CoolStreaming is software for live media streaming online, or you can call it P2P Streaming Internet TV. In principle it's similar to BitTorrent(BT). The core operations are very simple: every node periodically exchanges data availability information with a set of partners, and retrieves unavailable data from one or more partners, or supplies available data to partners. It usually takes 15 to 20 minutes before one uploads to other users are at a rate high enough for itself to download segments in a sufficient rate. Therefore it is recommended to establish a connection as early as possible before the starting time of a desired event. The more users sharing segments there are the better stream each one of them will get.