Author Topic: MLB.TV (Read 9360 times)

Noe · « **on:** March 08, 2009, 03:30:02 pm »

Right now, I'm watching the Cuba/South Africa game on MLB.TV on my laptop from MLB.com (first hits are free as it were). The star of the game? MLB.TV is the star, at least in terms of quality, broadcasting on the internet and overall nice offering. A couple of things I'm noticing using MLB.TV on my laptop:

1. They're using Flash video (hooray, the MLB has caught up with the video broadcasting world on the internet, like hulu) as a beta test for the WBC. The quality is outstanding, so if they needed someone to vote on a thumbs up or thumbs down on the broadcast quality, I'll add a huge thumbs up for this type of streaming. Obviously they get a huge benefit from a flash media server that is much more advanced than most other media type of servers out there, including any windows-based media server.

2. They have a plugin that you can download for free called "NextDef" which is a great feature. I've seen flash media servers offer automatic def referencing, meaning if the server detects your streaming capacity (say at a low bitrate), then it will adjust to a definition that will stream seemlessly on your computer and bandwidth capacity. This keeps older computers in the loop with new media like this. With the MLB.TV beta, you have the capacity to click on "automatic" for video quality and the media server will do the rest, dropping or averaging your video quality based on your capacity. If you want more capacity though and think your computer and ISP can handle it (most new laptops can and most high speed ISPs can), then you can opt to download a plugin to NextDef that will allow you to access "Premium" definition. So I did this and the game is right up there with what hulu offers in terms of quality. I don't have it ramped up to the highest quality, just one tick higher than average and it is outstanding quality, right up there with hi-def tv. Some pixelating of course due to some action sequencing. I'm not taking blue-ray quality, but definitely the quality one expects from hi-def. One thing though, I have a widescreen monitor and when I bump the video to "full screen" it loses some quality, enough to notice the difference from the realtime, default size quality (looks to be about 740 pixels wide) to whatever you bump it up to (my full screen is 1440 wide)

For me, if this is the quality the MLB will offer and some quality MLB Network offerings, then paying for the broadcast via internet is something I will consider. I'm really impressed with this offering. I hope that this is not a mirage though and somehow the MLB will screw this up like they did their original offering as a internet broadcaster several years ago.

Reuben · « **Reply #1 on:** March 08, 2009, 04:06:11 pm »

thanks for the scoop. I'm trying to decide whether to do the Extra Innings package again or go with the cheaper mlb.tv. Glad to hear it is high quality. ... of course another consideration is that maybe I already spend too much time looking at a computer screen every day.

David in Jackson · « **Reply #2 on:** March 08, 2009, 05:01:28 pm »

I am facing the same decision now, too. It appears that MLB Extra Innings has been increased to $189, even with the early bird discount. MLB.TV appears to be $79.95.

Col. Sphinx Drummond · « **Reply #3 on:** March 08, 2009, 05:14:45 pm »

I'm going to do order MLB.TV too. However, so I can see Astros games when I'm not near a TV but have internet access, and due to blackout rules and territorial restrictions, wouldn't it be to my advantage to get my brother in the SF Bay area to allow me to use one his credit cards to purchase the service?

Noe · « **Reply #4 on:** March 08, 2009, 05:33:40 pm »

Quote from: David in Jackson on March 08, 2009, 05:01:28 pm

I am facing the same decision now, too. It appears that MLB Extra Innings has been increased to $189, even with the early bird discount. MLB.TV appears to be $79.95.

I don't work for MLB.TV so I have no dog in this fight, but... several things that work for me:

1. My laptop is my domain, no one else, so it's like programming my own broadcasting network sorta speak. My family has their own Hi-def television, computers, et. al., so for me what works is having my laptop serve as a conduit to all I need and want. In latter days, I would not dare think this way because the broadcast quality was just not that great. The gap, however, has been bridged quite effectively and you can see the evidence in such offerings as hulu (and yes, it's an alien invasion to turn your brain into mush... but I digress).

