Vertigo has been working very closely with NBC and Microsoft to build a true HD Silverlight 3 Video Experience to view Sunday Night Football live at http://snfextra.nbcsports.com. The video is encoded using Microsoft’s IIS Smooth Streaming technology which allows the video stream to adapt to best quality based on the clients capabilities.
We created the player in collaboration with NBC Sports and Microsoft to bring the action of the game to viewers in HD by using Microsoft’s Smooth Streaming Technology in a highly interactive experience filled with features.
You can watch all of the action live at http://snfextra.nbcsports.com.
The SNF Extra application is packed with features:
- HD Quality video (watch in full screen mode to enjoy a 3.45 Mbps HD feed at 720p)
- Watch the game at every angle with 5 different camera angles
- Uses Microsoft’s Smooth Streaming to provide adaptive streaming to provide the best experience based on your computer and internet connection
- DVR style controls put you in the driver’s seat to control the game
- Interactive Timeline letting you jump to key plays instantly
- Live interactive Q&A with NBC’s Mike Florio
- All the Stats you need to analyze the game
- Highlight clips for the game’s biggest plays
- Social media integration (Twitter and Facebook)
Stats
- Number of Games: 17 football games streamed via Silverlight
- Average time tuned in: 29 minutes (about 24 minutes longer than average time spent tuning in on broadcast TV)
- Number of Viewers: Over 2.2 million football fans tuned in on NBCSports.com to watch the Season live and in full HD
- Hours of Video: Approximately 1 million hours of video streamed
- Peak users: 38,500 total peak concurrent users
Screenshots
Internet Explorer 8 running on Windows 7
Safari 4 running on Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
IIS Smooth Steaming
Smooth Streaming is a new extension for Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 Media Services, enabling adaptive streaming of media to Silverlight clients via HTTP.
Smooth Streaming dynamically detects and seamlessly switches, in real time, the video quality of a media file that a Silverlight player receives based on local bandwidth and CPU conditions. Consumers with high bandwidth connections can experience HD quality streaming while others with lower bandwidth speeds receive the appropriate stream for their connectivity, allowing consumers across the board to enjoy a compelling, uninterrupted streaming experience which leads to extended audience engagement.
Media companies can boost advertising and subscription revenues by using true HD (720p+) video with uninterrupted delivery to extend viewing times. By using Smooth Streaming, leverage the massive scale of existing HTTP infrastructure. Proprietary streaming networks have much fewer resources than HTTP and network congestion can limit access to popular content.
Live Smooth Streaming (in-beta) also enables PVR-style access and navigation to live video streams. Join events in progress and quickly seek to the beginning, rewind the highlights and enjoy the Silverlight experience in your own way.