2020’s stay-at-home orders, social distancing, carry-out-only restaurant service and business closures—among other restrictions—led some to describe it as the year of “everything is canceled.” Although 2021 offers renewed optimism, 2020 continues to linger for some of us like a difficult houseguest who’s overstayed the holidays.
If you’re still feeling a bit couped up around the house, suffering your own bout of “2020 aftermath syndrome,” we’d like to offer a possible solution—a solution that can help get you out of the house without leaving home: livestreaming.
What Is Livestreaming?
Livestreaming is the use of a digital video camera to transmit (a.k.a. “stream”) live video over the internet. Livestream content may be broadcast on a delay or even presented as the recording of an event that was “live” at the time of original broadcast. Prerecorded “live” streams are popular, but there are still many livestreams broadcast in real-time.
What Kinds Of Content Are Available Via Livestream?
Whether you’re an animal lover or enjoy museums, live concerts, historical site-seeing or just visiting new, unique places, livestreaming might be for you.
Imagine spending some time visiting China and then rocketing off to a live feed from a NASA Rover as it explores Mars. Interested in watching the sunrise during the winter solstice over Stonehenge? How about visiting Paris, Tokyo, Venice, Prague, Norway and more in a single winter day? Maybe you’d like to visit the San Diego Zoo, Yosemite National Park, the Sistine Chapel, the beaches of California or Venice, the Roman Colosseum or the Smithsonian Institute? Maybe you’re interested in bird watching, seeing a meteorite shower, an underwater aquarium, the inside of a volcano or a guided tour of Pompeii (prerecorded)? Maybe you’d like to visit the Grand Ole Opry, marvel at the Northern Lights or spend time among wolves? You can experience all this and more through livestreaming.
What Are The Benefits Of Live Streaming?
We’re not suggesting that livestreaming is a comprehensive substitute for visiting and experiencing places and events in person. Still, the technology does offer some unique benefits over attending in-person. Here are a few.
1) Go on Your Time
When traveling to experience a place or event in person, “regular business hours” can be an inconvenience. With livestreaming, open and close times become much less of an obstacle and, in some cases, a complete nonfactor.
2) Beat the Crowd
Livestreaming eliminates the need for social distancing or wearing a mask. You’ll also never worry about someone in front of you blocking the view.
3) Pay Much Less to See the World
Many organizations stream live content free of charge, while others may offer discounted rates for livestreamed special events like concerts or sporting events. Add these savings to what you’ll save in travel-time, fueling a vehicle or buying a plane ticket, and paying to dine out, and the real-world savings of virtual travel can be significant.
4) Enjoy a Wide Variety of Content
The list of livestreaming options is fairly large. From live concerts to sporting events, zoos, museums, iconic landmarks, natural wonders, cultural institutions and more, livestreaming helps bring the world into your home.
Interested In Knowing More?
Online video-sharing platform YouTube.com hosts a number of livestreams. Try searching the site for “livestreaming” or something more specific like “Mars livestream.” Similar searches on Google can help uncover livestreaming options available on the wider internet.
GVEC Internet Internet: Dependable Streaming Into Your Neck Of The Woods
No matter where you want to go on a virtual stream, without dependable internet, you could end up stuck on the couch in buffering mode. GVEC Internet high-speed Wireless and our extreme-speed Fiber Internet can stream more of the world into your home without a stutter, glitch or crash. To learn more or to sign up, call 800-699-4832. To find out what GVEC Internet services are available in your neck of the woods, visit our Internet Availability Map.
