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Slowtwitch Forums: Lavender Room:
why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming...

Marco in BC

Aug 18, 08 12:01

Post #1 of 13 (317 views)

why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming...	Can't Post

because it didn't really go over the internet!

http://blogs.zdnet.com/perlow/?p=9221

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A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.

Fleck

Aug 18, 08 12:24

Post #2 of 13 (297 views)

Re: why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming... [Marco in BC] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I am not a tech person in the least and that article was a bit over my head, but I to am amazed that we have not been met with error messages when tuning into online coverage of the Olympic Games. I have been mostly watching at cbc.ca and it's been flawless. I notice that the online video, while still a long way from being as sharp as regular TV, are much clearer and sharper, than anything else that I have seen. I have to imagine that sites like nbc.com and cbc.ca have been getting massive amounts of traffic.

It's interesting that with the Olympics happening every 4 years( and that being a life-time in the computer Tech world) how far things have come since Athens four years ago and particularly since Sydney back in 2000 - really the dawn of widely available broad-band internet.

Steve Fleck
steve@nineteenwetsuits.com
http://www.nineteenwetsuits.com
http://stevefleck.blogspot.com

jtaylor1O24

Aug 18, 08 13:31

Post #3 of 13 (270 views)

Re: why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming... [Marco in BC] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Very cool. Did you have to answer a question when you watched the first video about which ISP you have? This is where we essentially chose which cache would deliver our content.

----
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JT

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Marco in BC

Aug 18, 08 13:42

Post #4 of 13 (262 views)

Re: why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming... [jtaylor1O24] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I live in Canada so I didn't get this coverage, I actually have not watched any olympics online because they are not in HD and there is no PVR, being able to watch 18 hours of olympic coverage in 3-4 hours is the best thing...

--
A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.

Khai

Aug 18, 08 13:45

Post #5 of 13 (258 views)

Re: why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming... [Marco in BC] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Sweet... thanks for the link!

Now if only NBC didn't block streaming to the non US-based ISPs...

<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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IAMike

Aug 18, 08 14:19

Post #6 of 13 (241 views)

Re: why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming... [Marco in BC] [In reply to]	Can't Post

So let me see if I understand this:

NBC records video in HD and sends it to 30 Rock in NYC.
30 Rock turns it into Windows Media and sends it to Limelight's NY server.
Limelight sends it to their Tempe server.
Tempe sends it to all the local ISPs.
I get it from my local ISP's server.
Therefore we're not all getting from one place and it doesn't bog down, as long as our local ISP can keep up.

Pretty interesting.

Marco in BC

Aug 18, 08 14:25

Post #7 of 13 (235 views)

Re: why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming... [IAMike] [In reply to]	Can't Post

actually the crucial step is that

> Tempe sends it to all the local ISPs. <

does NOT go over the internet but over a separate private fiber optic network, then you watch it from your local ISP which, again, does not go over the internet but just stays on your provider's network, again not creating internet congestion at all. It is quite nifty, and of course the only way to decently multicast things like these...

If they had gone through akamai it would have been pretty similar *BUT* akamai actually caches over the internet, which means that in cases like these it would probably not work too well due to bandwidth (sending x streams to y isps simultaneously = A LOT of bandwidth needed)

--
A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.

Marco in BC

Aug 18, 08 14:27

Post #8 of 13 (232 views)

Re: why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming... [Khai] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Now if only NBC didn't block streaming to the non US-based ISPs...

odds of that ever happening are basically nil, we live in Canada, we get CBC, on the other hand Canada has a lot more high-speed internet penetration than the US, so fingers crossed for London 2012 being streamed like this but in HD :)

--
A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.

Khai

Aug 18, 08 15:08

Post #9 of 13 (216 views)

Re: why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming... [Marco in BC] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Now if only NBC didn't block streaming to the non US-based ISPs...

odds of that ever happening are basically nil...

I was specifically referring to the NBC.com linked feed, as that's what gets posted here a lot. The CBC feed works great, even over my pirated signal... :p

<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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mcdoublee

Aug 18, 08 17:38

Post #10 of 13 (178 views)

Re: why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming... [Marco in BC] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Quote

... the request to download that content is re-directed to Akamai�s own servers and fat Internet pipes.

Pipes/tubes, potato/po-tah-to, can we all agree that the "Ted Steven's Series of Tubes" internet phenomena was over-blown and stupid?

------------------------------------
MC Double E

DavHamm

Aug 18, 08 17:58

Post #11 of 13 (172 views)

Re: why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming... [Khai] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Sweet... thanks for the link!

Now if only NBC didn't block streaming to the non US-based ISPs...

Sounds like its not that they block it, sounds like you don't have a server to pull it from.
_________
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fred_h

Aug 19, 08 11:00

Post #12 of 13 (112 views)

Re: why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming... [Khai] [In reply to]	Can't Post

You just need to "find" a proxy server in the US and you are done.

I work for Motorola and actually I cannot watch CBC.ca in the office but I can watch NBCOlympics.com.
@ home I have both, connect to Moto VPN or not.....

Fred.

Tri2HaveFun

Aug 19, 08 15:19

Post #13 of 13 (77 views)

Re: why the internet didn't melt with the olympic video streaming... [Khai] [In reply to]	Can't Post

"Now if only NBC didn't block streaming to the non US-based ISPs..."

They also block it if you get your TV via broadcast/antenna. Below is the message I get.

We're sorry, but the below information indicates that you are not a subscriber to an approved TV service provider and are not authorized to watch live, rewind or NBC encore video. If this is not correct, please click "change".

Your zip code: 80911
Your provider: Local Broadcast (Antenna)

Don

Tri-ing to have fun. Anything else is just a bonus!