New software could make P2P downloads a whole lot faster

by Brad Linder Apr 11th 2007

Two Pittsburgh-based researchers have released code that they say can increase peer-to-peer download speeds by up to 500%, although actual tests have shown more modest speed boosts of 30 to 70%.

The software, called Similarity-Enhanced transfer works like BitTorrent, allowing users to download a file from multiple sources at the same time. But instead of looking for identical bits of information, the software looks for similar pieces.

In other words, if you're using BitTorrent to download a movie that's been dubbed into German, you'll probably only be downloading from German sources. But if you use Similarity-Enhanced transfer, you could download the video file from sources throughout the world, and just download the audio from German users. With more download sources to choose from, your download speed should be significantly enhanced.

[via Wired]

Tags: bittorrent, download speed, DownloadSpeed, similarity enhanced transfer, SimilarityEnhancedTransfer

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Me said 8:55PM on 4-11-2007

So will this be a separate technology apart from BitTorrent? Or will the code be implemented into existing torrent clients?

Kip HT said 9:09PM on 4-11-2007

Wow, so you mean that now I will be able to download faster than actually possible! Will my ISP allow that...

Jumpfroggy said 4:38PM on 4-12-2007

This is just a technique, not a program. They made some software to test the theory, but from what they wrote it's not a standalone app that could replace current bittorrent clients. It's not supposed to either; they'd rather prove that the theory works and then incorporate it into existing clients. Think of it as a nice add on to existing protocols.

It's only a matter of time before the big clients integrate the code and theory into their protocols. This will make transfers faster (to some degree), but aside from that users probably wont notice.

"Wow, so you mean that now I will be able to download faster than actually possible! Will my ISP allow that..."
Can't tell if this is serious, but this software does not enable "downloads faster than actually possible". Basically think of it this way; say your internet connection can download at 600kb/s, but when you're downloading a specific file it's only going at 300kb/s because it can't find enough people to download from. If you had SET, you could find some other people sharing similar (but not identical) files and download from them too, so you're now downloading at 600kb/s. You'll never download more than your internet connection though, which is a separate issue from SET.

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

I have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

View more Time Wasters