MLS Direct Kick and MLS Live 2012 and 13

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by aztec21bas, Feb 24, 2012.

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  1. frobisherthepenguin1

    Jun 6, 2008
    South Jersey
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    My iPad currently showing last years standings with Montreal slotted in with 6 games played. Wtf?
     
  2. sitruc

    sitruc Member+

    Jul 25, 2006
    Virginia
    As a Union fan, shouldn't you be happy about that?
     
  3. CyphaPSU

    CyphaPSU Member+

    Mar 16, 2003
    Not Far
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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]
     
  4. Geneva

    Geneva LA for Life

    Feb 5, 2003
    Southern Cal
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
  5. sedlie

    sedlie Member+

    Apr 5, 2011
    At least that is more entertaining than if it had been regular speed.
     
  6. sedlie

    sedlie Member+

    Apr 5, 2011
    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?
     
  7. Geneva

    Geneva LA for Life

    Feb 5, 2003
    Southern Cal
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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?
     
  8. Lord Helmet

    Lord Helmet Member

    Apr 29, 2005
    Denver, CO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
  9. joehooligan0303

    joehooligan0303 Member+

    Dec 16, 2001
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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" :)
     
  10. We are Rose City

    We are Rose City New Member

    May 31, 2011
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Holy crap dude, you have brought this thread to it's knees...move on for the sake of the rest of us.

     
  11. DonJuego

    DonJuego Member+

    Aug 19, 2005
    Austin, TX
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
  12. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You're assuming this was a MLS decision. I bet it was a requirement of the contracts they signed.
     
  13. DonJuego

    DonJuego Member+

    Aug 19, 2005
    Austin, TX
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
  14. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
  15. Absolute

    Absolute BigSoccer Supporter

    Aug 18, 2007
    Green Hell
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    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
     
  16. DonJuego

    DonJuego Member+

    Aug 19, 2005
    Austin, TX
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
  17. DonJuego

    DonJuego Member+

    Aug 19, 2005
    Austin, TX
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
  18. sitruc

    sitruc Member+

    Jul 25, 2006
    Virginia
    Almost ironically, it would have been best if he started watching around that time.
     
  19. Knave

    Knave Member+

    May 25, 1999
    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 ...
     
  20. monster

    monster Member

    Oct 19, 1999
    Hanover, PA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
    Jasonma repped this.
  21. DonJuego

    DonJuego Member+

    Aug 19, 2005
    Austin, TX
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
  22. Stan Collins

    Stan Collins Member+

    Feb 26, 1999
    Silver Spring, MD
    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).
     
  23. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
  24. mjlee22

    mjlee22 Quake & Landon fan

    Nov 24, 2003
    near Palo Alto, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
  25. DonJuego

    DonJuego Member+

    Aug 19, 2005
    Austin, TX
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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?
     

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