Theta Network: Version 2.0.2 of the Guardian Node app is out, Klip wallet launches within KakaoTalk app, providing easy access to THETA.tv Korea for users, THETA.tv will join BlockDown 2.0 as a live stream partner, First MGM Studios THETA.tv Movie Night on Jun 26, More websites where you can watch THETA.tv streamers and earn TFuel

Published in

Paradigm

12 min readJun 17, 2020

Biweekly update vol. 45, 3rd June — 17th June

Theta Mainnet 2.0 has officially reached 770 nodes staked and about 55% of circulating THETA staked! Not bad for the first days of mainnet staking. Thanks to all the community-run Guardian Node stakers who are pushing Theta blockchain to a new level of decentralization! Good news is, Version 2.0.2 of the Theta Guardian Node app is out! Along with minor fixes, it allows users to select a performance tier to improve node syncing on lower-spec computers. For more info and start staking on Theta Network, check the Guardian Node FAQs in the Theta official blog.
Last week, the blockchain wallet Klip launched built into KakaoTalk messenger app, providing easy access to THETA.tv Korea for 50 million+ KakaoTalk users. With just a few clicks from the KakaoTalk app, users can open the Klip wallet and access featured dapps like THETA.tv Korea, powered by the Theta Network. Users of the app earn TFUEL simply by watching and sharing popular esports game streams, IRL and other content through the Theta network. With a simple conversion step TFuel is easily exchanged to Klaytn-based ‘Beans’ token, developed by Theta Labs, which can be used for donations, purchase store items and more. Beans is also directly integrated into the Klip cryptocurrency wallet, and in the future can be used in various dapps and within the broader KakaoTalk ecosystem. It’s already live, so you can check it out right now in your KakaoTalk app!
Starting today, Huobi Blockchain 101 videos are live 24/7 on THETA.tv. You can now learn about crypto and blockchain while earning crypto! Also, a new partnership was announced: THETA.tv collaboration with Artesian Builds. They are sponsoring several amazing creators powered by THETA Network. Watch Theta streams and earn TFuel directly on artesian.theta.tv, and get your customized Theta Guardian Node and Gaming rigs! Plus there are three more websites where you can watch THETA.tv streamers and earn TFuel: zetetic.news, jscohub.com and klackle.com!
Furthermore, Theta Network and THETA.tv will join BlockDown 2.0 as a live stream partner. Get your ticket now for BlockDown 2.0 and tune it on on June 18th-19th!
As you know, THETA.tv has finalized a commercial licensing agreement with MGM Studios for rights to stream classic movies from MGM’s venerable film library throughout the summer of 2020. MGM becomes the first major Hollywood studio to stream its content to THETA.tv, making this collaboration a strategic step forward in bringing blockchain adoption to mainstream users. For the first time, the traditional Hollywood media and entertainment business joins forces with the cutting edge blockchain industry! First MGM Studios / THETA.tv Movie Night is coming June 26th with cult classics like Return of the Living Dead and more! Tune in for MGM classics and earn TFueltokens for sharing the stream over the Theta Network.
And last but not least, the Theta hackathon submission deadline is extended to August 14th! Since the team just added smart contracts to Theta testnet as the hackathon is almost over, they want to provide more time for smart contract projects in the hackathon. Check it out on theta-labs.devpost.com.
Theta’s push toward decentralization continues. See you in two weeks!

Development

GitHub metrics:

THETA has public repositories and private repositories. Overall, the Project has frequent commits to the collection of repositories.

Developer activity (from Coinlib.io):

Version 2.0.2 of the Theta Guardian Node app is out:

Theta Guardian Node staking is now live on Theta Mainnet 2.0

The Theta Network can’t run without a decentralized community of stakeholders all working toward making the network secure, efficient, and useful. Last week, Theta takes the next step toward that vision, as Guardian Node (GN) staking is enabled on Theta Mainnet 2.0. Theta supporters from more than 50 countries running 770 Guardian Nodes will now transition to Theta Mainnet 2.0, implementing Theta protocol’s Multi-BFT consensus for the first time, and earning TFUEL tokens for their network contributions. The total THETA staked on Theta Mainnet 2.0 is expected to reach more than 450m THETA.

