It is kind of a bummer that in 2020, they couldn't offer all those shows as one stream via ESPN+. Just tune to ESPN+ at 11:30 (or even noon) and let it roll. FWIW, my Roku is somehow smart enough to switch inputs automatically when I press any button on the remote or app. Switching inputs is painless.
In terms of video, my ESPN+ stream was fine ona 1Gb connection. In terms of audio, well, I had music in one ear.
Be careful what you wish for. The FA Cup final and the rather lengthy post-match show was all on one stream. That's great if you are watching live but if you are only able to watch on delay you have to wait for the entire post-game show to conclude before you can even begin to stream the match. What I learned this weekend is that it really sucks to rely on streaming to watch matches that have the potential to go into extra-time and PKs. With regular TV its fine - you just set-up the DVR to record an extra hour and while you're watching the game yo have no idea if that extra hour contains extra time or the regularly-scheduled espn programming. But when streaming you know when the match ends and that's a pretty big spoiler in Cup matches like this.
All good points. And more reasons why streaming has quite a way to go before it matches the quality & user-friendliness of the old model. Which is why I continue to fantasize that managers from ESPN, NBC, FOX, etc. follow our threads looking for suggestions of ways they could improve. Yeah right!
Yes, that stuff is annoying. All the clicking and opening different links. It is even worse for those who have multiple streaming services, where changing "channels" means closing one app, opening the other, choosing the event, etc. But, it is definitely worth it because now you can watch just about anything in the world, and usually on demand so you don't need to remember to record everything. It seems that most linear channels are going to be phased out, except maybe for live news channels. I mean, who needs a linear channel for pre-recorded shows like series, realty shows, cooking shows, etc.? And for sports, ESPN+ seems like the model going forward. Live events that you click on, pre-recorded stuff that you click on, rather than joing some program in the middle. Streaming does have its flaws, but those are being addressed as time goes by. And while it does take some getting used to, the on-demand aspect of streaming is definitely an improvement over linear channels. Unless you particularly enjoy mindless zombie channel surfing.
I think you’re ignoring some of the benefits of how streaming handles these scenarios, though. For instance, satellite/cable boxes have a finite amount of memory, so you’ve got to make sure you’ve got enough at all times and when you’re adding time to the end of a scheduled recording you don’t want to add too much time (for memory purposes), so it ends up a guessing game. And “keepers” pile up to eat away much of that memory, With something like YouTube TV, you can set it to DVR every game your team plays, there is no DVR limit and the recording continues until the event is over. I prefer that greatly vs. the cable/satellite setup even if occasionally a marathon sporting event’s circumstances are partially spoiled by the known length of the recording (the 18-inning 2018 World Series game springs to mind). On demand via ESPN+ is different, but at least the match is there and stays there without any effort of your own or impacting your ability to save other content; that I like. It’s really a matter of preference seeing as each has its limitations and benefits.
This was an issue 10+ years ago but not anymore IMO. We get something like 75-100 hours of HD to store on the DVR now. Basically unlimited. Its not occasionally, its every match where extra-time is a possibility. Say that I am watching a game and its 1-1 in the 70th minute. I know the match is ending in 20 minutes because the stream only has 30 minutes left to go, so already that’s a spoiler - I know someone will score soon. And after that goal happens, I might as well turn it off because I know who won. There’s almost no chance of the other team replying to make it 2-2 since I know the game doesn’t go to ET. look, I love espn+. I am just offering advice for watching Cup or other playoff-type matches. I.e. make it a priority to watch these type of games live if its only available on streaming. Otherwise you will get spoiled (guaranteed);
Unless you're sitting there waiting for the replay to show up, in which case the time of its availability would be a spoiler, you can usually avoid finding out how long the replay is by doing one of the following: 1) Just start playing the replay as if it were live, i.e., don't fast-forward, just let it play so you never see how much time is on the progress bar (make sure you look away for about 10 seconds once you start for the progress bar to leave the screen) or if you don't want to sit through stoppages, etc. you can 2) Look away/close your eyes when you FF. If you've watched enough replays where you've fast-forwarded you should have a feel for how long to hold the button down and how long it takes for the progress bar to disappear from your screen after FFing. Neither solution is ideal, but for example I watched the Portuguese Cup final on ESPN+ on replay using method #2 without being spoiled on its length.
