Theta Network: Development Roadmap 2020 — updated, Collaboration with Ludena Protocol to integrate THETA.tv into the popular Korean gaming app GameTalkTalk, New partner websites where you can watch THETA.tv streams and earn TFuel, NASA Countdown To Mars launch stream tomorrow

Published in

Paradigm

14 min readJul 29, 2020

Biweekly update vol. 49, 15th July — 29th July

Greetings, Theta community! These two weeks made a lot of great news!
Now that Theta Mainnet 2.0 is launched and Guardian Node staking is live, Theta Network is more secure and more decentralized than ever. About 1,200 Guardian Nodes are now up and running! After reviewing plans for the rest of the year, the team has made a few changes to the development roadmap for the rest of 2020. The biggest areas of focus will be improving the usability of Theta Network for content creator and streaming platforms. For content creators, it means building out the Theta Edge Node so that fully-decentralized streams can be broadcast to Theta users that can’t be censored. Next steps will be to add ways to share your stream IDs with other Edge Nodes, notify followers that you are going live, and even message other Edge Node users fully p2p. The goal is to provide the underlying pieces so that anyone can build their own decentralized streaming site or app around the Edge Node infrastructure — for content that can’t be de-platformed, censored, or otherwise restricted. For existing platforms with their own content rights libraries, adding smart contracts to Theta mainnet will enable decentralized DRM via NFTs. This way content rights holders can let their content be shared over Theta Network without fear of piracy.
Good news is, Theta Network and South Korean gaming social platform, Ludena Protocol, announced their strategic partnership with a mutual focus to drive usership through increased content and exposure. As part of the agreement, the Ludena Protocol Dapp, GameTalkTalk will be integrating the Theta protocol into its gaming-centric social platform that rewards users for gaming-related activities. Theta Network will bring its high-quality esports, gaming and blockchain content to the 3 million+ GameTalkTalk users. This partnership will mark the first launch of Theta Live Mobile Embed for Android apps in Korea.
You all know about THETA Live Embed, a new turnkey product that allows 24/7 THETA.tv Esports live streaming content to be added to almost any website, blog, or social media platform with minimal technical effort. THETA Live Embed is live with about 20 partner sites! Mobile Esports Career Expo (mece.theta.tv) is the latest website where you can watch THETA.tv streamers and earn TFUEL. And more THETA Live Embed partners coming soon with their streamlined new integration process. It’s all part of the strategy to get Theta tech in the hands of as many partners as possible, getting users earning TFUEL, and showing the value Theta Network can bring to all stakeholders in video streaming.
These weeks, the “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” was streamed on THETA.tv. More great movies are coming at the MGM Studios Horror Weekend!
Theta followers, get ready for the official THETA.tv x NASA Countdown To Mars launch stream with the hosts from Girl Geek Academy. Tune in tomorrow, on July 30th at 7a.m. EDT (4a.m. PDT) to witness history in the making.
There will be more great news on the way, so stay in touch!

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):

Theta Mainnet 2.0 now has 1177 Guardian Nodes staked (+ the 12 Validators). Credit the Theta community for the great start and the team will continue to build from here!

What’s the point? Theta decentralized consensus

Why do all these nodes matter? Theta Mainnet 2.0 introduced Theta’s novel Multi-BFT Consensus. Community-run Guardian Nodes 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, now no single group or entity controls the majority of THETA staked, marking a significant milestone toward Theta’s decentralization.

Theta Mainnet 2.0 code is open-source and can be found on the Theta GitHub.

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

Guardian Nodes’ future importance

Guardian Nodes and their staked tokens become even more important to the Theta protocol later, when protocol governance votes are introduced. As Theta continues to develop and focus on decentralization as a core goal for 2020, Guardian Nodes will have a say in governance of the protocol itself, voting on whether to approve code upgrades, design changes, and the way nodes operate and earn rewards. The team trusts that the Theta community will continue to take a greater role in the development of Theta Network, and will make the right decisions to ensure Theta becomes the leading blockchain protocol for video and data delivery.