Theta Multi-BFT Consensus

Theta Mainnet 2.0 is a major update to the Theta blockchain, introducing Theta’s novel Multi-BFT Consensus. Community-run Guardian Nodes will now take a direct role in block production, finalizing blocks at regular 100 block intervals and making up a second layer of defense after the Validator Nodes that produce each block. With Guardian Nodes joining the network and staking, no single group or entity will control the majority of THETA staked, marking a significant milestone toward Theta’s decentralization.

Guardian Nodes will join the existing Enterprise Validator Nodes running on Theta Mainnet 2.0, run by Google, Blockchain Ventures, gumi Cryptos, Binance.

Want to get run a Guardian Node and begin staking your THETA? Here are all the details you need to know:

What are the requirements to run a Guardian Node?

Running a Guardian Node is a critical part of Theta blockchain consensus. Starting today, on Wednesday June 3rd, you can participate in running a Guardian Node on Theta Mainnet 2.0 if you meet the following requirements:

Minimum token amount to stake: 10,000 THETA tokens
Internet speed: 5Mbps+ up and down
CPU: 4 cores or more
Memory: 8 GBytes or more

If you meet all these requirements, you can get started with the Guardian Node setup guide.

You can check out the open-sourced code for Guardian Nodes on Theta GitHub, or track the new nodes and staking on the Theta block explorer.

Awareness and social encounters

June 18th-19th: BlockDown 2020 — the Premier 3D Virtual World Blockchain event of 2020.

April 22nd - August 14th: Theta hackathon hosted by DevPost

One of the silver linings of pushing Mainnet 2.0 launch to May is that it gives Theta community time to get involved in building tools and applications for the Theta ecosystem. The team has enlisted DevPost, the leading hackathon community (they are currently running hackathons for Facebook, Samsung, and EOS among many other top names), to host the 1st Theta Network virtual hackathon began in early April.

The hackathon will run for till August 14th and feature project feedback from Theta team, as well as other marquee advisors and supporters of the Theta Network. Additionally Theta Labs is setting aside a hackathon prize pool of $25,000 in tokens, 100% of which will be awarded to the top 3 community projects at the end of the hackathon. The team has got a few ideas of Theta blockchain tools and apps they’ll propose, but want to also give the Theta community the flexibility to build the projects they want to.

Finance

Live Network Statistics: June 17th, 2020

You can now see the distribution of Pre-Guardian Nodes, Edge Cachers, and Enterprise Validator Nodes in real-time at thetatoken.org! Scroll down to “Live Network Stats”, which will update each time you refresh the page.

Edge Cachers: 2427

Guardian Nodes: 758

Enterprise Validator Nodes: 12

Information from Theta explorer:

For information on Theta Guardian Nodes and how to join, see the announcement blog.

A step by step video on how to install the PGN/UEC.

Latest PGN client download link for Windows only.

If you want to become a Guardian node click here.

Theta markets

Information from Coinlib.io:

THETA USD and USDT Perpetual Swap trading is available on the OKEx website & API since June 15th:

Partnerships and team members

Klip wallet launches within KakaoTalk messenger app, providing easy access to THETA.tv Korea for KakaoTalk users

The blockchain wallet Klip launched built into KakaoTalk messenger app, providing easy access to THETA.tv Korea for 50 million+ KakaoTalk users. With just a few clicks from the KakaoTalk app, users can open the Klip wallet and access featured dapps like THETA.tv Korea, powered by the Theta Network. Users of the app earn TFUEL simply by watching and sharing popular esports game streams, IRL and other content through the Theta network. With a simple conversion step TFUEL is easily exchanged to Klaytn-based ‘Beans’ token, developed by Theta Labs, which can be used for donations, purchase store items and more. Beans is also directly integrated into the Klip cryptocurrency wallet, and in the future can be used in various dapps and within the broader KakaoTalk ecosystem. It’s already live, so you can check it out right now in your KakaoTalk app!

Developed by Ground X, Klip provides a unique opportunity to use digital assets within KakaoTalk, a mobile messaging application used by more than 90% of the South Korean population — including international users, more than 50 million users in total!

