Search:  

 
 
   News
newer
story category Olympics Didn't Cause The Exaflood
Limelight Networks, NBC tackle online video demand...
(old news - 09:09AM Monday Aug 18 2008)
Tipped by Matt See Profile
Despite constant prediction that the Internet is going to explode because of video demand, apparently the 'tubes can handle significant demand if the distribution is properly engineered. ZDNet has a great post on how NBC and Limelight Networks handled the demand for Olympic streaming via localized content caching. Limelight Networks, who expects to hit 2 terabits per second worth of network transmission this quarter, dealt with demand by taking content "off the cloud," and signing regional caching agreements with the top ISPs:
When you download videos from NBCOlympics.com, your computer isn’t actually going to the Internet to get content. In fact, the content is usually no more than 2 router hops away from your ISP. Limelight has partnered with over 800 broadband Internet providers worldwide (such as Verizon, Comcast, Road Runner and Optimum Online/Cablevision) so that the content is either co-located in the same facility as your ISP’s main communications infrastructure, or it leases a dedicated Optical Carrier line so that it actually appears as part of your ISP’s internal network. In most cases, you’re never even leaving your Tier 1 provider to get the video.
Of course, some context is necessary. NBC saw the highest online viewership on August 10, when they saw 3.42 million video streams and 66.7 million page views, with users spending (on average) 15 minutes online. That's about 2% of a typical day on YouTube. Still, NBC and Limelight have served up some 22 million streams of a global event with minimal consumer complaints -- which isn't too shabby.

Forums » Olympics Didn't Cause The Exaflood
view: topics flat text 
Post a:

Mike
Premium,Mod
join:2000-09-17
Pittsburgh, PA
clubs:

plus one thing

A big load of interwebs users, the americans, barely give a crap about the Olympics enough to watch it on TV.... yet alone on the internet.
Madtown

join:2008-04-26
Madera, CA

Re: plus one thing

said by Mike See Profile :

A big load of interwebs users, the americans, barely give a crap about the Olympics enough to watch it on TV.... yet alone on the internet.
I don't think I watched much of it anyways.

BabyBear
Keep wise ...with Night-Owl

join:2007-01-11
Sure thing, I barely was interested in it enough to catch Phelps. Which was great to see, just hope he doesn't sell his soul to Nike.

Tarheels Fan
Premium
join:2006-01-05

1 edit

Re: plus one thing

Yes, b/c you or anyone else would turn down a multi-million dollar contract from Nike. Get Real, I hope he makes as much money as he can from his efforts.

BabyBear
Keep wise ...with Night-Owl

join:2007-01-11

Re: plus one thing

If he does sell his soul to the corporate devil, we can have a contest on who has the more Nike Swooshtikas on his person, Phelps or Tiger Woods.

Matt
Quitting Caffeine - Argh
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..

Re: plus one thing

said by BabyBear See Profile :

If he does sell his soul to the corporate devil, we can have a contest on who has the more Nike Swooshtikas on his person, Phelps or Tiger Woods.
How many times before the Olympics did you see or hear about Michael Phelps? Swimming doesn't have 1/100th the national exposure as golf, so I'd give it 6 months and Michael Phelps will fade in (relative) obscurity.

BabyBear
Keep wise ...with Night-Owl

join:2007-01-11


1 edit

Re: plus one thing

said by Matt See Profile :

How many times before the Olympics did you see or hear about Michael Phelps? Swimming doesn't have 1/100th the national exposure as golf, so I'd give it 6 months and Michael Phelps will fade in (relative) obscurity.
The same number of times I heard of any Olympic athlete outside of basketball(and tennis), 0. But that doesn't mean there can't be a year or so of "Phelpsmania".

At least for a little while Phelps is bigger than Hockey(excluding Canada).

ninjatutle
Premium

join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA
·Sprint Mobile Broa..

Re: plus one thing

Yeah, olympist can never be household names...

Mary Lou Retton
Scott Hamilton
Dan Jansen
Nada Comaneci
Tonya Harding
Nancy Kerrigan
Kristi Yamaguchi
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Apolo Ohno

BabyBear
Keep wise ...with Night-Owl

join:2007-01-11

Re: plus one thing

said by ninjatutle See Profile :

Yeah, olympist can never be household names...

I think he was referring to their "pre-Olympic" fame. As in how well known was Phelps before his 8 gold medals this time around. He had 6 previous gold medals from the past but I don't remember hearing his name before. Then again I'm not a big Olympic watcher.

ninjatutle
Premium

join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA
·Sprint Mobile Broa..

Re: plus one thing

"so I'd give it 6 months and Michael Phelps will fade in (relative) obscurity."