How to get started running a Guardian Node

Want to join the Theta Network and run your own Guardian Node? Here’s how you can get started:

Guardian Node setup guide

Guardian Node FAQs

Awareness and social encounters

CEO Theta Labs Mitch Liu gave an interview to Blockchainmedia.id — Blockchain and crypto news outlet in Indonesia:

July 22nd: Crypto Hedge Fund Summit was streamed live on THETA.tv:

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: July 29th, 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: 2075

Guardian Nodes: 1177

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:

Partnerships and team members

Ludena Protocol Announces Partnership with Theta Network:

SEOUL, South Korea, July 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — South Korean gaming social platform, Ludena Protocol and Theta Network, the leading decentralized video delivery network powered by an innovative new blockchain and distributed ledger technology, announce their strategic partnership with a mutual focus to drive usership through increased content and exposure.

As part of the agreement, the Ludena Protocol Dapp, GameTalkTalk will be integrating the Theta protocol into its gaming-centric social platform that rewards users for gaming-related activities. Theta Network will bring its high quality esports, gaming and blockchain content to the 3 million+ GameTalkTalk users. Users will earn rewards with the TFUEL token for watching and sharing their bandwidth and videos with other network users and engaging with the content. This partnership will mark the first launch of Theta Live Mobile Embed for Android apps in Korea.

“GameTalkTalk is an ideal partner to launch our Theta Live Mobile Embed product powered by the Theta Network, allowing viewers to relay esports and game streams to their peers and earn Theta token rewards, TFUEL, just for watching and sharing their bandwidth resources,” said Mitch Liu, Theta Labs CEO. “In just a couple of months after announcing Theta Live Embed, it is now live on more than dozens of partner sites globally and we are excited to branch out to Korea for the first time and to onboard local content.”

Theta Labs will also be supporting Ludena Protocol’s global expansion plan through marketing cooperation, while offering GameTalkTalk users an influx of gaming content and added platform rewards. As a global launch marketing partner, Theta Labs will leverage their existing US and Europe community to help onboard new, international GameTalkTalk users. In addition, Theta Labs has agreed to provide an exclusive GameTalkTalk channel on Theta TV, which will feature Ludena Protocol’s in-house content, which will be broadcasted to the Theta community, which boasts 5 million+ users.

Ludena Protocol CEO, Joshua Kim, had this to say about the announcement:

“We hope that the cooperation between Theta Labs, which showcases an excellent model of disruptive blockchain-based service, and the Ludena Protocol Foundation, which seeks to create an innovative global gaming ecosystem through a gaming social platform, will lead to achievements that are long remembered in the blockchain gaming market.”

About Ludena Protocol

Ludena Protocol is a gamified social platform for worldwide gamers. It is essentially a comprehensive gaming-centric platform with social media Dapp, hyper casual P2P gaming platform and fee-less virtual item exchange. Our first Dapp is a reverse ICO project, GameTalkTalk, with over 3.5 million downloads from the Google Play store (mainly South Korean users).

The app’s algorithm checks all users’ mobile gaming information, such as time/money spent in each game downloaded. This big data is collected and used to match gaming companies to users that would be more inclined to spend time/money in their game genres. GameTalkTalk has over 200 game publishers as clients, who pay to market to their suited gamer communities. Users are rewarded with digital assets, “stars,” for completing missions in and/or downloading new games.

The current reward asset will be converted to Ludena Protocol’s native token, LDN, upon release of the Dapp version of GameTalkTalk, in addition to its global English version, in an effort to reach an international audience and expand the platform via various gaming verticals.

Network

Theta.tv, formerly known as Sliver.tv, is an e-sports live streaming site that has already implemented the Theta Network and is 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!

These weeks. the “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” was streamed on THETA.tv.

More on the way at the MGM Studios Horror Weekend!

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.

Mobile Esports Career Expo is the latest website where you can watch THETA.tv streamers and earn TFUEL.

