Start with the status, not the thumbnail
A thumbnail can remain visible after a broadcast has ended. NowGlobe checks YouTube video status through the official API and separates live, upcoming, ended, unavailable, and non-embeddable videos. Successful results refresh on a daily cache cycle, while the source page remains the final authority between checks.
- LIVE: YouTube currently reports an active broadcast.
- UPCOMING: a broadcast page exists but the stream has not started.
- STREAM PAGE: the page exists, but a degraded fallback check could not confirm live status.
Convert the local hour before deciding a camera is dark
A camera on the other side of the world may simply be in darkness. Each camera detail page shows the source location's current time and a practical viewing suggestion. Daylight-saving changes are handled by the named time zone rather than by a fixed UTC offset.
Quiet does not mean broken
Wildlife, railway, harbor, and airport cameras often have long periods without a subject. Check whether player controls respond and whether the source reports a live broadcast. For safety, transport, weather, or disaster decisions, always use the relevant official authority instead of a webcam.