I'm watching the Union match on MLS Live right now and the halftime video stream had a bit of a glitch...so I recorded it. The video is unedited. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wubmhubMH6Q"]A strange halftime show - YouTube[/ame]
I'm sorry if the answer to my question is in the thread - but this has gotten long and I don't have time to read it all. We purchased a Roku box, and the picture quality for MLS Live has not been good. We have wireless Apple Extreme and our cable connection is getting at least 25 mbs, so we don't think it's the wireless. Our TV is a 42 (46?)" Vizio flat screen. The quality will typically deteriorate and be worse during the second half. It gets pretty much unwatchable at times. We've been on customer service with both MLS Live and Roku and done what we can there. Anyone else experiencing this? Any ideas? Is the Roku quality just bad? We were advised that maybe we should connect it up through Ethernet, but that hardly seems necessary. We also purchased an Apple TV this week. Anyone using this in any configuration for MLS Live let me know. The quality in general seems better when we watch Apple TV content than on the Roku. I've got a new MacBook Pro, an old MacBook, and an old iMac in the house.
The Roku feed quality is great, so that's not the issue. Possibly the Roku box, but did you try it with a wired connection like they suggested? On the Roku Network Settings page, is the signal strength listed as excellent?
Thanks for the feedback. Haven't tried the wired connection yet as it's not very convenient there, but will probably give it a shot. The signal strength has always been excellent. Just watched it on a hard-wired computer (older model iMac) and the picture quality was not great. We're used to cable - is it just always going to be a step down from that?
I've always had better results with both the Apple TV and Roku when using a wired connection. Even though I have a fast and solid wifi connection there's really no substitute for going wired when you want to stream HD content.
They have screwed up the usability. Also all the banks websites I use (which is about 5) either don't have a checkbox at all or they label it "remember user ID". That makes it a lot clearer to the user that the site is working the way they intended. If Neulion had done that then they would have had one less support email they would have had to answer, and I can assure you I am not the only one that has assumed "remember me" means it will remember both user and pass. Communication is the key and it makes your users much less frustrated. Also the only reason I have "kept going on" is because I have been answering/replying to others posts. If you don't want me to keep going on then you stop "going on"
What a frustrating experience tonight I was looking forward to watching tonight's game only to find that I can't get ESPN Deportes and its blacked out on MLS Live. This will be the first game this season I don't watch live or watch recorded shortly after it is over. I just don't get the decisions that MLS makes. Blacking out games that are only available on sparsely available spanish only stations. It just so head-spinningly stupid.
I get your point. I would suggest that MLS not enter into contracts that hurt their brand. I'm convinced they have options. They can tell ESPN that if they want the blackout they have to but the game up on the Deuce at least. I realize that might cost them a little in short term money from ESPN.
I think you overestimate the value of MDL/Direct Kick. While I'm sure the numbers aren't as bad as they were 10 years ago (When Comcast told me I was the only Direct Kick subscriber between the Seattle metro area and the Canadian border) they aren't great. The value of the money from ESPN probably far outstrips any lost funds or good will from the few MDL/Direct Kick subscribers who are annoyed by this blackout.
It's on ESPN 3. Not sure if you get it or not. Of course, It's in the 90th minute, so I'm not helping you any
My view is not based on the number of MDL subscribers. I stipulate that the decision would be a net loss for MLS, though not a substantial loss for the same reasons you cite. I doubt seriously that viewership on ESPN Deportes would go down because the game is on MDL. It is more about brand image with your most loyal and dedicated customers. Dedicated soccer fans can get every EPL game here in America on TV or iNet easily. If you want to compete for dedicated soccer fans you have to do the same.
Yeah -- I tried ESPN3. But since I am a Uverse customer (on their highest most expensive package) I can't sign onto ESPN3 anymore even though I get ESPN ad nauseum. There has been some rift between ATT & ESPN over ESPN's tactic of using your ATT signon to validate your Uverse subscription and thus eligibility for online access to ESPN. It used to work but not no more.
I've wondered this aloud before, but I'll ask it here again ... On a per customer basis, who profits MLS more: DK buyers or MDL buyers? I've got a hunch that MLS actually gets more money per customer via MDL, but I can think of some reasons why that might not be true. So I'm not sure ...
You not getting it does not equal hurting their brand. It bothers and inconveniences you, but it doesn't necessarily hurt their brand because you are valuing your experience over the experience of others who may have a positive takeaway via Deportes.
Well my theory is based on the assumption that your brand is hurt if your game is less available than the competition. I can easily get every EPL game on TV or iNet. Plus so much else. Perhaps on that we just disagree. I didn't say to take the game off Deportes. Just show it on MLSLive as well if ESPN will not show the game on national English TV.
I don't mean this as snarky as it's going to sound, but what you personally happen to be able to get also does not extrapolate to the general availability of the two products. The average person who gets basic cable and does not have an internet service may well have more MLS games available, if NBS Sports Net happens to be on his basic package (since FSC and FS+ certainly aren't).
This would be me. I pay more to add the sports package to get FSC (and other non-soccer sports channels I want) but without it I would get 1 EPL game (whatever ESPN/ESPN2 is showing) in a week and I would get all the nationally televised MLS games plus the Rapids game each week.
Now that I've had MLS live working without a hitch for a couple weeks on all platforms, I'm kinda happy. Here are my issues: 1. it looks like they are now enforcing this limitation of not being able to watch a completed game for 48 hours. 2. Why can't we watch replays on the iPad? Turns out that's my preferred platform now. 3. I can't easily watch highlights on the iPad. On The Panasonic and computer, the highlights play as one "reel". But on the iPad, I have to click each individual highlight, or else it plays the last one in an endless loop. 4. On the Panasonic, trying to go forward or reverse on a replay is really lame. You cannot see where you are in the game. It might just go backward 5 minutes for each click, but it's so frustrating that I don't even have the patience to figure it out.
Well, I was looking at a specific instance. A MLS game was available on ESPN Deportes only, which is not even available on Uverse's biggest most inclusive most expensive package. My point remains -- why blackout that game? Not just to me -- to anyone? I disagree with blacking out english language MLSLive because of "national broadcasts" that are hardly nationwide. So in this specific instance, MLS games are less available nationwide than EPL games are to broad segments of MLS's market. Do you think that is incorrect?