Tune in and start earning here: mece.theta.tv

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 Artesian Builds zetetic.news jscohub.com klackle.com BTC Upload TSports.TV mece.theta.tv bkwebdesigns.com/thetatv

To learn more about THETA Live Embed or to integrate it into your own site, visit embed.theta.tv.

Theta Network x NASA

The Theta Network team is working with the NASA teams to bring you a livestreams of ROCKET LAUNCHES! Watch Rocket Launches. Earn TFUEL. To the Moon!

NASA.THETA.TV

Get ready for the official THETA.tv x NASA Countdown To Mars launch stream with the hosts from Girl Geek Academy. Tune in tomorrow, on July 30 at 7a.m. EDT (4a.m. PDT) to witness history in the making.

Check out THETA.tv Community Newsletter — July 27, 2020.

Roadmap

Theta Development Roadmap 2020 — Updated:

Now that Theta Mainnet 2.0 is launched and Guardian Node staking is live, Theta Network is more secure and more decentralized than ever. More than 1,177 Guardian Nodes are now up and running! After reviewing plans for the rest of the year, the team has made a few changes to the development roadmap for the rest of 2020.

The biggest areas of focus will be improving the usability of Theta Network for content creator and streaming platforms. For content creators, it means building out the Theta Edge Node so that fully-decentralized streams can be broadcast (codenamed ‘Anycast’) to Theta users that can’t be censored. In the Edge Node’s current beta form, you can set up your own livestream and broadcast directly to other Theta Edge Nodes entirely peer to peer — with no CDN involved. It might seem pretty basic, but this is actually the core on which entirely decentralized streaming platforms could be based on. Next steps will be to add ways to share your stream IDs with other Edge Nodes (if you choose to), notify followers that you are going live, and even message other Edge Node users fully p2p. The goal is to provide the underlying pieces so that anyone can build their own decentralized streaming site or app around the Edge Node infrastructure — for content that can’t be de-platformed, censored, or otherwise restricted.

For existing platforms with their own content rights libraries, adding smart contracts to Theta mainnet will enable decentralized DRM via non-fungible tokens (NFTs). This way content rights holders can let their content be shared over Theta Network without fear of piracy. Think of a movie studio that distributes their movies over an online streaming platform to users who purchase/rent them, or a concert promoter that sells access to live concerts from major recording artists. They are highly concerned about piracy when considering p2p video sharing. By providing NFTs to each legitimate paying customer, these content rights holders can get comfortable distributing their content p2p without fearing piracy or other illegal distribution of the content they own.

Q2 2020

Theta Mainnet 2.0 goes live with Multi-BFT consensus mechanism and growing number of enterprise validator nodes
Guardian Nodes launch on Theta Mainnet 2.0
Smart Contracts Sandbox testnet released
THETA.tv app releases on AndroidTV platform

Q3 2020

Video-on-Demand (VOD) streaming added to THETA.tv
Release of generalized Turing-complete smart contract support to testnet_sapphire
Beta of “Anycast” Theta Edge Node platform (previously Universal Edge Cacher) featuring local ingest and encoding of streams, end-to-end decentralized streaming, decentralized chat and event notifications
Beta of Theta blockchain data repository using ETL / Google BigQuery

Q4 2020

Release of generalized Turing-complete smart contracts to Theta Mainnet 2.0
Release of “Anycast” Theta Edge Node platform
Beta of Theta oracle feed to increase transparency to stakeholders including advertisers, publishers and content creators
Beta of decentralized DRM (digital rights management) system for permissioned streams, using NFTs (non-fungible tokens) as DRM authentication method to purchase and access encrypted digital content

2021 and beyond

Coming soon

Throughout Q3 and Q4, the team will share more updates on where they see the Theta project heading, progress on the roadmap, and what’s to come in 2020. They’ll also be highlighting community projects that are building out the Theta ecosystem, and how you can get involved to help build Theta Network yourself (or jump into the Theta GitHub and Theta Hackathon today!).