Watch the opening ceremonies? The first competitions? On TV or online? How’s the NBCOlympics.com Silverlight live streaming experience? Let us know what you think in comments…
NYTimes.com: Tape delay by NBC faces an end run by online fans
CNET: Censors not able to keep up with NBC’s online Olympics coverage
Zap2It: Olympics opener scores ratings win for Beijing and NBC
LATimes.com: Pros and cons of NBCOlympics.com’s video player
NYTimes.com: Silverlight and Microsoft’s strategy to take on Adobe Flash
MediaWeek: Cablevision users hit NBCOlympics.com streaming hurdles
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It sucks… the video won’t go for more than 60 secs without having to buffer again… and again… and again…
It is horrible!
We lost audio here in Colorado for the past 15 minutes at 7:30 MT. KUSA is the local station, and their local promos and commercials have audio – but the NBC programming and commercials do not. Bad way to start the olympics.
I’ve had no problems over DirecTV feed of KPRC in Houston. Looks beautiful!
KUSA’s Web site says heavy rain is causing problems with their feed.
Not even bothering. I have Roy Orbison and The Eagles on Laserdisc to enjoy.
It’s been a great show. Probably the best I’ve seen. Being my first in HD helps.
I waited an hour before I hit play on the DirecTV DVR. I fast forwarded through alllllll the commercials. Looks great in HD.
Also watching fencing, badminton live online at the same time. Not too much time spent buffering, picture gets a little pixelated at the fast movement. Some of the video is good, some of the feeds consist of a stationary camera showing an empty stage.
I like the presentation. I have a feeling my router will get quite the workout since most of the sports me or my kids care to watch aren’t getting too much TV time.
Watched it live this morning on a Canadian network that’s offered standard by my U.S. cable provider.
Would have watched it live on a U.S. network if I had been given the option.
Saw it this morning on German TV. Saw a big difference in coverage of ARD and NBC.
Watching the men’s cycling right now [0024 EDT] online and it’s coming in strong. No buffering issues. Time Warner RoadRunner. Had to download Silverlight for Firefox.
Like the option where I can see 4 streams at once, and can switch in between them when I want to hear audio.
Speaking of audio … all the streaming pictures are from the world feed – natsound only!
Can’t watch because I don’t subscribe to cable and won’t lie about it.
Mad enough to spit nails at my very own network, or more likely cable provider here in Bend, Oregon. Unless I can fib about zip code/provider combo, NBCOlympics.com won’t let me watch streaming video! Claims BendCable is not an “approved TV provider” or some such ridiculous folderol about not being an NBC Olympics “partner.”
I’ve fired off a mad-note to the cable co. I’m sure there’s a hack, but… is this 2008 or not???;-/
I guess I should explain that I can get the NBC on-air signal, but no NBColympics.com live video.
Yes, PS here too – watched on sis-in-law’s HD set the opening ceremonies – NBC and the Chinese did an awesome job. But I want my online streaming video I was promised, dangit!!!;-/
Watched the streaming video online @ work and was very impressed. Disappointed to get home and find out you can’t watch on your Mac unless it’s an Intel. Bummer.
I heard some US volleyball coach got murdered by a crazy dude who then jumped off the building and killed himself. That pretty much defines the entire Olympics for me. I’ll be watching PBS and no more trying to get the useless video player off the ground.
It didn’t work two-three weeks ago either, with or without Silverlight. What the Chinese don’t mess uo will be ruined by Microsoft and NBC. All of this to support a lousy OS.
Anon: It was NOT the volleyball coach, but two of his relatives.
I’ve been very impressed. Not only was the Opening Ceremonies one of the most beautiful several hours of TV, but the technology presented during it was amazing. I loved the huge LED video screen that made up the infield for much of the shower. And then the screen around the top of the stadium that the torch-bearer “ran” around with videos following him — that was artistic genius.
I also have to give credit to Microsoft for the Silverlight video. I know there are a lot of MS haters, but I’m way more impressed with this player than any Flash player I have ever used. Being able to watch 4 live streams that I choose, and move them around, and then go full screen – that’s an impressive accomplishment for a product that rolled out relatively recently. Competition is good for Flash, so I’m pleased to see such a strong contender.
Congrats to NBC thus far.
there were hydroplane races (FREE!) all day on the st. clair river here and an outdoor concert until 11p.
the weather was excellent.
why the heck would i stay inside when before you know it the snow will fly?
when (if) ‘they’ realize tpfkata are not going to schedule their lives around someone else’s beliefs of “where i should be at 8p on a friday night” the better.
i don’t care how great the player is or the delivery speed.
tdc, why do you always have to be such a mean person? you never have anything nice to say. i dont think you should come to this site anymore if you have nothing to add to the conversation. keep your negativity to yourself. go twitter if you just want to share your thoughts with the masses. leave.
mean?
i’m known as one of the most fun loving people you’d ever run into.
i take the opposite view of those who want to maintain the tv first status quo, but you shouldn’t equate that with never having nothing nice to say.
i’d bet the hydroplane team i did walk on work yesterday with would not say i was mean.
nor would the cowboy hat vendor who sold me around twelve hats yesterday to give out to certain members of the crowd.
then there’s my bar tab.
bite me… it’s an open forum.
and those 4 loafs of bread i brought to feed the ducks and swans?
by lunchtime, i had them eating out of my hand.
i’d bet those little guys wouldn’t say i was mean.
read henry blodget’s version of what i said by clicking tdc.
