interests in the network, while those who do not participate will gradually lose their transcoding rights.
The setting of the inflation rate also incentivizes user enthusiasm. If the total number of LPTs contributed to the network is higher, the inflation rate will be lower, which means that the existing tokens will retain greater value, thus incentivizing holders to stake more to obtain higher returns.
Livepeer provides a more cost-effective and flexible solution for video processing in a decentralized manner. As the demand for video content continues to grow, Livepeer is expected to become an important part of the video processing industry in the future, providing developers and creators with a wider range of application scenarios and economic opportunities.
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