Streaming funeral webcasts find a place on the Internet

Many things can keep family and friends from physically attending a funeral, so Wesley Music launched a new online service that gives mourning relatives and friends the opportunity to pay their last respects via a funeral webcast. Funeral homes participating in this program, have placed small web cameras throughout the chapel, so customers who sign up for the service can share this private moment with others via the Internet. The event is not public, and only those who have a password are able to watch the funeral webcast, which initially streams live with a 20-second delay, then becomes available for up to seven days after the event.

Streaming a private ceremony like this one may seem somewhat macabre to some, but it can also be very helpful to people with disabilities, the elderly, or others who can't travel the distance. Live funeral webcasts are already being offered in Britain, Canada, Brazil, and Australia for around $150, which is quite expensive in a day when many companies already offer live streaming services for free.

Anyone can get a private channel over at Yahoo! Live, Mogulus, Ustream, which they can actually be used to stream much happier events such as weddings, graduations, or birthday parties too.

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Disclosure: Yahoo! Live is an online service owned and offered by Yahoo!, Inc., which also owns and operates Yahoo! Tech.