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How does NBC justify tape delaying the Olympics? Pretty easily
You can't throw a rock on the internet without hitting someone frustrated by NBC's handling of the Winter Olympics. ESPN and The New York Times can barely hide their giggles while posting event results hours before they air and West Coast viewers have to endure an additional delay to watch an event happening in their own time zone. Compare these quotes by NBC Olympics chairman Dick Ebersol, first in 2001, then later in 2008 posted by Deadspin and The Bastard Machine: 2001 - "A domestic Olympics cries out to be telecast live across the entire country as previous U.S. games have been," he said. "I am emphatic that delaying our primetime Salt Lake coverage is a mistake." 2008 - "...the viewers have repeatedly told us that the vast majority of them, well in excess of 80 percent, want to see the Olympics when they're available to see the Olympics. They don't want to see the key events of the day happening at 4 or 5 o'clock their time." Meanwhile NBC CEO Jeff Zucker a.k.a. the guy who keeps Heroes on the air appears completely pleased by the ratings results in this video interview with CNBC embedded after the break. Whether it's still the local affiliates who are to blame or simply a silent majority of tape delay loving Luddites, it doesn't appear NBC plans on changing course for any reason. Still, feel free to drop by their message boards and let them know how you really feel about it, and hope ESPN nabs the rights for future Games.
The 2010 Winter Olympics kicks off tonight in HD
The wait is finally almost over and tonight at 7:30PM Eastern the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics will kick off 14 days of Winter fun. There's a total of 835 hours of HD coverage spread across NBC Universal's various channels. With so many hours of HD coverage it really shows how far we've come since the first HD Olympics in Athens in 2004, when NBC broadcast one 24 hour Olympic HD channel with events were from the previous day, and only one commercial -- you know, the Sony "Chips and Salsa" commercial that was played ad nauseam. Our favorite way to keep up with the HD sports schedule is HDSportsGuide.com but we're also sure to check out as much of the coverage online at NBCOlympics.com as we can.
Google's Street View snowmobile takes your voyeurism to the Olympic slopes
There's something deliciously futuristic about the fact that Microsoft and Google are patrolling our roads, documenting their every nook and cranny with large multidirectional cameras strapped to SUVs. But what about the unpaved wilderness? Well, Google's after that too now, with its new Street View snowmobile it's unveiled just in time for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Sure, it's a bit of a gimmick, but also it's surprisingly thrilling to chase down the various slopes in use for the Olympics, and Google Earth even has most everything mapped out in 3D for your aerial viewing pleasure. Check out a video of the snowmobile in action after the break, or hit up that source link to "hit the slopes." If something gets in your way, turn.