I watch and record so many sporting events, often starting them a little late so I can skip through a good amount of commercials before catching up, and almost never have felt like I had anything spoiled by the status bar. Art Deco also beat me to the “close your eyes” suggestion. I mean, if you watch sports a lot you’re bound to have wanted to avoid a score or something like that, which is a similar conundrum. Sometimes you need to put a piece of cardboard over the part of the screen showing the scroll of scores you’re trying to avoid and what you’re talking about is at least the same ballpark. It’s not ideal, but it’s a dumb solution that works. And with soccer all you have to do is not look at the status bar when you press play at the start or if you FFWD through halftime (which I could do on YouTube TV without even looking since one “FWD” click = 15 seconds when I had it). I’ve been doing this long enough to have had to check the channel I’m recording onto a VHS tape to see if my team’s game is done yet while also not wanting to see the score, timing, or any faces, just a glimpse of the corner of the screen to see a team color.
I love streaming, and have been doing it for a long time starting with MLB.tv in the early 2000s, and I love watching games on demand, but cup games are a no-go for me solely for the time factor. Anything that involves a knockout will almost assuredly be impossible to watch on demand. Yes, this a flaw of streaming, and I wish there was a way that ESPN would needlessly pad on an additional 60 minutes of black onto the end of cup matches just to fool me, but I know that's not feasible. Funny thing is that if you're doing it for tennis, it's the same thing, so it's not just soccer. If it says that replay is 1 hour a 30 minutes, and someone wins the first set, you pretty much know, short of that guy retiring, how it's going to end. The only thing I could think of is something where ESPN+ doesn't list a time and just shows zeros and if you want to fast forward you can, but it doesn't give an indication of how far you've gone. That's the best I can hope for. Outside of that, I just don't bother watching cup matches if I can't watch them live.
yeah I sometimes do those tricks, but the biggest problem is that the length of the stream appears on the icon you have to click to get the stream started. So its very difficult to avoid, unfortunately.
Just funny that sketchy sites have figured it out by including a link or tab for extra time or penalties(if needed), but these big properties are multiple years into it and don't seem to care. One of those things where it's an inconvenience for the people that watch recorded games, but it's a small % of annoyed of a small % of replayed game watchers. It definitely is nice to not have to remember to DVR every individual game I want to watch(had many scrambles to access barely functioning websites 2 minutes into a game to remotely record) or manage DVR space, but the cup spoiling does suck.
It seems like the length of video spoiler issue could be something easily addressed in settings for the app. Something like "hide video length" where you could just check it as a toggle on/off in the settings. If anybody at ESPN is reading this thread...
Just got an email that ESPN+ is going up from $4.99/mo to $5.99/mo, although for current subscribers like me they said it won't take effect for another year. $1/month isn't going to make or break anybody, and it's still a bargain for what we get, but I look forward to the renewed round of complaints from those who don't like streaming or ESPN or want everything the way it used to be.
Good timing. Just renewed my annual subscription for $50 last week I wonder how much the annual fee will go up(?). Now that they have Bundesliga the $1 increase is fully justified. CBS charging the same while having 1/4 the content justifies it further.
No e-mail yet about the Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle. Hopefully, that price stays the same, and becomes an even better deal.
Yeah me too. I’ve been subscribing for a few years on a monthly basis turning it off for a few months at a time,when I don’t expect to need to watch any games. Do you think they will still allow me to keep my old $4.99 rate even if I turn it off from time to time? I’m not holding my breath. Ps. For a few reasons I’ve been off the grid for a week or two. But I have to say I enjoyed the dialogue above about the pros/cons of streaming services. Some good even-handed ideas which I didn’t have time to respond to, but all suggested without much trace of hostility or polarization. Nice to see.
The email says the bundle is $12.99, I don't get the bundle so I'm not sure if that's the current price.
That is the same price. So, Disney+ and Hulu will now cost only $7 extra, instead of $8. That is a pretty good deal.
Plus starting to show the Eredivisie comeback tournament with the Feyenoord v Sparta derby. Though I am not sure what this Eredivisie tournament is(?). Just a bunch of domestic friendlies?
Because it's related to ESPN+, I'll put it here. The top two Verizon data plans include the Hulu bundle for free, starting later this week. If you have Verizon and ESPN+, it may be worth a look at your situation to see if it's worth a switch. It doesn't include Hulu live, but it could still work out to a win. https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/17/...mited-plans-free-disney-plus-espn-hulu-bundle Disclosure: I don't care who your mobile phone is with. I don't care how you get your TV. I'm just throwing this out for purposes of ESPN+ and general information.
ESPN announces Bundesliga streaming and TV plans for 2020/21 season https://worldsoccertalk.com/2020/08...ga-streaming-and-tv-plans-for-2020-21-season/