Visión general y separación
Livepeer está diseñado como una red modular de video/IA anclada a un protocolo minimalista on‑chain. El protocolo gestiona activos e incentivos en Ethereum, mientras que la red off‑chain realiza el trabajo pesado de transcodificación y procesamiento de IA. Los documentos oficiales separan claramente estos dominios:
Protocolo on‑chain – los contratos inteligentes mantienen depósitos ETH de emisores y orquestadores; crean y distribuyen tokens de staking LPT; emiten tickets de pago probabilísticos; hacen cumplir las reglas de staking, slashing y recompensas; y gestionan la gobernanza. El protocolo no transcodifica video ni ejecuta IA. Su función es coordinar pagos y mantener un estado sin confianza.
Red off‑chain – los nodos orquestadores ejecutan el software Livepeer para realizar tareas de transcodificación y IA. Compiten en precio, calidad y latencia. Los trabajos y el enrutamiento de video/IA se realizan completamente off‑chain. Servicios como Livepeer Studio y pasarelas comunitarias se sitúan sobre esta capa.
Puente – los emisores depositan ETH en el protocolo y envían tickets probabilísticos con cada segmento. Los orquestadores canjean los tickets ganadores on‑chain por tarifas ETH, mientras que el trabajo en sí se entrega off‑chain. LPT no se utiliza para pagar servicios; solo se usa para staking, delegación y gobernanza.
Estos límites garantizan que el protocolo siga siendo ligero y resistente a la censura. Cualquier cambio propuesto debe respetar esta separación—el cómputo intensivo debe permanecer off‑chain, mientras que las reglas financieras y la gobernanza residen on‑chainU
Overview
Protocol
Network
Actors
Protocol Overview
The Livepeer protocol is the software layer that coordinates decentralized video and AI processing.Its core is implemented as Ethereum smart contracts (now on Arbitrum L2 after the Confluence upgrade) complemented by off-chain nodes and services.The protocol enforces staking, bonding, slashing, and reward rules on-chain, while specialized nodes handle the actual video jobs.
- Gateways (Broadcasters): These demand-side nodes submit video/AI jobs to Livepeer. A gateway takes a video stream (or AI task), creates on-chain payment tickets, and routes the work to an Orchestrator. It then collects the transcoded or AI-processed result. Gateways are typically stateless routers that pay for compute.
- Orchestrators: These supply-side nodes bond LPT and accept jobs from gateways. An orchestrator advertises which video/audio renditions it can provide, and claims work up to its bonded stake. When it receives a job, it divides the work among its workers (transcoders or AI workers). The orchestrator must also periodically call the on-chain reward function to distribute newly minted LPT to itself and its delegators.
- Workers (Transcoders): These are the actual compute units (often GPUs) that perform video encoding or AI inference. In legacy terms, they were called Transcoders. Today they execute the heavy lifting, and they are typically managed by an Orchestrator node. Once a worker finishes processing a segment, the orchestrator returns the result to the Gateway.
- Delegators: LPT holders who do not run nodes. Delegators stake their tokens on existing Orchestrators to secure the network. Their stake increases an orchestrator’s bonded weight, which can route more work to it. In return, delegators passively earn a share of the orchestrator’s rewards (both LPT emissions and ETH fees) proportional to their stake.
The job routing flow can be summarized as: a Gateway creates a job request → an Orchestrator accepts the job → the Orchestrator assigns it to a Worker node → the Worker processes the segment → the result is returned to the Gateway. Delegators sit “behind” the orchestrator by staking LPT (shown below). The orchestrator earns ETH fees from the Gateway, and can share a portion of those fees with delegators based on its fee-sharing policy. Smart contracts on Arbitrum enforce each step, ensuring trustless cooperation.This diagram shows a simplified Livepeer job: the Gateway (left) sends work to an Orchestrator (middle), which directs a Worker (right) to process it, and then returns results back to the Gateway. Delegators (dotted line) back the Orchestrator with staked LPT.Actor Overview
Livepeer involves multiple actors, both on-chain (protocol) and off-chain (community).Here’s a breakdown of key roles:
- Orchestrator: A bonded node operator that claims work on-chain. Orchestrators maintain active LPT stake, set fee-sharing percentages, and call the on-chain reward function each round. They earn ETH fees from broadcasters and LPT from inflation. (Messari: “Orchestrators (node operators) route transcoding & AI jobs… earning ETH fees and LPT rewards”.)
- Transcoder / Worker: A compute node (often a GPU) that performs the actual encoding or inference. Workers do not hold stake themselves; they operate under an Orchestrator.
