Vault-emort wrote:Pay-TV subscribers will be able to flick between 8 live HD channels showing full coverage of different sports. 1 of these channels will feature live track & 1 live field events exclusively. They promise that every single gold medal event in every sport will be broadcast live and in full. They also offer a free mobile app which allows access to the 8 channels on a tablet/laptop away from the home.
Can't wait!
I would pay for this on a pay per view model but I still refuse to subscribe for 6 months to access it. Everything else they provide is of no value to me.
I guess that's the Pay-TV model. Get a few very attractive pieces of exclusive shows/sports to persuade people to sign up for the complete range of dross.
I am pleased this year that (apparently opposite to the NBC position) both Aussie broadcasters realise they are competing with the web and social media like never before and have to feature as much live sport as possible - supposedly reducing 'human interest' buildup pieces - or become irrelevant. I hope this also means less 'talking head spouting cliches in the studio' as well.
And - with the pay-TV option - I like the sound of the 'medal chance in equestrian on Channel 6 in 5 minutes' or 'Men's 100m final with Usain Bolt in 2 minutes on Channel 1' alerts that you will supposedly see on all of the 8 live channels.
Usually I'm looking forward to the sport and dreading the coverage. This year, I can't wait to direct the coverage.
Anxiously awaiting the start of the late night shift for live streaming T&F, I ran a little experiment today since it's the first day of live streaming. As you probably know, NBC is touting its HD quality streaming so I hooked up my PC with an HDMI cable to my HD projector and watched on a 10' screen. While being short of a good quality Blu Ray, it was very watchable and blows away the Universal streaming broadcasts which I refuse to watch on anything bigger than a 22" monitor. Also hooked up to a 47" 1080p flat screen and it looked as good as any quality TV broadcast. Bravo NBC!
bruce3404 wrote:Anxiously awaiting the start of the late night shift for live streaming T&F, I ran a little experiment today since it's the first day of live streaming. As you probably know, NBC is touting its HD quality streaming so I hooked up my PC with an HDMI cable to my HD projector and watched on a 10' screen. While being short of a good quality Blu Ray, it was very watchable and blows away the Universal streaming broadcasts which I refuse to watch on anything bigger than a 22" monitor. Also hooked up to a 47" 1080p flat screen and it looked as good as any quality TV broadcast. Bravo NBC!
What internet speed do you have? Were you using the 720p stream or the 1080p stream? I used the 720p stream (previous tests had shown buffering withe 1080p stream and my 12Mb per second internet) and I agree it looked pretty darn good. Mine has a bit of jerkiness/jitter, but if the video resolution/quality stays this good for the track and field I will be ecstatic.
donley2 wrote:What internet speed do you have? Were you using the 720p stream or the 1080p stream?
I generally run about 15mbps on a Comcast Performance plan. As to the stream, I didn't realize NBC offered a choice and I couldn't find a choice on their website; I simply clicked on the offering and there it was. Not sure that it will make much difference (if any), but I plan to run an ethernet cable from my router into my laptop. Yesterday's tests were done wirelessly, but only about 20' from the router, so the signal was very good with no jerkiness. I ran my tests around 10PM last night and wasn't subject to a lot of neighborhood use and reduced bandwidth, though that generally isn't a problem where I live.
Last edited by bruce3404 on Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
Tried to access streaming today but I cannot find anywhere on the live video site to enter my Comcast user name and password (to verify I subscribe to a cable system that carries MSNBC and CNBC). There's a drop-down box in FAQs to enter "Comcast XFINITY" but nothing happens when I do that. So all I can get is the black blank screen. The Carson Daly demo video shows buttons to click on to enter this data, but the current site doesn't have those buttons (anymore?). And I do have the browser, Adobe Flash, broadband etc. that is required. Can anyone provide any helpful info? Didn't use streaming for Trials because I was in Eugene. Thanks.
jazzcyclist wrote:If Dick Ebersol was still in charge, we wouldn't even get live streaming. I don't understand what American TV producers have against live TV.
Which is why I hope ABC and ESPN get the next Summer Olympics. NBC has had it long enough.
I've always wondered if Ebersol still feels burnt from the economic failure of the 1992 TripleCast, and presumes that its problems were live, intelligent, in-depth coverage of the Olympics as an actual sporting event.
