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NBC Aims For Stability Through Redundancy In Athens

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the more-feeds-please dept.

Darren writes "With the Athens Olympics just 27 days away NBC is gearing up for a massive 1210 hours of coverage (that's enough to watch TV over 50 days of Olympics 24/7). The infrastructure needed to provide such coverage is huge, and the potential for problems is significant. As a result NBC are taking all precautions possible and over the 17 days of competition they will utilize three satellite network linkups and three land-based connections to ensure they always have a connection. The mind boggles at what it is all going to cost - but I'm sure their advertising revenue will make it worth their while."

5 of 163 comments (clear)

  1. Re:NBC has the backbone by Colymbosathon+ecplec · · Score: 5, Informative
    Same way we power stuff when off the grid or the power goes down, and what hospitals and datacenters and lots of other places use: diesel powered gensets. Plus, if they did lose feed, they have a ton of advertising and rehashed 'content' to fill the space.

    ^CE^

  2. No idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    I work for a major UK broadcaster's engineering department (shortly to be sold to Siemens :( ) and, believe me, 6 connections is not in the big league of broadcast redundancy. For The Scottish open last week we had 12 feeds (six main feeds, and reserve circuits for each) - distributed over a variety of paths and technologies (for risk-reduction.) (Good) Broadcasters take multiple redundancy very seriously.

  3. All that redundancy means absolutely nothing... by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...if the power keeps going out every other day in Athens.

    - A.P.

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
  4. Re:Redundancy in filming American competitors by lakin · · Score: 2, Informative

    On the topic of BBC, NBC may have a nice redundant setup but its not like the BBC dont either: http://www.bbctechnology.com/news40.htm Paul

    --
    Paul
  5. Re:Hang on... by red+floyd · · Score: 2, Informative

    I'd like to remind you that the terrorist attack at Munich 1972 made Jim McKay's career.

    --
    The only reason we have the rights we have is that people just like us died to gain those rights. -- Cheerio Boy