- Gateway (Broadcaster): A stateless demand-side node. Gateways submit video or AI jobs to the network and pay the node that completes the work. They effectively bridge an input stream into Livepeer, handling micropayment tickets on-chain.
- Delegator: A token holder who stakes LPT behind one or more orchestrators. Delegators strengthen network security and decentralization. In exchange, they receive a portion of the node’s rewards (both mint emissions and usage fees) according to their stake. As one Livepeer blog notes, “Delegators earn a share of both token emissions (while they last) and usage-based fees”.
- Livepeer Foundation: A non-profit entity formed to guide ecosystem growth. The Foundation coordinates long-term strategy and funding, runs community programs (like advisory boards), and helps align core protocol development with the open-source community.
- Developers & Builders: Software teams building on Livepeer. This includes decentralized video apps (e.g. on Web3 social networks) and infrastructure tools. Messari notes Livepeer is used by projects ranging from decentralized streaming platforms to tokenized music apps.
AI Artists & Content Creators: Performers and creators who use Livepeer’s tools (like Daydream) to produce content. For example, MetaDJ used Daydream to let fans shape the live visuals in real time. Any streamer, musician, or videographer can leverage the network for novel AI-enhanced experiences.Gateway Operators: Organizations running public Livepeer gateway services. For example, Livepeer Cloud (a community-run gateway) and Livepeer Studio (a production-grade API gateway) provide easy on-ramps to the network. They ensure reliable, scalable access for creators and apps.Special Purpose Entities (SPEs): Community-approved teams funded by the on-chain treasury. SPEs tackle public goods for Livepeer (e.g. building dev tools, infrastructure). For example, Livepeer’s ecosystem has active SPEs like LiveInfra and LISAR working on network upgrades and on-ramp infrastructure.Definiciones
Livepeer Protocolo
El protocolo es el conjunto de reglas + la lógica on-chain que gobierna:
Livepeer Red
La red es el sistema operativo real de máquinas que realizan trabajo:
Livepeer Actores
Un actor Livepeer es cualquier rol o entidad que participa en el protocolo o red Livepeer y realiza acciones definidas por el sistema.
Visión general
Livepeer es una plataforma full-stack para transmisión de video y IA. El software de transmisión de video está respaldado por una red de actores que realizan el trabajo necesario para computar, transcodificar y orquestar trabajos de video e IA en la red Livepeer.
El Protocolo Livepeer es el código subyacente que hace cumplir los mecanismos y reglas para garantizar la fiabilidad, cooperación y coordinación de estos actores descentralizados.
Conceptos clave
Livepeer Protocolo
El protocolo es el conjunto de reglas + la lógica on-chain que gobierna:
- staking
- delegación
- inflación y recompensas
- selección de orquestadores
- slashing
- pagos probabilísticos
- reglas de verificación
La capa económica y de coordinación que hace cumplir el comportamiento correcto.
Livepeer Red
La red es el sistema operativo real de máquinas que realizan trabajo:
- Orquestadores (nodos GPU)
- Transcodificadores / Trabajadores
- Puertas de enlace
- Emisores
- Procesos de verificación
- Enrutamiento de trabajos
- Cómputo de IA y video en tiempo real
Es la malla GPU descentralizada en vivo y operativa que ejecuta trabajos de video y IA.
Protocolo vs Red
| Capa | Descripción |
|---|
| Livepeer Protocolo | Incentivos criptoeconómicos en cadena y coordinación; staking; pagos. |
| Livepeer Red | Nodos fuera de cadena que realizan trabajo en tiempo real (transcodificación, inferencia, enrutamiento). |
| Relación | La red ejecuta el cómputo; el protocolo gobierna, asegura y paga lo. |
En cadena vs fuera de cadena
Livepeer protocolo = Arbitrum One (L2)
Livepeer token (LPT) = Ethereum mainnet (L1)
Livepeer red (GPU nodes + gateways) = capa de ejecución fuera de cadena
Livepeer Actores
Un actor Livepeer es cualquier rol o entidad que participa en el protocolo Livepeer o la red y realiza acciones definidas por el sistema.
En la arquitectura Livepeer, “actor” es una categoría formal utilizada para describir a los participantes con responsabilidades, incentivos e interacciones distintas.
Los actores son fundamentales para describir cómo la red funciona de extremo a extremo desde una perspectiva de ingeniería de sistemas.
El ecosistema de Livepeer incluye tanto a los actores del protocolo (roles en cadena) como a los actores de la comunidad (participantes de la red y constructores)
INSERT LIVEPEER ACTOR DIAGRAM HERE [THIS ONE LOOKS OLD (whitpaper)
Actor diagram placeholder removed pending final approved asset.