I am curious why anyone will think another network will be any different. All of the American networks are businesses. They all lose money on the operation. If you want to blame anyone, blame the IOC, which sells their 'product' to the highest bidder, without regard what they do with it.
jazzcyclist wrote:If Dick Ebersol was still in charge, we wouldn't even get live streaming. I don't understand what American TV producers have against live TV.
Which is why I hope ABC and ESPN get the next Summer Olympics. NBC has had it long enough.
Mighty Favog wrote:I've always wondered if Ebersol still feels burnt from the economic failure of the 1992 TripleCast, and presumes that its problems were live, intelligent, in-depth coverage of the Olympics as an actual sporting event.
I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but the tale is told in the halls at Rock Center that if NBC had taken everybody who bought the triplecast and flew them to Barcelona, put them up in a hotel and got them tickets they would have lost less money than they did by actually putting on the production.
Which indicates that the execution had nothign to do with it; it was either marketed very poorly, or it's indeed a concept that few people were interested in even trying. It's tough being a hardcore fanof something and having trouble conceiving of why the rest of the planet doesn't think the same way you do.
Is it being streamed? I can't get on the site at work (our Internet comes through the building's T1 line and the hospital owns that and they have various sites blocked, like that one. I'm working on getting an exception for the site for our office!) I figured they wouldn't stream the Opening Ceremony as it's the only enchilada to get people to watch tonight.
DrJay wrote: I figured they wouldn't stream the Opening Ceremony as it's the only enchilada to get people to watch tonight.
Opening Ceremonies aside, as I understand it, anything that will be shown at prime time will have limited streaming and in some cases if you miss the live stream, you won't be able to watch until the evening prime time broadcast. Contrasting examples might be the men's SP qualifying which we can assume will be available for a streaming re-play, thus if you don't want to be up at 2AM on the left coast, you can watch it whenever; the other side would be men's 100m qualifying which we'll be able to watch live online, but probably not on an online replay until after the prime time broadcast since NBC will want to feature Bolt et al. Please correct me if I'm mis-interpreting this policy.
I also just found this on the NBC website: For track & field, users can watch a single feed bouncing from event to event, or feeds dedicated to specific events (javelin, pole vault, etc.).
Since there's definitely a lag switching back and forth as the stream buffers, seems like it might make sense to bring every laptop one owns into a room, hook one up to the TV and have the others on different feeds. Might have to switch to Comcast's super-duper bandwidth package for a couple of weeks. Oh, this is gonna be fun!
Last edited by bruce3404 on Fri Jul 27, 2012 11:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
Thanks NBC for not showing the Olympic opening ceremony live on TV. I think the US is the only country in the world that never(except Altanta Games) show the opening ceremony and most of the Olympics live.
Thank God for the internet for now we have a choice. Great ceremony so far. Things are wrapping up now.
So just to get a feel of the scheduling, I was looking at the lineup for tomorrow on NBC (TV). Looks like the opening rounds of swimming will be live during their 5am EST telecast. But the evening swims (400 I.M. finals with Phelps) won't be shown live during the 12pm afternoon telecast. Will have to wait until primetime to watch it on tape delay.
I am confused as to why you are even looking at NBC scheduling, if you live in Toronto. At a quick glance there are 4 different Canadian channels, starting in a few hours at 1:30 am Pacific time, and covering virtually everything for the next 2 weeks, not to mention a lot of additional online options. Unless you are specifically looking for USA up-close and personals and lots of advertising, it's all on the CTV/TSN/Sportsnet/OLN group.
rsb2 wrote:I am confused as to why you are even looking at NBC scheduling, if you live in Toronto. At a quick glance there are 4 different Canadian channels, starting in a few hours at 1:30 am Pacific time, and covering virtually everything for the next 2 weeks, not to mention a lot of additional online options. Unless you are specifically looking for USA up-close and personals and lots of advertising, it's all on the CTV/TSN/Sportsnet/OLN group.
I think NBC's coverage is better when it comes to T&F (not including BBC). Their story lead ups, actual race calls etc. For Beijing I recorded both NBC and CBC (Canadian network that had the Olympic rights before) broadcasts for T&F.
tgs3 wrote:... I doubt I'll have need of such a service, but I find if hard to believe that NBC has the ability to quickly shut down some pirate feed coming from Estonia (random example). If the movie and music studios can't do, why do you think NBC will be able to?
Maybe they can't, but one can always hope.