Klip is designed for mainstream adoption, including users with little to no previous knowledge of blockchain or crypto assets. It allows users to send and receive digital assets person-to-person with their basic KakaoTalk account information, rather than complex wallet addresses typical of most blockchain wallets. The digital asset transfer is as fast as an instant wire transfer yet does not incur additional fees.

The Theta team is very excited about the new exposure THETA.tv Korea will get from being featured front-and-center in the Klip wallet. THETA.tv Korea is a featured dapp in Klip, advertised to any new user that sets up a Klip wallet:

With just a few clicks from the KakaoTalk app, users can click through from the Klip wallet to dapps built with Klaytn, like THETA.tv Korea.

From the KakaoTalk app, you just open the built-in Klip wallet, which comes with support for the Klaytn-based ‘Beans’ token that features in THETA.tv Korea. Directly linked from Klip is the download for THETA.tv Korea itself, where you can watch live THETA.tv live content With the new exposure of THETA.tv Korea, they’ll also be expanding to add new Korean content exclusive to THETA.tv Korea.

Download KakaoTalk app to start using Klip and THETA.tv Korea today!

Network

Theta.tv, formerly known as Sliver.tv, is an e-sports live streaming site that has already implemented the Theta Network and are now able to offload ~50%+ CDN costs on an ongoing basis. TFuel has been integrated into the site platform and is earned by viewers streaming content to peers, can be donated to streamers, or used to purchase goods in the Theta.tv store.

MGM Studios brings Hollywood classics to THETA.tv powered by Theta Network

THETA.tv, the next-generation esports video platform powered by Theta blockchain, has finalized a commercial licensing agreement with MGM Studios for rights to stream classic movies from MGM’s venerable film library throughout the summer of 2020. One of the world’s oldest film studios, MGM made history with the launch of talking pictures in 1928–1929 and has created a century’s worth of beloved classics,including The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind and the iconic James Bond franchise. In 1979, it spun off MGM Las Vegas Resorts International, now a global leader in entertainment and gaming. MGM becomes the first major Hollywood studio to stream their content to THETA.tv, making this collaboration a strategic step forward in bringing blockchain adoption to mainstream users. For the first time, the traditional Hollywood media & entertainment business joins forces with the cutting edge blockchain industry.

This partnership enables THETA.tv users throughout North America to ‘stay-at-home’ this June and July and enjoy a series of ‘MGM Movie Night’ events featuring legendary MGM titles, including The Return of the Living Dead, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Amityville Horror, and more classics. As always, these MGM movies on THETA.tv are powered by Theta’s innovative blockchain, which lets users earn TFUEL rewards for sharing their video stream with others in the network, peer-to-peer, decentralized.

This is Theta’s first content deal with a major Hollywood studio as it continues to enrich its content offering beyond esports into genres including live poker (World Poker Tour), breathtaking live events (NASA / first SpaceX launch), and live streamed virtual conferences (such as Consensus by CoinDesk, Crypto Asia Summit and Virtual Blockchain Week), and more to come down the road. Now there are even more ways for Theta users to enjoy great content and earn Theta TFUEL rewards in partnership with MGM on THETA.tv!

Huobi Blockchain 101 videos are live 24/7 on THETA.tv. You can now learn about crypto and blockchain while earning crypto!

Artesian Builds x THETA.tv:

Three more websites where you can watch THETA.tv streamers and earn TFuel:

Theta Live Embed

Theta Live Embed is a new turnkey product that allows 24/7 Theta.tv e-sports live streaming content to be added to almost any website, blog, or social media platform with minimal technical effort. Developers need only add a few lines of JavaScript to their site. Theta developers made their product seamlessly integrate with any site’s infrastructure. Popular games like Fortnite, League of Legends, and CS:GO streamed through Theta Live Embed are fully integrated with the Theta Network blockchain.

You can see THETA Live Embed in action on each site here: G FUEL Sizzle Popcorn Sweeps God Mode Unlocked EasternMediaGG Cruz Ctrl Zetetic News Network Alt Customs JSCO

Roadmap

Theta Roadmap:

Q2 2020

Beta launch of decentralized data storage
Beta launch of decentralized file delivery of any content type, such as game patches, applications, OS updates
Beta launch of Theta protocol adapted to Smart TVs and IoT devices

H2 2020