On July 7th the Theta team released a new article about changes that have occurred to the Node software and to the blockchain as a whole. What are those changes? Well now Edge Nodes can earn TFUEL for encoding and transcoding Theta Video API videos. TPL what does that even mean? Well let me tell you.

What is Theta Video API?

Is Lehman's terms this allows anybody to upload a video to the Theta Blockchain and use this service to post a video as a embedded link in a website or article. Think of here on Publish0x where we can embed YouTube videos and they play right on this page. Well Theta has the same functionality. I hope Publish0x enables this feature because I would love to utilize a blockchain based company for that.

The videos that can get enabled/embedded are spread across the blockchain and function the same way as theta.tv videos. People can watch them and relay they to other people and gain TFUEL for performing that task. Remember Theta is taking on the CDN's and bringing the content to the people and those people are sharing to other people. It is truly decentralized.

What is a Theta Edge Node?

There are multiple type of nodes but we are going to talk about the most common Node on the blockchain. The Edge Node is a simple piece of software that runs hopefully 24/7 to relay videos across the world to people trying to watch them. It also used to allow you to use your extra CPU resources for Folding@Home to gain TFUEL as well. It also lets you stake your TFUEL to gain passive income. You need 10,000 TFUEL at a minimum to stake though. But you can run a node without staking TFUEL and earn a little bit of TFUEL.

Theta has announced there are more then 100,000 Edge Nodes currently running. Which is astounding and is only going to grow. If you have a PC that is on most of the day if not always on, I would highly suggest you look into starting a Edge Node yourself. I have written a few articles about it in the past but since there have been a lot of updates they are now a little out of date but the concept is the same.

How does Theta Video API effect the Edge Nodes?

The Theta team has enabled the API within the Node. So that means now the Edge Node can natively relay those videos across the globe. That means if you are viewing a embedded Theta video in a webpage it could be getting relayed to you by a node and not a CDN. What this really does is just enables the Theta Blockchain to be more decentralized. Honestly the entire blockchain is not 100% decentralized because well it can't be yet because it stores and relays massive amounts of data. But it is consistently and constantly working towards that 100% decentralized goal and it will get there one day.

Something to note is that with this update, Edge Nodes can no longer utilize the F@H resource to earn TFUEL. I am not too mad about it but still a little disappointed by it.

Another thing to note is that as of right now only Edge Node's with 10,000+ staked TFUEL will get these transcoding jobs but it should be released to more Nodes in the future. A Edge Node without any staked TFUEL can still earn TFUEL though doing other jobs automatically.

Why do I love Theta and the Blockchain surrounding it?

• They have been around a long time (2016) and have consistently made great upgrades to the network.
• It is run but a lot of reputable people with the knowledge to make Theta one of the best blockchains around.
• There are 3 types of Nodes, Enterprise Validator Nodes, Guardian Nodes and Edge Nodes
• Samsung, Sony, Google, CAA are all backing Theta and running Enterprise Validator Nodes (which required 1 million Theta to be staked originally)
• Theta.TV is giving the power of streaming back to the streamers. It's decentralized and you the streamer or you the viewer have control.
• Running the Node software is easy to use. Using Theta.TV is easy to use. The whole blockchain is easy to use which is super important for mass adoption.
• They have a massive NFT section with partnerships with the likes of Katy Perry, World Series of Poker, etc.
• Theta has numerous patents with the US already. They are constantly making great technology and patenting it to ensure they will be around for a long time.
• They are one of a handful blockchains that I honestly think will be around in 10, 20, and 30 years from now. They didn't create a Blockchain just to create one for fun. They created