The silverlight player works fine for me, but I’m not very impressed by the video quality, or the lack of fullscreen. Plus, imagine all the people trying to watch this stuff at work. Many probably have locked down admin rights, and can’t install silverlight.
I think not going with Flash was a poor decision and will limit the impact NBC was hoping for.
Ilove the Olympics
Hi. I. Love. The. Olympics. . . .
Now that they’ve started (and I’m back from vacation), I’d really prefer for the .com listings to be orderable by what’s actually airing. Now, I’m forced to click sideways through the timeblocks and then scroll down through a lot of “No Events Scheduled” and it’d be much easier, if I could just lump all of the scheduled events at the top.
Full credit – the whole experience looks terrific on a Mac.
@tdc this anon finds you to be smart whether you like what I say or not. Blame it on a mole.
Huffington Post tried to help but not one of the ways they mentioned were helpful, from the embedded video with the seemingly unresponsive menus to one link that seems to be going to Silicon Insider and a comments page? They also voice the opinion that the Silverlight enabled video was really neat but NBC was doing it backwards and serving NBC instead of US.
Okay, those ‘cable weasels” Letterman was always poking at won. Letterman was right I guess. Lew Wasserman gets his way from the grave. Ha Ha.
a big thank you to #30 anon.
and to barney lerten- go get ‘em, saw your comment on latimes.com!
From redmondmag article on Silverlight and the Olympics… “With the enhanced video player, users can watch a full-screen HD image”…
You can’t display full-screen for the Olympics. A Silverlight rep on their own forum says it was a decision, not a bug, that this doesn’t work… and recommends using Firefox3 as a workaround to even see a full-screen image. Imagine! A Microsoft rep referring customers to Firefox.
Our workaround to view on our big screen plasma… click the tiny screen, and Enhance it. Center that screen, and display on the Vizio TV. Tell the TV to zoom the image… and poof, magic, full screen, no bars, no side ads… and no need to upgrade my Firefox from 2 to 3 before I’m ready.
We’ve only been watching reruns, not live stream, but so far, the only problems we’ve had with choppiness is when we’re competing for bandwidth (DSL) with the middle-schooler playing internet games.
Here’s a couple for for you….I set the Time Warner Cable HD DVR to record the Opening Ceremonies and double checked it three times. Low and behold it didn’t record the program.
I also set the Direct TV DVR to record the ceremony. When I played it the next morning it locked up thirty seconds into playback; when I rebooted the box it erased the ceremony. Coincidence, I don’t think so. It drives traffic to the website.
Retired NBC guy
Hey everyone i live in canada, can someone post an acceptible ZIP / PROVIDER combination so i can watch this stuff… Damn you NBC
Will be blogging, heard from an NBC-Universal VP today (on a Sunday!) – my e-mail made it to him, indeed they are dealing with issues with cable cos. representing close to 3 million users(!) who are holding out for some overarching deal with NCTC for enhanced-Web, VOD and FOD, the added channels – the whole Olympics shebang through 2012.
I now know just enough to be dangerous (no cable provider or exec I) – and to still be truly disgruntled. (Is anyone ever gruntled?;-)
Ok… thats great but can you post a working ZIPCODE and PROVIDER combination for the NBC silverlight website … i just want to watch some basketball
Did you try CBC? Sounds like you will have to try a foreign provider…
I just need any of the combinations any of you used to get through, it dosen’t track anything so it dosen’t matter where i live and the CBC sucks worse than NBC, can someone forgoe another post and tell me what they used ZIP/Provider wise
Try this:
Zip: 10001
Provider: Time Warner Cable – Digital
or:
Zip: 10001
Provider: DirecTV
FYI DirecTV is kinda default as it has CONUS coverage, eh?
#39 CBC cannot suck as bad as NBC’s BROADCAST. If we’re stuck with NBC coverage for the next BILLION years the Olympics will remain doomed.
Have you guys seen that emotional Olympic ad for VISA? Morgan Freeman is the voice behind it… it’s striking. I saw it on KIIS FM’s web site. Check out the link I posted above.
VISA is about as useful to me as an Oldsmobile ad in a 1964 issue of HOLIDAY.
Don’t make me verklempt.
why all the volleyball? beach, then inside, then outside -
where’s wrestling? weightlifting? track? etc. etc. etc.
I am VERY tired of volleyball, NBC…
All I’m really into is how Ian Waltz does. Shot and disc, hammer are my favorites and if they had a fridge pull and log toss…weightlifters look really fat and sound like they will die in mid jerk. Ian Watlz is a real American gladiator from IDAHO USA!
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Thank you for the help here
I really appreciate it.
KIIS FM’s Ryan Seacrest interviewed Michael Phelps! It’s an AWESOME interview!! I posted the link above for y’all, check it out.
My TV bill is out of control. In my house we have 3 TVs, each with cable tv service. We get about 65 channels, but no HD programming. My husband really wants HD for his sports. Baseball season is coming and he is anxious to get it. For what I consider limited service I pay $200 a month . Does that seem way too high? What is a better idea if I wanted HD??
Toon Party
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