Cube Rats Set Record for Online Video Viewing of President Obama's Inauguration

[BurtWorm]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/us/politics/21video.html?pagewanted=print

January 21, 2009
Online Video of Inauguration Sets Records
By ASHLEE VANCE

Millions of cubicle dwellers across the country helped set records for Internet traffic on Tuesday as they watched online video of the inauguration ceremonies — or at least tried to. The overwhelming demand meant that some Web sites and data networks had trouble keeping up, forcing many people to turn to less cutting-edge forms of media.

“It was really frustrating to have this great technology and still not be able to watch the speech,” said Dan Robinson, who runs the box office at the Julliard School in New York. “I had to use this TV from the early ’80s and some rabbit ears to watch it.”

Internet traffic in the United States hit a record peak at the start of President Obama’s speech as people watched, read about and commented on the inauguration, according to Bill Woodcock, the research director at the Packet Clearing House, a nonprofit organization that analyzes online traffic. The figures surpassed even the high figures on the day President Obama was elected.

“The peak is the highest measured to date, and it appears to be mostly a U.S. phenomenon,” Mr. Woodcock said, adding that it did not appear that global records would be set.

When people are checking for election results or the score for a big game, they tend to produce smaller bursts of traffic spread out over several hours. On Tuesday, everyone wanted to watch video, and that produced bulky streams of data traveling from media companies’ data centers out to people at work and in their homes.

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[flvegan]

1. Oh noez! Obama is trying to break our internets!

Let's impeach him.

[AndyA]

2. MSNBC's feed SUCKED big time.

Normally, it's pretty good, and later in the day it was fine. I guess this explains why. No one predicted so many would be interested in the inaugural. And based on past inaugurals, not many have been.

Hopefully, they've learned their lesson, and now know that people actually do want to hear what this President has to say! Increase your bandwidth, media: people want to hear what Obama has to say, unlike the previous one.

[wryter2000]

3. My company turned off streaming

If I hadn't had an old-fashioned radio, I would have gone back home. :cry:

[liberal N proud]

4. It against company policy to stream unless work related but...

They did provide streaming video in the cafeteria. Just had to endure FAUX which I learned last night was better behaved than ABC. At least they shut-up through the ceremony

[nc4bo]

5. 80's tv and rabbit ears! Thank goodness it was before 2.17.09 hehe. nt