2012 Summer Olympics Live
The entire 2012 Olympics is being streamed live on NBCOlympics.com. Every event will be available online and on the iPad. This is the first time that anyone with a cable TV subscription can “watch” any or all of the events (depending on the number of computers one is willing to dedicate to the effort).
Setting up for Live Steaming was pretty easy, but only if you have a Cable TV subscription which includes either MSNBC or CNBC channels. This is because Live Streaming is only available to customers with a certain level of service. If you don’t, then you will need to find a “friend” who is willing to let you log in to their account using the device you intend on using (laptop, iPad, etc) to watch the streams. The verification process is a one-time only procedure. Once verified, you will be good to go.
With the level of internet service we have, we are able to watch about six different events in parallel before things slow to a crawl. While the experience is kind of choppy and definitely not as smooth as watching broadcasted TV, it is still enjoyable, especially on the smaller screens.
Live streaming on the Internet will not replace Cable TV or over-the-air broadcast just yet. However, the potential for it was clearly demonstrated by NBC with the 2012 Olympics. Perhaps by the next 2016, we will all have fiber optic cabling and will be able to stream every live event simultaneously. Now THAT would be a pretty cool way to enjoy the Olympics. .
NOTE: The RainyDayMagazine crew will be taking the month of August off to “experience” the 2012 Olympics. We will be back in September!
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