»edition.cnn.com/2008/US/08/18/ph···oryemail

From John Vause
CNN

Phelps already is collecting about $5 million a year in endorsement checks from companies like Visa -- payments that came after he won six gold medals during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

"He may be at $30, $40, $50 million a year in endorsements after all this is said and done," said David Harrow of the National Sports Lawyers Association.

That could put him in the same stratosphere as soccer star David Beckham and golfer Tiger Woods, though Harrow doubted that Phelps is "at the $87-million endorsement number of Tiger."

AlexNYC

join:2001-06-02
Edwards, CO
You for got Mark Spitz. Relative obscurity ... I don't think so. Spitz last Olympics were in 1972 and he's still a household name.

Matt
Quitting Caffeine - Argh
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..

Re: plus one thing

said by AlexNYC See Profile :

You for got Mark Spitz. Relative obscurity ... I don't think so. Spitz last Olympics were in 1972 and he's still a household name.
I had never heard of him until Phelps got to 6 medals.
--
Linux Haters Unite!

AlexNYC

join:2001-06-02
Edwards, CO

1 edit

Re: plus one thing

That's interesting. I have heard of him since I was a child and I wasn't even born in the US.
Madtown

join:2008-04-26
Madera, CA

said by AlexNYC See Profile :

You for got Mark Spitz. Relative obscurity ... I don't think so. Spitz last Olympics were in 1972 and he's still a household name.
Not according to my own house

DJMASACRE

join:2008-05-27
Nepean, ON
·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Bell Sympatico

said by ninjatutle See Profile :

Yeah, olympist can never be household names...

Mary Lou Retton
Scott Hamilton
Dan Jansen
Nada Comaneci
Tonya Harding
Nancy Kerrigan
Kristi Yamaguchi
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Apolo Ohno
you forgot donovan bailey

ninjatutle
Premium

join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

Re: plus one thing

Theres also Peggy Fleming, Dorthy Hamel, Carl Lewis, Micheal Johnson and the infamous Marion Jones.

jeffster1970
Whatta Ya Think About Dat?
Premium
join:2004-04-01
Kitchener, ON
clubs:
·magicjack.com
·Vonage
·Acanac
·Bell Sympatico

said by DJMASACRE See Profile :

said by ninjatutle See Profile :

Yeah, olympist can never be household names...

Mary Lou Retton
Scott Hamilton
Dan Jansen
Nada Comaneci
Tonya Harding
Nancy Kerrigan
Kristi Yamaguchi
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Apolo Ohno
you forgot donovan bailey
Ben Johnston!!! World Record Holder! 9.79!!!! OOPS! That was Stanozolol induced, nevermind...
--
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

james

join:2001-02-26
antarctica
He might as well do it, no one will care about him in 3 months.

avd706
Premium
join:2003-02-06
Union, NJ


1 edit
said by BabyBear See Profile :

Sure thing, I barely was interested in it enough to catch Phelps. Which was great to see, just hope he doesn't sell his soul to Nike.
What is the logic of a footwear company getting endorsed by a swimmer??

Matt
Quitting Caffeine - Argh
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..

Re: maybe speedos

said by avd706 See Profile :

said by BabyBear See Profile :

Sure thing, I barely was interested in it enough to catch Phelps. Which was great to see, just hope he doesn't sell his soul to Nike.
What is the logic of a footwear company getting endorsed by a swimmer??
Nike sells everything sports related, not just footwear. I just finished running in my Nike running shorts and shirt actually. They also make swimwear, goggles, you name it and if it's sports related, they make it.
--
Linux Haters Unite!
wentlanc
You Can't Fix Dumb..

join:2003-07-30
Maineville, OH
And what tripe are you basing those assumptions on?

cw

SLD

join:2002-04-17
Los Angeles, CA
Yeah, I stopped watching just before Coca Cola purchased the Olympics a few games ago.

Tarheels Fan
Premium
join:2006-01-05

1 edit

Re: plus one thing

You prefer Pepsi?

SLD

join:2002-04-17
Los Angeles, CA

Re: plus one thing

LOL!

Matt
Quitting Caffeine - Argh
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..

said by SLD See Profile :

Yeah, I stopped watching just before Coca Cola purchased the Olympics a few games ago.
Coke had a few commercials, but nothing like the Atlanta games. The Atlanta games were so bad because that is where Coke started and where their current headquarters are.

Tzale
Proud Libertarian Conservative
Premium
join:2004-01-06
upstate NJ
·Verizon FIOS
·Optimum Online

said by Mike See Profile :

A big load of interwebs users, the americans, barely give a crap about the Olympics enough to watch it on TV.... yet alone on the internet.
Well you're certainly wrong with me... Probably the best thing on network television right now.... All those "shows" on TV suck. I have no interest really in watching it on the internet though. Don't make assumptions. Okay?

-Tzale
--
Neoconservatives (G.W.B) are not true conservatives. A conservative believes in defending the Constitution. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. - RON PAUL 2008

meh37

@verizon.net

Re: plus one thing

Your "assumption" is better than his? (No statistics = neither is right, neither is wrong... both are just generalizations based on personal preferences)

Personally, I think nothing on commercial TV is worth watching. The fallacy of ads is that those who place them think they're noticed by more than a very small percentage of viewers; they're being paid for, however, by ALL viewers in higher prices for everything they buy. You couldn't pay me to watch this stuff.

elios

join:2005-11-15
Springfield, MO
·Mediacom

said by Tzale See Profile :

said by Mike See Profile :

A big load of interwebs users, the americans, barely give a crap about the Olympics enough to watch it on TV.... yet alone on the internet.
Well you're certainly wrong with me... Probably the best thing on network television right now.... All those "shows" on TV suck. I have no interest really in watching it on the internet though. Don't make assumptions. Okay?

-Tzale
i have been pretty much ONLY watching on the net
why?
the TV coverage SUCKS
weres the good evnets like Rowing Sailing and Archery?
even baseball isnt covered very well
unoriginal

join:2000-07-12
San Diego, CA

Re: plus one thing

Ive seen lots of rowing, and canoeing last night/early morning, on channels like USA and MSNBC. You just have to look at bit in order to find the lesser watched events. Or just watch it online like I have instead.

ninjatutle
Premium

join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA
·Sprint Mobile Broa..

Yeah not everyone sits in front of the pc all day playing WOW. I’ve been soaking up as much as I can. It is the best thing on tv right now. I never watch sports and I’m watching hours each night. People whom are bashing it probably have a huge prejudice against China to start with. Granted I don’t care for the country much, but I will give them credit for putting on a great show and venue. It’s going to be tough for London to match in 4 years or any country for that matter.

Women’s beach volleyball, I hope they show more of this on tv after the Olympics

Paulg
Displaced Yooper
Premium
join:2004-03-15
Neenah, WI
clubs:
I'm in the same boat.. I've been spending every free minute I have watching the Olympics, both on the TV, and online.

I love the streaming, the quality is good, and it rarely buffers.
ElJay

join:2004-03-17
South Portland, ME
Not helping was NBC's decision to prevent full screen videos from being shown. I know they want people to watch TV for the $$$$$$$$$, but this limitation on the online video worked against it.

Matt
Quitting Caffeine - Argh
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..

Re: plus one thing

said by ElJay See Profile :

Not helping was NBC's decision to prevent full screen videos from being shown. I know they want people to watch TV for the $$$$$$$$$, but this limitation on the online video worked against it.
I'm not sure what you mean? The fact you can't make the online videos full screen? Why would you want to do that? The online video is meant to supplement, not replace, the TV coverage. It would have looked terrible full screen anyway.
ElJay

join:2004-03-17
South Portland, ME

Re: plus one thing

It would probably look better than the analog cable I have. I know Hulu's 480p video looks good full screen, and NBC's Olympic video seemed about the same resolution.

Matt
Quitting Caffeine - Argh
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..

Re: plus one thing

said by ElJay See Profile :

It would probably look better than the analog cable I have. I know Hulu's 480p video looks good full screen, and NBC's Olympic video seemed about the same resolution.
The Olympic video seemed to have a lower bitrate to me. Perhaps what I watched on Hulu had a higher resolution, but the Olympic stuff was nowhere near 480p.
--
Linux Haters Unite!

dadkins
Can you do Blu?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
·Comcast


2 edits
Click for full size
Pretty close to full screen, had to shrink it a little for the capture.
said by ElJay See Profile :

Not helping was NBC's decision to prevent full screen videos from being shown. I know they want people to watch TV for the $$$$$$$$$, but this limitation on the online video worked against it.
NBC/TVTonic Vista MC plugin allows full screen(makes screen caps dificult though).

»www.tvtonic.com/olympics/

The NBC website, yeah... small screen sucks!

EDIT: I pay for my connection, so those who think this is "costing" the ISP anything are lost!
--
Think outside the Fox... Opera

olympi

@verizon.net


from:
dadkins See Profile

Re: plus one thing

TVTonic turned out to be completely useless for me. The only videos they have are the exact same coverage that was shown on TV. Why do I need to download it when I can just record it myself?

The real issue is the live streams of events that have virtually no coverage at all on TV. Those absolutely need full screen options.

Also, have you tried out the "multicast" feature in the online streams? They put the things in minuscule windows that are unwatchable. It would be partially alleviated if we could fullscreen that as well.

tiger72
SexaT duorP
Premium
join:2001-03-28
Saint Louis, MO
clubs:
The Olympics are pulling in more viewers than any olympics since '92. 30 million viewers a day, and a 30 share...

In other words, Americans do give a crap this year.

Matt
Quitting Caffeine - Argh
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..

Re: plus one thing

said by tiger72 See Profile :

The Olympics are pulling in more viewers than any olympics since '92. 30 million viewers a day, and a 30 share...

In other words, Americans do give a crap this year.
I have to agree with this. Maybe it's an age thing, but all my friends and I are really excited about the Olympics this year. We've all been tuned in via the TV and online.
masterdave23
Premium
join:2002-11-21
Satellite Beach, FL

»www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Infrastruct···2008STR1

The network is using Cisco Systems' IP video network infrastructure and video encoding software to distribute its Olympic coverage from China—through the same virtual pipe—to televisions, PCs and smart phones around the world.

Matt
Quitting Caffeine - Argh
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..

Further Proof

This is just further proof that if engineered correctly, the Internet can be used as a distribution method very successfully. This is why the Cable Co's and ILECs (AT&T anyway) are scared. Limelight didn't have a connection to my regional ILEC, so I hit an NTT server a few hops off Verizon Business yet streaming was excellent.

The content distribution networks are in place to do this sort of thing, especially if it's a controlled ramp up. NBC just served 3.4 million streams with no hiccups. Imagine if they had years to test and perfect a system like this. The Comcast's/Time Warner's would have a fit. Which is why they are introducing caps now.

Mari

@garfieldgroup.com

...But you need a CDN

Of course the system didn't crash. You're talking about video that ran on a *private* fiber optic network and only hit the Internet over the last mile when it was specifically requested. But that costs money. It's not the free public Internet at work.

LiamJunket
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Ocean City, NJ
·Comcast

Limelight's system delivered the goods w/o using p2p

»blogs.zdnet.com/perlow/?p=9221

Limelight runs an awesome distributed system, proving that P2P isn't needed to distribute content, when the company is legit and their business plan isn't based on ripping off the ISPs.
wentlanc
You Can't Fix Dumb..

join:2003-07-30
Maineville, OH

Re: Limelight's system delivered the goods w/o using p2p

said by LiamJunket See Profile :

Limelight runs an awesome distributed system, proving that P2P isn't needed to distribute content, when the company is legit and their business plan isn't based on ripping off the ISPs.
Isn't P2P a distributed system? So one distributed system is ok, but another isn't? What makes them any more legit that any other system out there? Why don't more ISP's work to create a solution for other systems, like BT, which will only benefit them and their backbone bandwidth?

Oh yeah, there's no money in it.

cw
BosstonesOwn

join:2002-12-15
Everett, MA
clubs:
·Comcast
·Comcast Formerly ..

Akamai has a much better system then limelight and it uses its own bandwidth.

Limelight paid the companies to let them add systems to their nocs. This is what these companies want , to pilfer the customer and the provider.

Good old double dipping at it's finest.

Ill go back to hulu instead since its akamai powered.
--
"It's always funny until someone gets hurt......and then it's absolutely friggin' hysterical!"

drew
Reformation
Premium
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA
clubs:
·wavebroadband

2% Nonsense

So, I have a question for ZDNet:

Regardless of the quantity of videos, there's something no one is mentioning. How much data (per bit, byte, whatever) is being sent?

NBCOlympics.com quality > YouTube quality.
--
Some people are like slinkys. Completely and totally useless, but they bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
LOLz
f1ip

join:2003-10-24
TX

1 edit

Re: 2% Nonsense

about 300+ MBs an hour.

edit: just multiply that with millions of people watching.

Maccawolf
Premium
join:2001-02-20
Hillsdale, NJ

OPTONLINE???????

Who are they kidding? that's probably the ONLY major ISP that won't pay, and they specifically mention they have an agreement....

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
--

Mom and Crockett...... I miss you both!
masterdave23
Premium
join:2002-11-21
Satellite Beach, FL

NBC Broadcasts Olympics via Cisco Video Backbone

»www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Infrastruct···2008STR1

The network is using Cisco Systems' IP video network infrastructure and video encoding software to distribute its Olympic coverage from China—through the same virtual pipe—to televisions, PCs and smart phones around the world.

Cisco, the world's largest IP networking hardware and software company, is providing its IP video network backbone to enable this coverage. Virtually all of the video will travel through transcontinental fiber-optic cable from mainland China to Los Angeles and New York City, where it will be edited and broadcast in a mammoth programming effort involving hundreds of producers, editors and technicians.

Cisco's WAAS (Wide Area Application Services) infrastructure enables NBC personnel in New York and Los Angeles to capture video, voice and data in Beijing and deliver it through the same virtual pipe to three kinds of screens: televisions, PCs and smart phones.
Forums » Olympics Didn't Cause The Exaflood


Saturday, 04-Jul 20:40:22 Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Hosting by www.nac.net - DSL,Hosting & Co-lo | feedback | contact
over 9.5 years online! © 1999-2009 dslreports.com.