2. I see where Direct TV is offering all March Madness freaks the mosaic viewing option (four screens, simultaneous viewing). If you get the MLB.TV Premium package (108 dollars for this year), you get the same option for all season's worth of baseball. That way you can watch other games of interest, especially during the pennant stretch. Of course, be wary of the protected games, such as ESPN Wednesday night, Fox Saturday, etc. You won't get the MLB to violate those agreements and thus you won't get those games and by and large those are very premium games. But then again, that's when you go to your old reliable cable enabled television set and watch the game there instead.

3. I live in the Astros territory, so neither Direct TV nor MLB.TV will grant me access to games for the Astros that for some reason my own Austin cable provider may not carry (say when they give me Rangers games instead, pretty ironic given this is suppose to be Astros territory. I hate how multiple teams can claim territory as their own, thus screwing both fans of each team). But I do get enough games on regular digital cable, that I can most of the time use the family hi-def to watch a game, if not the entire game, at the very least the last three innings. But what I like about MLB.TV is the condensed game feature the next day. Yup, it's like having tivo all my own, without having tivo. They do it for me, so I use it quite a bit. If I miss a game, which happens more and more now with my family being more involved in Boy Scouts, Church and other activities, I can catch up with games. On-Demand is big for me and how I want to use the product primarily. I can watch a Astros game (condensed) during lunch the next day and really enjoy it as if it were live (even if I already know the outcome).

4. A feature I never considered is the radio option that MLB.TV Premium package is offering, meaning I can get the Pittsburgh feed on a game but use the Astros radio guys to call the game (if I read it correctly). This feature, plus all the others are add-on (like DVR so I could replay what I just saw if I want to see it again, or pause a game, gosh, the very essence of digital technology) stuff I don't really need, but welcome as a nice to have.

MLB.TV Premium Package Demo

Noe · « **Reply #5 on:** March 08, 2009, 05:34:32 pm »

Quote from: Sphinx Drummond on March 08, 2009, 05:14:45 pm

I'm going to do order MLB.TV too. However, so I can see Astros games when I'm not near a TV but have internet access, and due to blackout rules and territorial restrictions, wouldn't it be to my advantage to get my brother in the SF Bay area to allow me to use one his credit cards to purchase the service?

That is how you'll need to do real-time access... yes.

Rebel Jew · « **Reply #6 on:** March 08, 2009, 05:41:04 pm »

Quote from: Sphinx Drummond on March 08, 2009, 05:14:45 pm

I'm going to do order MLB.TV too. However, so I can see Astros games when I'm not near a TV but have internet access, and due to blackout rules and territorial restrictions, wouldn't it be to my advantage to get my brother in the SF Bay area to allow me to use one his credit cards to purchase the service?

it goes off the location of your IP address, not your credit card billing address.

Noe · « **Reply #7 on:** March 08, 2009, 05:44:23 pm »

Quote from: Joey Trum on March 08, 2009, 05:41:04 pm

it goes off the location of your IP address, not your credit card billing address.

Okay, cool to know because it used to be easy to give a different credit card and address to gain real-time access. If they're reading your IP addy, then you can't fool them unless you hook up with a hacker who knows how to re-route your IP address or mask it.

Lurch · « **Reply #8 on:** March 08, 2009, 07:12:24 pm »

Quote from: Noe in Austin on March 08, 2009, 05:44:23 pm

Okay, cool to know because it used to be easy to give a different credit card and address to gain real-time access. If they're reading your IP addy, then you can't fool them unless you hook up with a hacker who knows how to re-route your IP address or mask it.

It's not very difficult. Search for free proxy servers.

BizidyDizidy · « **Reply #9 on:** March 08, 2009, 07:15:26 pm »

Are they fast enough to stream (proxy servers I mean)

Sleepy · « **Reply #10 on:** March 08, 2009, 08:04:00 pm »

Great info, thanks Noe. I'm also deciding. I have done both over the years and the video quality has certainly been disappointing for MLB.com in the past. Great to hear they have made strides.

