Today at 4:30 p.m. PST, you can be part of the red carpet experience in "real time" while sitting at your computer at home or work. Sony Pictures will stream from the red carpet of this afternoon's pre-release of "This is It", a documentary about Michael Jackson.
Live online access to events isn't new. Bloggers, geeks and web video enthusiasts have been doing it for some time. But now major big names are getting in the game. Last weekend YouTube successfully streamed a live U2 concert from a packed house at the Rose Bowl to a global audience. I've read reports that around 96,000 people jammed into the venue for the actual event. Who knows how many people got to watch it online?. I love live music and I watched the concert too, but I didn't buy a ticket or rush to Pasadena.. Instead I experienced it live from the comfort of my apartment in San Diego on my laptop.
A real time web stream can't replace the feeling of actually being at a real live performance, but these web events could be a glimpse into the future of how many of us get access to live events. After viewing YouTube's concert this weekend I am happy to the report the live stream audio and video quality was better than I expected, (and servers around the globe did not crash and burn contrary to some speculation).
For me, one thing that would make the experience better, is to take it from the small screen of a laptop to the big screen of a TV (and of course, a good home theater sound system. That's not too much to wish for is it?)
As a recent transplant to San Diego with a new apartment, I've been looking at televisions very closely and was happy to know that some models from the Sony BRAVIA lineup access some YouTube streaming video from the platform. If you bought a BRAVIA TV in 2009, check to see if it is BRAVIA Internet video ready. If it is, you can see streaming online videos from the platform.
Online video content on televisions is obviously great for people who want to watch the fun, interesting, cool, silly, educational, viral and now live event videos that are available on line. It's also important for content creators and bloggers to start considering televisions as another avenue of connecting and getting your work in front of those that want to see it.
I'll be watching bits and pieces of the red carpet event this afternoon from the office and looking forward to the time I'll be watching the web content I want to see in my living room on a new BRAVIA television.