Would you like to see a new High Definition Downtown Gatlinburg Web Cam?
UPDATE May 12 2014: Thank you for the support everyone. After several months we have concluded there just is not enough participants to support a new Gatlinburg area webcam. Thanks again to everyone, We tried!!!
At GSMVRO we have received many questions, concerns and complaints about Gatlinburg web cams that are not functioning despite the fact we do not own or manage any of them! We feel your pain! And have grown somewhat weary of the Smoky Mountains Webcams inconsistencies.
So here is our proposition: We(GSMVRO) would consider taking over and managing some of the non working Gatlinburg webcam locations such as the location in the photo above. If… (Keep reading below)
What we have learned after some initial research:
High Definition(H.264) pan, tilt and zoom webcams with heaters and fans built in that are capable of running in extreme weather(snow,rain) cost in excess of $2000. Extremely reliable webcam hosting services that can handle the high definition(H.264) bandwidth and 1000+ simultaneous viewers at a time and 30k to 40K plus viewers per month is expensive(over $200+ per month) If GSMVRO could obtain a reasonable number of willing subscribers to help offset the cost of maintaining a new HD webcam with quality exceeding any other Gatlinburg cam we would seriously consider hosting that camera. but…
Our big Question to Our blog Readers: Would 50 cents per month or say a $6 per year subscription be worth it and a fair amount to view the downtown Parkway in high definition with 99% up time? This would be a private cam that only subscribers could view. If we get enough response we will look into this scenario further. Please leave your comment below if you would be interested in subscribing to such a service. We kindly ask you not to tell us you know how/can install and run a Gatlinburg webcam for free or $30 a month etc, if you can do that then let us know when your personal Gatlinburg cam is ready to view and we will gladly add your cam to our webcam page. GSMVRO has no interest in hosting a cheap, low resolution/blurry tiny screen web cam that crashes every time more than 3 people view it at once or encounters a few rain drops or bad weather!!! I think we all have seen enough of broken web cams already. In all fairness keeping webcams running year round is much more complicated than you might imagine so congrats to those who have done a successful job with their cams. If GSMVRO is going to undertake this project we are going to do it right or not at all. Our goal would be to make the camera viewer feel as close to being here in Gatlinburg as possible. See the following link for an example of an HD Web Cam whose broadcast quality we would strive to acheive:
HD WEB CAM EXAMPLE Click Here Note: When page opens click bottom right corner of viewer to see full screen
“A Large screen super clear Gatlinburg cam that delivers incredible resolution and works 99% of the time regardless of the weather or high viewer traffic is the least we will settle for!!!”
We hope you all agree. Let us know if you like the idea in the comments below?
I would be interested. I love the cams to see what I can when I cant be there
tell me how to sign up?
I would be very interested in a live web cam. Think it is a great idea for folks to be able to enjoy the area when we can’t be there in person.
Anything ever develop regarding the cams?
I would subscribe; I enjoy those that are still up and running, even the still photos that are updated several times a day. It lets me take a mini vacation.
I would subscribe to help support the webcams. Crazy that an area that is supported by tourism won’t do something to help. My husband and I spent at least 5 days every spring and fall for over 30 years. If anyone asked us about the area we’d tell them about the webcams so they could see for themselves. Now most of them are offline. Sad.
I would think the city of Gatlinburg would find it profitable to run its own webcam. However I would certainly subscribe to a Gatlinburg webcam and I think there would be enough of others who would too.
Has there been any new developments on this? I am ready to sign up!
I’m glad to hear somebody in the Gatlinburg area is interested in the webcams. They are tremendous sales tools. I’m not convinced though that 1 private group (GSMVRO) trying to sell subscriptions is the way to go. Sure everybody says “I’ll pay” but the reality is, they probably won’t on a continuing basis, especially these days when money is so tight for most folks. And these cams are not cheap to set up or maintain. Surely the Chamber of Commerce there realizes the advertising value of the cams. Look at the Space Needle controllable cam (which is still down while undergoing upgrading). That thing gets a tremendous amount of use and what great advertising for them and the cabin company. It is seldom idle and usually you anxiously wait several minutes in cue for your 1 minute turn. I just don’t understand why the C of C or a coalition of businesses don’t buy and maintain a couple cams like the Space Needle. As a frequent visitor (and future retiree living there) I can tell you, that I use any and all working cams in Gatlinburg almost daily (I still even try to get the broken one’s to work!), just to see what’s going on. Honest to goodness, we love Gatlinburg so much, and the cams keep us sort of connected. The webcams are sales tools, they are marketing tools. I wish a big group would step up and take advantage of the opportunity, and it appears that GSMVRO is willing to step up, but it is an expensive undertaking, good for them for at least coming up with a plan! Thank You!
That would be great!! sign us up.