My main issue this year is the DVR thing. If I'm home from work 30 minutes late, can I set MLB.TV to record the first couple of innings? I don't think so. I believe I have to start the game and then pause it. That may be something I'm willing to live with, though.

Secondly, for me it's better to watch TV and surf the web than watch the game and surf the TV. The game is nicer to watch above my fireplace than on my kitchen table. How's the multitasking with the game going?

I'm in an NL-only fantasy league (gasp!) that I follow closely, so the MLB.TV wins there. MLB.TV also wins on price and the ability to stream day games at work. But I do enjoy just DVRing those games and watching them at night.

I noticed the rate hike, too. There's a $30 early bird special with EI right now, but it's still a good deal more than MLB.TV. And I buy the radio feed anyway for in-market and Wed/Sat/Sun games. I also read it to where you'd get the radio feed for your home team but was skeptical about how they really are able to match it up.

Anyway, I'll follow the thread and add any comments as I try to decide. Thanks again.

Clark in Denver · « **Reply #11 on:** March 08, 2009, 08:16:09 pm »

One note about MLB:EI on Directv, the price did increase this year, but it now includes the HD feeds. No more SuperFan. So for me, the price for the EI package increased, but since I don't have to pay extra for SuperFan to get HD, the total price went down.

Lurch · « **Reply #12 on:** March 08, 2009, 08:19:17 pm »

Quote from: BizidyDizidy on March 08, 2009, 07:15:26 pm

Are they fast enough to stream (proxy servers I mean)

I've probably done it a dozen or so times, and speed was never an issue on the lower bandwitdth options

Noe · « **Reply #13 on:** March 08, 2009, 09:06:48 pm »

Quote from: Lurch on March 08, 2009, 07:12:24 pm

It's not very difficult. Search for free proxy servers.

Yes, but they tend to be klugy for me. Maybe proxy servers are better nowadays but before they just were too suspect.

Gizzmonic · « **Reply #14 on:** March 09, 2009, 09:11:29 am »

Noe, are you sure it's Flash? I thought that they switched to Silverlight (Microsoft's Flash competitor) this year...

Noe · « **Reply #15 on:** March 09, 2009, 09:33:36 am »

Quote from: Gizzmonic on March 09, 2009, 09:11:29 am

Noe, are you sure it's Flash? I thought that they switched to Silverlight (Microsoft's Flash competitor) this year...

Actually, they've been using Silverlight for two years now and it sucked. I refused to load Silverlight because it performed hit or miss quite often. I don't have Silverlight loaded on my machine, so yesterday I used the Beta version of MLB.TV and it was flash alright (Flash 10). If you want to read more, they have a forum for the MLB.TV and the stuff about the Beta they're rolling out is pretty darn good information.

Here is the confirmation from the MLB Media Blogs about the switchover to Flash technology, a huge, huge, huge improvement over the last several years of windows media technology, most especially Silverlight. What might be confusing some folks right now is that while they are just now in Beta for the Flash player (and trust me, switching to a flash media server is a great move), they are relying on using the old servers (windows media) to archive games and show most of the spring training games. I happened to catch the South Africa/Cuba game because I missed the other games that they steamed in hi-def using the new player. I'm telling you, what I saw was heads and shoulders above what used to be MLB's offerings of the past. I will say this again in comparison, it's right up there with hulu-like quality and that is a standard that you would expect from the MLB to promote and market such a good product as baseball on the internet.

Gizzmonic · « **Reply #16 on:** March 09, 2009, 10:13:22 am »

Wow, that's good news Noe. Terrible news for Microsoft though, they pulled all sorts of stunts to get Silverlight adopted, including paying big bucks to the Olympics to get a lot of exclusive coverage only available for people using Silverlight under Vista. MLB.com was one of the biggest sites using Silverlight.

