EDMONTON, AB. – The video may have been extremely grainy and choppy at times but that did not stop over 1,400 viewers from tuning into Northern Provincial Pipelines Late Model Series race action on-line. “We were able to broadcast six of our events this season,” says NPP Series announcer Gord Craig, “the goal next season is to broadcast all of our events.” The NPP Series quickly found out that both internet access and upload speeds are crucial. “Access to the internet is critical,” says Craig, “but even if there is access to the internet there is a little thing called upload speed to contend with.” The NPP Late Model Series uses the on-line video stream service called USTREAM which recommends a minimum upload speed of 1mbps (mega bits per seconds) for a proper on-line broadcast. “We weren’t even close to that in any of our broadcasts,” exclaims Craig, “in Edmonton for example we were about a quarter (0.76mbps) under the recommended minimum upload speed.” Upload speed comes directly from the internet service provider. “Broadcasting audio requires very little upload speed,” explains Craig, “broadcasting audio and video together is where things get a little bit more technical.” Taking the internet broadcasts to the next level is a major priority for the NPP Late Model Series in 2013. “We are currently looking at several options that will dramatically improve the quality of the on-line video feed no matter where we race.” The NPP Late Model Series competed in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan this past season.