RSSMSN Gears Up for Live Earth
By Ed Oswald | Published June 28, 2007, 2:31 PM
With Live Earth now less than two weeks away, Microsoft's MSN division is preparing itself for what will be one of the largest streaming events in the history of the Internet.
Companies such as AOL and CBS have done it for Live 8 and the Final Four in the past, however Microsoft's offering will be on a larger scale. The service uses those two events as a template for its own offering and will build upon them.
In total, the event will be viewable in about 24 markets worldwide, and is expected to serve more than five million streams per day. In many of these markets, Live Earth marks the first time a streaming event of this magnitude will be available directly for Internet users, MSN senior director Lisa Gurry told BetaNews.
In all, about 36 hours of live coverage will be available for viewing.
The interface is comprised of a main screen for viewing a single feed, surrounded by "thumbnails" of shots from other events. While these won't be moving thumbnails, Gurry said they will be changed frequently so the viewer has an up-to-date idea of what is going on at other Live Earth venues.
During the event, MSN said it will begin to capture highlights and make them available as on-demand videos beginning on Sunday. Gurry said that in addition to the entertainment value, MSN was investing in the concept itself, providing "green content" to users.
These videos will be pulled from a variety of sources, including National Geographic, Hearst, TreeHugger, Conservation International, and the Alliance for Climate Protection, Al Gore's group that is responsible for the event itself.
Gurry made it clear, however, that MSN does intend to approach the event from an objective perspective. "We want to be a platform for discussion, not to force an opinion," she said.
In fact, she said the company will provide outlets for those who may disagree with the positions of those supporting the event to voice their own opinions on the topic.
Dear Sir/Mdm,
I have comment on this Live Earth hope you all wont mind and take it as a suggestion. I realised that this event doesn’t help the earth much as in the world is wasting on the electricity and papers like flyer at the same time. It just waste a huge amount of papers, plastics, electricity and etc…Sorry I need to comment like this as this is how I feel and hope you all won’t mind. It also doesn’t really bring up the topic, people in the world just enjoying watching the concert and not really think about global warming all this stuff. Human never take thing seriously even they know they are wrong, until they realise that they going to face the biggest problem and they are dying soon. If need to make an event and remind everyone in the world is that show how the world is going on, bring the topic out, show in all langue that everyone will know and warn everyone what happen if global warming still go on……Or can co-operate with government to let everyone save the world by using the real method that can let everyone think before they do. I know is hard and this only my comment and suggestion. Hope you all won’t mind and here I and my family still thanks you all to warning people in the world that must take care of the world. You guy are trying hard!Hope people in the world will understand!
Thanks!
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Large internet radio stations do this every day. afterhoursdjs.org serves up a million streams a month, and is dwarfed by larger stations. MSN doesn't have to gear up for anything other than a higher than normal bandwidth usage. Call Akami.
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stop the damm " live " in all your products microsoft. This company is obviously in the need of fresh ideas.
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C'mon, Apple has the annoying "i" in front of all its products. So why can't M$ have the annoying "Live"? :-)
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Live MSN live gears live up live for live earth.
I live cannot live believe live how live much live Microsoft live is live infatuated live with live this live name.
They live are live ****ing live retarded.
What's next? Micrsoft Live Bathroom? Microsoft Live wh***house? Microsoft Live Active Desktop Live Mail Outlook Application?
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Well seeing as Live earth was the name of the concert before microsoft decided to stream it might be an indication that you're in need of a vacation. I mean how can you tolerate the Itrip, Iphone, Ipod, and Ilife but get mad when microsft has live search and other live products?
you're in need of serious help, mister.
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Well said.. Well said.. :)
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Sometimes I think some of our users just look for ways to complain about something. You guys are a moody bunch sometimes :)
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Live MSN live gears live up live for live earth.
I live cannot live believe live how live much live Microsoft live is live infatuated live with live this live name.
They live are live ****ing live retarded.
What's next? Micrsoft Live Bathroom? Microsoft Live wh***house? Microsoft Live Active Desktop Live Mail Outlook Application?
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You clearly do not understand marketing.
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I so hope the blacked out word is "whitehouse".
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