Noe · « **Reply #17 on:** March 09, 2009, 11:07:34 am »

Quote from: Gizzmonic on March 09, 2009, 10:13:22 am

Wow, that's good news Noe. Terrible news for Microsoft though, they pulled all sorts of stunts to get Silverlight adopted, including paying big bucks to the Olympics to get a lot of exclusive coverage only available for people using Silverlight under Vista. MLB.com was one of the biggest sites using Silverlight.

I'm not quite sure why the MLB experience was a bad one for Silverlight, but I suspect several things:

1. Def referencing was probably not that great, so you had one experience with Silverlight, it was either good because you had the proper setup and by proper I mean you matched the sys requirements to a tee or you had a very bad experience where Silverlight was just not up to par.

2. Not everything that was produced for MLB was silverlight enabled (or so it seemed). I found myself wanting to use the Window Video codex much more often than not when Silverlight was not performing well and having it really become a chore to get Silverlight out of the way. So I had hit and miss experiences with the video playback for archived videos. That was really bad and the core of what you should pay attention to so it is flawless. It is your sell point to make yourself credible and the MLB experience the last year was woeful and made me (at least) think "Why should I spend money on such a bad experience?". I don't, so I stayed away from it finally, even though I am the type of client the MLB wants.

BizidyDizidy · « **Reply #18 on:** March 09, 2009, 11:25:55 pm »

Has anyone tried watching the feed through the computer on a TV monitor? Any guesses on how large you could reasonably go with the quality it puts out? My setup in Dallas is a projector that ends up at roughly 160" screen size - I'm worried that I'll need to go with EI b/C the feed would be unwatchable.

ETA: Just looked into the blackout restrictions, and it looks like its a moot point anyways. Glad I didn't order it (and how fucking dumb).

homer · « **Reply #19 on:** March 10, 2009, 12:38:54 am »

Quote from: BizidyDizidy on March 09, 2009, 11:25:55 pm

Has anyone tried watching the feed through the computer on a TV monitor? Any guesses on how large you could reasonably go with the quality it puts out? My setup in Dallas is a projector that ends up at roughly 160" screen size - I'm worried that I'll need to go with EI b/C the feed would be unwatchable.

ETA: Just looked into the blackout restrictions, and it looks like its a moot point anyways. Glad I didn't order it (and how fucking dumb).

Dallas/Fort Worth should be good for every game on a regular DirecTV account.

BizidyDizidy · « **Reply #20 on:** March 10, 2009, 07:58:20 am »

Quote from: homer on March 10, 2009, 12:38:54 am

Dallas/Fort Worth should be good for every game on a regular DirecTV account.

I've got (terrible) Time Warner right now; I moved up here in Aug and it seemed pretty hit or miss. I will have to investigate more.

Noe · « **Reply #21 on:** March 10, 2009, 09:20:35 am »

Quote from: BizidyDizidy on March 10, 2009, 07:58:20 am

I've got (terrible) Time Warner right now; I moved up here in Aug and it seemed pretty hit or miss. I will have to investigate more.

You'll get a lot of Astros games in Ft. Worth, not so many in Dallas or places in-between.

das · « **Reply #22 on:** March 10, 2009, 10:15:51 am »

Quote from: BizidyDizidy on March 09, 2009, 11:25:55 pm

Has anyone tried watching the feed through the computer on a TV monitor? Any guesses on how large you could reasonably go with the quality it puts out? My setup in Dallas is a projector that ends up at roughly 160" screen size - I'm worried that I'll need to go with EI b/C the feed would be unwatchable.

ETA: Just looked into the blackout restrictions, and it looks like its a moot point anyways. Glad I didn't order it (and how fucking dumb).

I had my MLB.TV last year displayed on a 24" LCD set to 1920x1200 and it looked almost TV quality when set to max quality and NexDef plugin was running. I'm really excited to see how the Flash engine Noe was discussing improves the quality if it is really near-HD like Hulu. MLB.TV has been a god-send to an out-of-towner like me as I am able to watch almost every game (if I had the time) when, just a few years ago, I was lucky to see 8 or 9 per year.

