Slashdot Mirror
2008 Beijing Olympics as a Media Test-Bed
CNN is reporting that NBC is using the 2008 Olympics in Beijing as a test-bed to understand how people are using different media platforms. "NBC has scheduled 3,600 hours of Olympics programming on its main network, along with Telemundo, USA, Oxygen, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo. That's the equivalent of eight days of programming packed into each day. In addition, the company is planning to make 2,200 hours of streaming video available on NBCOlympics.com. Consumers may also get video on demand via their computer and Olympics content through their mobile phones."
Nobody's watching? You better tell the 4 billion people who were planning to do just that...
Beijing expects four billion TV viewers for '08 Games
I am a track coach and the latest Olympic Trials streaming for track was a joke. They only webcast the same hours they broadcast. No in depth streaming, just re purposed broadcasting. Plus, if I have to watch stories instead of performances I am pissed. NBC is lost when it comes to Track and Field (as opposed to the NCAA where I happily sat at my desk and watched hours of great events. It's Ok to watch streaming as we are a streaming provider and I am the owner, haha.
An HD broadcast requires a big transmitter to be setup once, and then broadcast over the area. Big initial cost, then basically free (there are still some upgrades, power bill, etc) To show HD on the internet, your talking about Multiple Megabit connections for EACH viewer. The costs of that are astronomical. I guess, it would be similar to the differences between Multicast (transmit that 2GB file once to 100 machines), and unicast (transmit that 2GB file 100 times!).
What are we going to do tonight Brain?
Nobody's watching? You better tell the 4 billion people who were planning to do just that...
Historically, the Olympics have gotten low viewership in the West even when we host the Olympics. I think the Beijing estimates are a bit rosy even though they would now of course be higher due to domestic viewership in China.
"I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
-Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
they do an outstanding job covering the Olympics, if you can get it.
while they of course emphasize Canadian athletes, they don't cater to them exclusively.
and you get to actually watch complete events. not flip from event to event in a format apparently designed only for those with attention deficit.
I bet CBC even gets some of the smog on screen. what a wonderful place to run long distances...
The actual events will require both Silverlight and Vista.
Thereby making absolutely certain that the videos won't be cached, transcoded and redistributed within seconds of their first webcast. You won't be able to archive them or time shift them or view them on the evil Lunix or your otherwise capable crackberry or eee pc. Right? Right? Because Vista's secure media transport and display has been perfected and will never be cracked.
This streamed olympic footage will not be available for fair use, ever. Not even long after even those who participated have ceased to care. Me, I don't care already. If they stream it to an open platform I might watch some of it but Vista alone is too much of a price to pay, let alone Silverlight. I think instead I'll click over to CNN and see if they manage to smuggle out footage of protesters.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
To put it in a geek context, one word: Silverlight.
More than mere navel gazing.
I am sorry about calling you a troll. Rather I should have said that your post (rather than yourself) seemed like trolling. It didn't seem to me that "Who is going to watch the olympics?" was a rethoric question. You stated below that "content that nobody's going to view". If you were serious then you are very far removed from reality. You can look at some of the numbers for the Athens 2004 olympics here http://en.beijing2008.cn/16/8/article211928716.shtml
Are you kidding me? NBC is owned by GE. No matter how big and powerful you think Microsoft is, GE IS BIGGER! They use and test what they want. True, they usually choose Microsoft, and that's sad. But to insist that NBC is Microsoft's puppet is wrong.
Curling's a winter sport, dude. Come back in two years.
When's women's beach volleyball on?
- chrish
The message I got trying to watch one of the videos:
"Video is currently supported on the following browsers:
- Internet Explorer 6, 7 for Windows (2003, XP SP2 or greater, and Vista)
- Firefox 2 for Windows (2003, XP SP2 or greater, and Vista) and Mac OS 10.4.8+ (Intel only)
- Safari 2, 3 for Mac OS 10.4.8+ (Intel only)
- (coming soon) Firefox 3.x for Windows (2003, XP SP2 or greater, and Vista) and Mac OS 10.4.8+ (Intel only)"
*Disclaimer* I knew it would not work, just curious on what would happen. I run Kubuntu 8.04 and ff3.
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti