Archives
-
Streaming the Olympics: How We Got Here
Though it may seem like it was just yesterday, it’s now been 18 months since we delivered for NBC the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics using Windows Media Services, Windows Media Player and Silverlight. Whereas in Beijing we experimented with HTTP adaptive streaming for on-demand SD delivery only, the one thing we all knew for sure as soon as the Beijing closing ceremony was over was that for Vancouver 2010 we wanted to deliver all video in HD, both live and on-demand, using HTTP adaptive streaming. By November 2008 the first glimpses of IIS Smooth Streaming definitely put on-demand HD delivery within reach, and by May 2009 live Smooth Streaming was a reality too.