Amy · « **Reply #23 on:** March 14, 2009, 11:03:52 am »

This is great news for me, since I will have to watch all my Astros games online this year. I don't have a line of sight for DirecTV at my condo in Mississippi and the crappy Cable One service here doesn't offer EI. Thankfully their high speed internet service is good though. I'm thinking maybe I should accelerate my plan to buy a new laptop with an HDMI output, so I can hook it up to my HDTV. My current laptop only has a VGA output and that doesn't look fabulous on the HDTV.

Noe · « **Reply #24 on:** March 17, 2009, 11:32:38 pm »

For those wanting to judge the quality of the broadcast on the new setup (Flash Media Server technology) here are a few captures from tonights Puerto Rico vs USA WBC game. I watched on my laptop that I attached to a larger 22" widescreen monitor through a VGA port (and not HDMI had I used my son's new laptop instead). So I'm watched the game tonight on my laptop because I had some work to get done tonight. I was working while on the second monitor I had the game going on.

Both monitors were set to 1440 x 900.

Here is a sample of what the default UI and broadcast looks like:

Sample 1: Close up of starter Ted Lilly

Sample 2: Mark DeRosa AB

Sample 3: Pudge AB

The quality is excellent, but as you can see, I bumped it up to the highest value on the "video quality" scale. I think had I been using a hi-def monitor or an HDMI quality screen, the quality would not have to be bumped so high, it would rely on the average quality to show a great picture. Still, look at the quality at the default size. The UI plus video is about 800x580 pixel in size. For just the video alone, it's streaming at around 760x480 pixels in size. Again, not bad, that is about the quality size you want to use to produce a good broadcast quality video.

So then I bumped the video to fullscreen to see what it would do as a VGA quality stream on a widescreen slave monitor and here are the results:

Sample 1: Jeter's 9th Inning AB

Sample 2: Mark DeRosa AB early in the game

The stream was bumped to 1440x900 pixel size for the video. The UI goes away and you get a true video fullscreen broadcast (nice). This was VGA, so again, this is not a hi-def monitor, just your normal VGA widescreen capacity. There is some noticeable pixelating (see graphics on the score graphics), but overall it held it's own. In terms of action, it held together quite well, so I had no problem with lagging or what you might get on very early HD when action would cause skips or stop action refreshing.

So right now, I think I'm going to like this service from MLB TV. Tonights game was awesome and the fact that I had work to do while watching a game made it worth it. I could not work in the den where my regular HD television is and where I have my digital cable. I could watch only a few innings using cable, then I had to retreat to my office.

I enjoyed the game for the game sake, but trust me watching it on MLB TV did not distract to the game's enjoyment. If anything it did what it is supposed to do, add to the enjoyment.

VirtualBob · « **Reply #25 on:** March 17, 2009, 11:43:20 pm »

Quote from: Noe in Austin on March 17, 2009, 11:32:38 pm

Sample 1: Jeter's 9th Inning AB

Is that Pudge falling asleep behind the plate?

Noe · « **Reply #26 on:** March 17, 2009, 11:46:41 pm »

Quote from: VirtualBob on March 17, 2009, 11:43:20 pm

Is that Pudge falling asleep behind the plate?

Pudge doesn't catch for the PR team, Soto and Molina are the catchers. Pudge only caught a few games to entice a team to sign him. Once the Astros bit, Pudge became the automatic DH for the team. So that would be Yadier behind the plate.

austro · « **Reply #27 on:** March 18, 2009, 09:26:04 am »

Quote from: Noe in Austin on March 17, 2009, 11:32:38 pm

For those wanting to judge the quality of the broadcast on the new setup (Flash Media Server technology) here are a few captures from tonights Puerto Rico vs USA WBC game.

What is your feed? TimeWarner? Standard or turbo? Are you using wireless from your modem to your laptop, or is it wired? If wireless, is it 11g or 11n?

Noe · « **Reply #28 on:** March 18, 2009, 09:47:39 am »

Quote from: austro on March 18, 2009, 09:26:04 am

What is your feed? TimeWarner? Standard or turbo? Are you using wireless from your modem to your laptop, or is it wired? If wireless, is it 11g or 11n?

This was a feed from MLB.com (streaming video, the new Flash beta they are rolling out this season).

My setup:

High speed wireless (Time Warner High Speed)
Wireless router: 11g
Computer: Laptop, Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.60 GHz, 3.5 GB of RAM
OS: XP Service Pack 3, built-in wireless

austro · « **Reply #29 on:** March 18, 2009, 09:49:54 am »

Quote from: Noe in Austin on March 18, 2009, 09:47:39 am

This was a feed from MLB.com (streaming video, the new Flash beta they are rolling out this season).

My setup:

High speed wireless (Time Warner High Speed)
Wireless router: 11g
Computer: Laptop, Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.60 GHz, 3.5 GB of RAM
OS: XP Service Pack 3, built-in wireless

Thanks. That sounds pretty mainstream (i.e., nothing particularly exotic), so your reports about quality are encouraging.

Reuben · « **Reply #30 on:** April 06, 2009, 11:32:38 pm »

I had some serious problems using mlb.tv premium for the first game tonight. I think Subnuclear mentioned having problems in the GZ thread... anybody else have issues? The FSH feed crapped out completely after the first inning or so, then after listening to a few innings of Sutcliffe's awful commentary on ESPN2, I tried the mlb tv Chicago feed. This at least came through, but would freeze up a lot. Eventually I downloaded the latest version of Adobe Flash Player and it went a little smoother after that, but still with some occasional hiccups. Hopefully they are just dealing with minor bugs and these issues will be hammered out soon. It's also possible that I'm just not technologically competent enough to use a high-tech feature like this properly.

subnuclear · « **Reply #31 on:** April 07, 2009, 04:39:34 am »

Quote from: Reuben on April 06, 2009, 11:32:38 pm

I had some serious problems using mlb.tv premium for the first game tonight. I think Subnuclear mentioned having problems in the GZ thread... anybody else have issues? The FSH feed crapped out completely after the first inning or so, then after listening to a few innings of Sutcliffe's awful commentary on ESPN2, I tried the mlb tv Chicago feed. This at least came through, but would freeze up a lot. Eventually I downloaded the latest version of Adobe Flash Player and it went a little smoother after that, but still with some occasional hiccups. Hopefully they are just dealing with minor bugs and these issues will be hammered out soon. It's also possible that I'm just not technologically competent enough to use a high-tech feature like this properly.

I tried again on my old Mac laptop and it worked kind of ok for the last two innings, but I was getting basically a blank screen the whole time after the first inning. It might just be first day bugs or too much traffic on opening day.

Sleepy · « **Reply #32 on:** April 07, 2009, 05:43:53 am »

After I beta tested last week, I elected to go with Extra Innings. I really wanted to go with MLB.tv, but there is just too much shuttering for me over my wireless network. It's the same problem I had two years ago, and it makes it unwatchable for me. Maybe next year....

subnuclear · « **Reply #33 on:** April 07, 2009, 07:38:54 am »

Here is something from their support forum :

Quote

Some issues we are aware of:
- The player displays incorrect message in various areas when accessing Gameday Audio.
- Some lingering "black screen" issue still seen.
- Archive games are better than before but not quite there yet.
- Freezing / Stuttering of video playback in NexDef mode (Fix ticket is in the pipeline - this is a big one and will require a couple of weeks)
- Alternative language Gameday Audio is not available in the new player yet. You may access it from here using the old player.

Noe · « **Reply #34 on:** April 07, 2009, 12:04:53 pm »

I'm betting on first day traffic and the multi-casting feature getting hit on hard!

Ty in Tampa · « **Reply #35 on:** April 07, 2009, 04:51:12 pm »

I've been watching the MIL/SFG game on and off for the last hour. Damn, it looks good.

Noe · « **Reply #36 on:** April 07, 2009, 05:27:53 pm »

Was going to login to watch Lincecum pitch. But then I saw that he didn't make past four innings, lost interest.

HudsonHawk · « **Reply #37 on:** April 08, 2009, 02:41:12 pm »

Noe, why does MLB.TV show Midland is located in Missouri and is therefore subject to blackout of all 30 Major League teams? MLB.TV has got to be the single biggest scam in the history of internet scams.

JimR · « **Reply #38 on:** April 08, 2009, 03:48:03 pm »

Quote from: HudsonHawk on April 08, 2009, 02:41:12 pm

Noe, why does MLB.TV show Midland is located in Missouri and is therefore subject to blackout of all 30 Major League teams? MLB.TV has got to be the single biggest scam in the history of internet scams.

have you ever driven there? it might as well be in Missouri.

roadrunner · « **Reply #39 on:** April 08, 2009, 03:53:16 pm »

Quote from: HudsonHawk on April 08, 2009, 02:41:12 pm

Noe, why does MLB.TV show Midland is located in Missouri and is therefore subject to blackout of all 30 Major League teams? MLB.TV has got to be the single biggest scam in the history of internet scams.

Agreed. I travel for work, and just signed up for a month to watch the Astros during the week in my hotel room. Even though I'm on the east coast I guess my credit card address makes me in the Houston market. Therefore, every game is blacked out.

I won't be renewing next month.

Lurch · « **Reply #40 on:** April 08, 2009, 03:56:08 pm »

Quote from: roadrunner on April 08, 2009, 03:53:16 pm

Agreed. I travel for work, and just signed up for a month to watch the Astros during the week in my hotel room. Even though I'm on the east coast I guess my credit card address makes me in the Houston market. Therefore, every game is blacked out.

I won't be renewing next month.

Keep trying. It's not based on your credit card address as far as I've been told. Somewhere in their customer database they associate your account to an IP. Although your IP has changed they've not yet recognized it for some reason. At some point (it has got to be based on random logins, best I can tell), they will recognize that you have a new IP that is not in the blackout zone and you'll be able to see the game.

Guinness · « **Reply #41 on:** April 08, 2009, 04:00:30 pm »

Quote from: Lurch on April 08, 2009, 03:56:08 pm

Keep trying. It's not based on your credit card address as far as I've been told. Somewhere in their customer database they associate your account to an IP. Although your IP has changed they've not yet recognized it for some reason. At some point (it has got to be based on random logins, best I can tell), they will recognize that you have a new IP that is not in the blackout zone and you'll be able to see the game.

Or, if you connect through your work VPN or some sort of proxy related to your home ISP, no matter where you are that is what your IP will show up as.

das · « **Reply #42 on:** April 08, 2009, 04:16:16 pm »

Quote from: roadrunner on April 08, 2009, 03:53:16 pm

Agreed. I travel for work, and just signed up for a month to watch the Astros during the week in my hotel room. Even though I'm on the east coast I guess my credit card address makes me in the Houston market. Therefore, every game is blacked out.

I won't be renewing next month.

If you call the support line, they can jiggle some wire to get you connected. Takes about 5 minutes.

austro · « **Reply #43 on:** April 08, 2009, 04:17:55 pm »

Quote from: Guinness on April 08, 2009, 04:00:30 pm

Or, if you connect through your work VPN or some sort of proxy related to your home ISP, no matter where you are that is what your IP will show up as.

Eventually these business models are going to have to recognize that people are mobile. The whole blackout zone thing has to die one day, you would think.

Amy · « **Reply #44 on:** April 09, 2009, 01:35:20 pm »

Quote from: Guinness on April 08, 2009, 04:00:30 pm

Or, if you connect through your work VPN or some sort of proxy related to your home ISP, no matter where you are that is what your IP will show up as.

Hmm... So if one were a resident of Houston, but had the ability to log in to their company's VPN via California, that would circumvent the blackout on Astros games? Nifty. That info might come in handy for some people I know.

homer · « **Reply #45 on:** April 09, 2009, 01:39:04 pm »

Quote from: Amy on April 09, 2009, 01:35:20 pm

Hmm... So if one were a resident of Houston, but had the ability to log in to their company's VPN via California, that would circumvent the blackout on Astros games? Nifty. That info might come in handy for some people I know.

I did this a couple of years ago- VPN'd into a server in Chicago. Worked perfectly.

Reuben · « **Reply #46 on:** April 09, 2009, 04:42:12 pm »

So, after watching the first two games on my little Macbook, I watched some of last night's on my girlfriend's biiiiig desktop Mac (whatever they're called...). Wow. I might have to speed up that timetable of moving in together this fall...

Limey · « **Reply #47 on:** April 09, 2009, 04:52:14 pm »

Quote from: Reuben on April 09, 2009, 04:42:12 pm

So, after watching the first two games on my little Macbook, I watched some of last night's on my girlfriend's biiiiig desktop Mac (whatever they're called...).

A Big Mac, or in France, Le Big Mac.

Noe · « **Reply #48 on:** April 09, 2009, 04:54:58 pm »

Quote from: Limey on April 09, 2009, 04:52:14 pm

A Big Mac, or in France, Le Big Mac.

Le Laptop Royale

Reuben · « **Reply #49 on:** April 09, 2009, 05:30:39 pm »

Quote from: Noe in Austin on April 09, 2009, 04:54:58 pm

Le Laptop Royale

"so what do they call the new Dell?"
"... I don't know, I didn't look at any PCs."

Lurch · « **Reply #50 on:** April 09, 2009, 05:44:44 pm »

Quote from: Amy on April 09, 2009, 01:35:20 pm

Hmm... So if one were a resident of Houston, but had the ability to log in to their company's VPN via California, that would circumvent the blackout on Astros games? Nifty. That info might come in handy for some people I know.

Exactly. Will work as soon as MLB.com starts seeing that CA IP. The free proxy servers accomplish the same thing but can be a PITA to find and set up.

believin · « **Reply #51 on:** April 09, 2009, 08:51:24 pm »

Quote from: das on April 08, 2009, 04:16:16 pm

If you call the support line, they can jiggle some wire to get you connected. Takes about 5 minutes.

It works well if you drop an email too. I've had the problem fixed very quickly this way in the past.

Amy · « **Reply #52 on:** April 12, 2009, 09:53:00 pm »

So I tried watching via MLBTV on Friday night and got the blackout message. I called, and after being on hold for a while, I got some receptionist type person who said they would have tech support call me back, because they were so backed up. They called back the next day and said, oh I'm sure it was just a mistake, that's been happening to a lot of people and we're trying to fix it, if it happens again call back and we can fix it. I was able to watch today's game without the blackout hassle.

I connected my laptop to my HDTV via HDMI. For a while the quality was kind of low and I had buffering issues. But I figured out that was because of interference with the wireless antenna on my laptop because I had set it too far back in my entertainment center. I moved it forward and the quality was quite good after that. But several times the TV lost the signal and I had to close the game window and open it again. I thought it might be because of the screen saver, but I turned the screen saver off and it still kept happening. About once an inning or so. I haven't figured out what that's about yet. But I was pretty happy with the picture and sound quality. This may work out OK.

Sleepy · « **Reply #53 on:** April 13, 2009, 02:45:12 pm »

You must have a wireless connection, right? I wonder why mine is so much choppier than everyone else's. I might need a signal booster downstairs. It was unwatchable for me.

Reuben · « **Reply #54 on:** April 13, 2009, 04:51:29 pm »

Quote from: Sleepy on April 13, 2009, 02:45:12 pm

You must have a wireless connection, right? I wonder why mine is so much choppier than everyone else's. I might need a signal booster downstairs. It was unwatchable for me.

Very small sample size, but I've had some choppiness every game I've watched with my laptop's wireless connection (though it's getting better). The one I watched on a desktop, connected by an ethernet cord, was much better.