For those who think that piracy is fun, please do me a favor and stop locking your house, and send me your address. I'll wander by some time and help myself to whatever I want because you obviously believe that there's no such thing as property rights so your shit is my shit.
Garry if you want to make analogies, try this: You have somehow acquired the right to be the only one in town who may sell food. But the only food you provide tastes bad and is stale. Then people find a way to bring in the food they really want.
tgs3 wrote:... I doubt I'll have need of such a service, but I find if hard to believe that NBC has the ability to quickly shut down some pirate feed coming from Estonia (random example). If the movie and music studios can't do, why do you think NBC will be able to?
Maybe they can't, but one can always hope.
For those who think that piracy is fun, please do me a favor and stop locking your house, and send me your address. I'll wander by some time and help myself to whatever I want because you obviously believe that there's no such thing as property rights so your shit is my shit.
Garry if you want to make analogies, try this: You have somehow acquired the right to be the only one in town who may sell food. But the only food you provide tastes bad and is stale. Then people find a way to bring in the food they really want.
Conor Dary wrote:I am curious why anyone will think another network will be any different. All of the American networks are businesses. They all lose money on the operation. If you want to blame anyone, blame the IOC, which sells their 'product' to the highest bidder, without regard what they do with it.
I think ABC/ESPN could be different. Did you notice the Wimbledon coverage drastically changed when it moved from NBC to ESPN? Their World Cup coverage is also different from the NBC approach.
When CBS had the Winter Olympics, they were no better than NBC. I don't miss them...
Conor Dary wrote:I am curious why anyone will think another network will be any different. All of the American networks are businesses. They all lose money on the operation. If you want to blame anyone, blame the IOC, which sells their 'product' to the highest bidder, without regard what they do with it.
I think ABC/ESPN could be different. Did you notice the Wimbledon coverage drastically changed when it moved from NBC to ESPN? Their World Cup coverage is also different from the NBC approach.
When CBS had the Winter Olympics, they were no better than NBC. I don't miss them...
The coverage of the cycling this morning was fine. And they are showing everything, somewhere, live. What more do you want?
Yes, ESPN does a fine job with the WC. But that is a lot easier than the Olympics. A: They don't pay as much and B: the American Jingoism is minor.
I am really looking forward to watching the WC in 2 years. As for the Olympics, in 2 weeks it will all be over....
I haven't watched more than 10 minutes of Wimbledon since the 1980's.
Which they stole from the local farmers....Conor Dary
No, to follow the logic behind that silly premise (someone obtaining exclusive rights to selling "food"), "they" purchased it from local farmers, who'd been unfairly shut out by that Monopolist/Monopsonist BusyMan.
Jackaloupe wrote:Which they stole from the local farmers....Conor Dary
No, to follow the logic behind that silly premise (someone obtaining exclusive rights to selling "food"), "they" purchased it from local farmers, who'd been unfairly shut out by that Monopolist/Monopsonist BusyMan.
Of course it is a monopoly! How do you think the IOC can make the television networks pay through the nose?
If you want a villain. Blame the IOC. Everyone acts like they are the guardians of some sacred event, The OLYMPICS! that somehow NBC is keeping for their exclusive profit, fighting the IOC for what is best for humanity. HA!
In reality the IOC acts more like a combination of the Mafia/Vatican who suck every cent they can, and want to be treated like royalty to boot, which the peons gladly go along with. Separate IOC traffic lanes! The King is coming!
NBC bought the product, with exclusive rights. And we are talking about a sporting event.
Conor Dary wrote:The coverage of the cycling this morning was fine. And they are showing everything, somewhere, live. What more do you want?
Yes, ESPN does a fine job with the WC. But that is a lot easier than the Olympics. A: They don't pay as much and B: the American Jingoism is minor.
I am really looking forward to watching the WC in 2 years. As for the Olympics, in 2 weeks it will all be over....
I haven't watched more than 10 minutes of Wimbledon since the 1980's.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe today was the first time that an American over-the-air network has ever showed a six-hour road race in its entirety. As for Wimbdledon, I'm only a casual tennis fan, but for the last 10-12 years, the men's and women's final have been must-see TV for me. The women's final in particular, serves as a an appetizer for the Tour de France, since usually the women's final ends right about the same time that the heavy hitters make their way to the start house for the Tour de France Prologue.
