Why Digital Distribution is the future.

The Grid - Developed by CERN researchers, transfers data 10,000 times faster than traditional internet.

By fall, most Universities will be able to connect to the Grid rather than traditional Internet. Widescale deployment could take as little as 1 to 2 years.

So, in other words, transfering Crysis from something like Steam to your computer will only take a few seconds. Super High Def Downloads also take no more than a minute.

Here is the Article on Daily Tech.

*cues more hypnotic Steam music*

 

That`s not taking into accound disk transfer rates is it?
I mean,even at max speed,conventional HDs cannot do stellar dwlds like 7 gigs in 1 min.
I do like the idea though. I hate bulking up on cds and dvds and images and isos and bla bla bla.

 

Theoretically the transfer speeds are so fast that cloud computing would become possible, where we store all of our digital information on the internet and access it from any computer anywhere.

The idea is that the connection is so fast you could "steam" games just like you would a movie. Essentially, the internet would become a really really fast external hard drive.

 

Goodbye mainframe servers?

 

Will this affect third world countries like mine in the next 2 years???

 

Hello -1 Ping on cod6 ..boom headshot! lol.

 

If it`s a real deal,it`s definitely the future then.
Enter optical fibre hard drives indeed

 

nope. grid seems like a good idea though. better to be limited by the wifi / ethernet / hdd

 

It`s better not to be limited. I mean imagine no more wait times when you steam a game,an HD video telephone conference,instant uploads from youtube,lighting fast "post quick reply" buttons, etc etc

 

Then there would be no downtime during downloads.. no games... 0.0

 

If it really does turn into a cloud computing scenario, then many poweful mainframes may go the parallel route into cheaper arrays of semi-powerful blades.

Heck, if it is REAL cloud computing every computer connected to the net becomes a server because we would all get massive uplink, which is the major reason for having datacenters and server farms.

Oh MAN, RIAA and the MPAA must be crapping themselves right now.

I mean, bittorrent would be WAY Faster than even 15000 RPM hard drives. Heck, even gigabit ethernet would be a bottleneck.

 

Ultra fast downloads would also mean ultra cheap games and movies and so on.
Cheap manufacturing and cheap expedition,cheap distribution=awesome price. This might actually be the key to piracy.
If a game that costs 50$ on steam right now can be downloaded in 1 min at 10$, imagine how many people would be it.
Make that 1$ and everyone WOULD BUY IT. No more piracy for good!
Is that awesomely utopic or what?

 

It's a great idea, however the development costs behind games would mean such a system could actually lead to the death of retail games as we know them now and the rise of flash-based cheap games.

 

The article says within the next year most universities around the world will be connected, hopefully that could expand from there to third world countries. I'm sure it will be a hit in Europe, hopefully it isn't really hard and expensive to impliment. Strangely, they neglect to mention anything about cost in the article (cost to build infastructure, not cost to the consumer).

 

My number one reason for not caring a lot about digital distribution is resale. I play a game, finish it, there's no replay value, I sell it and make back $10-$20 from a $40-$50 purchase.

If digital distribution were significantly cheaper than retail boxed versions I'd probably start to think differently. But I think in most cases $50 is way overpriced considering so many games stink.

That being said, games that I know have replay value I have purchased digitally, like Orange Box.

 

What if the cost to builf ifrastrcutures is cheap that's why they said cost to consumers is cheap(since if high cost then consumers will also have to pay high for it)

But the cost also depends on your Internet distributor.

Also In the ext 2 years if the Grid is successful will we be calling it like this=

Are you connected to the internet?=Are you connected to the Grid?

 

What if the game costed 10-20$? you wouldn`t need a resale value. What if it was 5$ ?
I am saying that this GRID thing opens up the possibility for EVERY GAMER ON THE PLANET to get his favourite game at the lowest possible price,so they won`t ever need piracy.
Price is one the main reasons why piracy exists.
I love this GRID idea,I hope I won`t be a grandpa by the time it comes a reality.

 

Oh yeah and not to forget

Hello Hackers,
And BOOM bye bye to all your data online...

I think the best thing for the internet is Quantum Computing... since its technically unhackable.

I would love the idea of that... I mean... take me for example... 22KBps MAX download (13KBps avg)
I think I may have the slowest internet on these forums...

 

Yet you upload so much BS

 

Ouch?

 

Don`t worry, I`m sure you`ll come around eventually.
But yea, this GRID might help a lot.
I have an ex-collegue which uses Linux and whenever he didn`t use his computer he would set it the cpu to work into finding some genetic research into making better corn or something. I saw this idea in the article also.
Not to mention the capability of massie networking and on line gaming.
Imagine 10000 people playing Serious Sam 2

 

Ugh! I can't imagine one person playing that crap!

 

Thats what I do but with my PS3, Folding@Home is the most famous, it basically folds protein at extremely slow frames (were talking nano or micro seconds) and then uploads them to standford university. 1 PS3 has so many more terflops than a PC with F@H its insane, there are 4 times less PS3's yet they have 10+ times the power all together. And so yeah..

I am very tired, excuse me for this horrible post

 

Not so fast!

 

Grid = The stepping stone to GiTS style cyberbrain networks and the potential ability to upload an entire persona into cyberspace before death. The cyberbrain part in the above sentence will probably need at least half a century to get off the blocks though.

 

I'm with Steven Hawking on this one, radiation will evaporate those tiny black holes before they have a chance to do anything significant. If it turns out otherwise, I can't wait to be compressed into a singularity with all of you fine members of NBR. As for the strangelet, I'm on probabilities side. If it happens, we should just be happy the universe has a sense of humor.

GiTS was awesome. As for the cyberbrain, I see most of the half century wait being stuck in the 'questionable morality' phase. We could probably get their faster, but even I'm not so comfortable with the idea of getting brain hacked.

 

Half a century of moral angst, then another half century to figure out a safe way to meld man and mechanical parts.

Shame that we're alive in the here and now, I prefer the pros of being able to physically connect to cyberspace and have near unlimited storage to the cons of potential brain death or unwanted possession. We can content ourselves with super-fast downloads and uploads of nearly every electronic media if the idea really takes off.

 

Dude, having a body has a looooot of advantages.Take girls for example
I`d like to see the Grid in action, but their forecast is very unprobable.

 

I went to CERN for the school trip. THe guide told us that GRIP can transfer 10gb per second(if i remember right).
They also invent the www.

 

When the Grid is implemented games like "The World" will become a reality.(IS it the world?? The game from .Hack)

That would be nice to play!!!!

CERN is the one that created Anti-matter,right? i also learned that CERN created the internet due to "Angels and Demons"

 

They don't create anti-matter, they discover it.

 

Okay they discovered Anti-matter but they can now also create it right??

 

REALLY TINY TINY amounts of antimatter. Plus, it cannot yet be stored unless you have a really powerful magnetic field, so it all goes poof as soon as it is created.

 

People still want to own something, not just to have files.
BluRay is said to sell extremely well within this and next year, analyists are already assuming BluRay will switch out DVD's 2010.
And..movie companies are already tryng to press BluRay for standard, there are campaings at the moment where you'll get a free BluRay player when you'll buy a FullHD TV, or when you'll buy BluRay player you'll get 5 movies with it.
Last month sales were 91% [DVD] and 9% [BluRay], and the number has been growing every month.

 

I refuse to buy a blueray player if it is going to be outrageously priced, regardless of if it's 2010, so they better not take away my DVD's

And they said the same thing about CD's to DVD's....but CDs are still around, regardless.

 

Blueray prices shot up after HD-DVD fell, so I'm going to wait awhile before I jump on THAT gravy train.

People want to own something tangible coming from the 90s and previous decades, but I'd argue that generations born in 2000 and after put less worth in tangible items and more worth in data. If we find ourselves in another depression then that will all change, but provided we DON'T repeat the early 20th century, it is entirely possible our mode of thinking will be entirely outdated and obsolete within a decade or two.

