Apparently if you live anywhere but the US, you can watch live streaming Olympics online. In the US, you have to verify your provider and then you are sent to a super duper secret handshake NBC sequestered youtube universe and get grainy, out of sync BS coverage that bogs up in the buffering. So again, big corporations, [NBC] are getting us serfs to subsidize the rest of the world's viewing of the Olympics. Thanks, not.
I watched some Dressage on one of the NBC stations on cable. Then I rooted around and found the online site that lets you view after you verify your cable/satellite ID. I got 40 minutes into the unedited recorded coverage which only covered one of the previous entrants I had seen on Comcast/NBC. I got to about 40 minutes until the youtube video utterly stalled, did some different things and reloaded the page and got to about 1 hour 40 minutes. [There was almost 7 hours all told on this single youtube video] and then the whole deal stalled again.
Now this is not the Dressage Ann Romney's Rafalca is competing in, this is the Individual Event Dressage, which means the horses will also do Cross-Country and Stadium Jumping and lowest aggregate score of all 3 events wins. Germans are occupying the #1 and 2# spots presently, and Great Britain has #3 out of the first day of 37 competitors. Tomorrow the same event continues with 38 through 74 competing.
So NBC showed something like the top 10 plus some more Americans in their edited for TV version with commentary. I saw about 12 more unedited on the online video in under 2 hours which has no commentary. So far my favorite is the grey from Belgium, Nepal du Sudre, Virginie Caulier up, in the picture above. [I confess I have a weakness for greys] Nepal du Sudre is a beautiful mover, very neat and efficient and presently holding the #10 spot.
So it's after 7PM here and the Baltimore affiliate has a Time Life infomercial for easy listening hits CDs, Washington's affiliate has Access Hollywood, MSNBC has a "Caught on Camera" rerun, CNBC has some rehash of [Thursday's?] ticker and wishes to interviewees to have a great weekend.
Really NBC?? WTF? There's not enough Olympics to fill in for your usual weekend lineup of utter crap? I call foul.
OK now we're treated to Dr. Nancy Snyderman eating kidneys and pork cheeks. And "America's Oil Rush".
Anyway, here's the link to sign up and get online streaming and videos of already recorded events. Don't miss the Badminton. You can get lists and stats of all of the athletes.
As an aside, what's with the ear hats for the horses? They look stupid. Not all horses are wearing them; not all horses are double bitted and double reined either, that's good to see.