 

Don't worry, the little price shot was temporary, right now you can find BluRay players for about ~160$ USD which isn't much, also laptops with BluRay drives are getting cheaper. (Just few weeks ago, they introduced laptops with BluRay drives less for 1000$ USD)

BluRay disks are also getting cheaper : http://science.qj.net/Noryl-being-tested-as-possible-new-material-for-Blu-Ray-discs/pg/49/aid/117428

Digital Distribution will never get as popular as are disk formats, I can guarantee you that.

 

We think everything is online now, but just imagine what it would be like if most internet users today were connected to a network with this kind of throughput. Your computer would be connected. Your TV would definitely be connected. It's already happening. Everything becomes on demand, etc. The internet is already killing newspapers...certainly they're radically changing in order to stay relevant. I can certainly see the same thing happening to traditional broadcasters. I don't really listen to the radio anymore; I can get news and interesting things available as podcasts. Everything will be online. Everything will be interconnected. Personally I can't wait.

 

^ ^ Pssh, I need my newspaper in the morning. Bringing your laptop to the breakfast table is just silly.

 

THE FUTURE IS NEAR!!
SAVE YOURSELF!!
Lol, but honestly.. I won't be surprised if at this rate, we really do end up like the matrix or iRobot...
haha, imagine the end of humanity being a Mac product called iRobot...
Lol... but naw this stuff is pretty awesome if it comes true.
Too bad my only choice for internet is cellular... and I get 1-2 bars of service in *1* spot in my entire house, with an average of 2.7kbps download and 17.8 peek (it was during a 3 bar period..)

 

Never say never, my friend. For the foreseeable future, perhaps, but it will happen eventually, and then you owe me 3 ebucks.

Maybe the recent sale of the 700MHz band will help you out! At least, if you live in the US it probably will.

 

Don't believe the hype. You won't see it at institutions for at least 4-5 years (at least not to the student public) and you won't see in in home for at least a few years after that. Especially in today's economy.

 

America is the problem... I love to hear my friends over in Europe mocking me because America falls down the internet speed chart literally every single day.

Another one that my friends make fun about is cellular restriction... on Verizon I cannot even share pictures or files! Over in Europe they have cellphones that will only come out in America after 2-3 years! Over here the Motorola Razr is the hottest thing and the iPhone too... Guess what...
In Europe the Razr hype was about 5 years ago, and they have the iPhone on literally ANY carrier, well... since... SIM cards are standard (MORE FLIPPING FREEDOM FROM CELL PROVIDERS) so everyone has the greatest phones and just change all the time because you just have to pull out the SIM card and trade/switch or sell...


AAAH frustration, America America America... now were just falling...

I just want good Internet speed and Cellphone coverage and freedom in the tech. department...

Anyone hear about that really old lady in (I think) Sweden who has something along the lines of 7GB/s ?

 

One thing that needs to be ended worldwide is by-the-kilobyte data plans on residental property. I hear this is a big thing in Australia and some parts of the US and it needs to go NOW. That kind of money gouging is the stuff that stalls economies.

 

Not really.

Besides, eventually we'll be getting information on things other than laptops. Like flexible, full color, video showing e-paper solutions or tablets. Seriously, it's obvious where the technology is going.

 

We'll have a while yet before most of the world runs on the same broadband network, I've yet to see how speeds I'm running right now will eventually match our neighbours in Japan and South Korea (especially the latter).

Even if the GRID takes off, the logistics and infrastructure are guaranteed to be on a massive scale.

 

All we have to do is convert each person into a wireless router and BAM free infrastructure.

Whose first for implants?

 

They exist? I'd sign up for them if the benefits of free, consistent high-speed internet on the go outweigh the cons of being a social outcast and possible side-effects to mechanical enhancements.

 

No gauss cannon for you then.

Social outcast? How many people would vie for your attention if they could pirate free wifi off your forehead? You'd be a celebrity.

At least, this is what we tell our candidates.

 

I'm in. We will soon be borg anyhow. No point in delaying the future.