Peter, this is ridiculous. I'll ignore the Blu-ray because that's personal preference. There is no reason to "watch TV" on a phone or laptop while using modern technology. No matter which service or device or ecosystem a person is using it's all veiwable on actual television sets. I'm a perfect example: I have a 60" Android TV on which I watch everything but Apple TV+ through native apps. Apple TV+ is available on my PS4 (which is a luxury that everyone - especially Ken - does not have) I'll say it until I'm blue in the face: This is not as complicated as people want it to be.
Roku for $100 or less is an excellent streaming device. It tends to have most of the popular apps. They push out updates frequently and 3 or 4 years later when it’s unable to keep up you get a new one. (Currently doesn’t have the Spectrum app as they are in a contract dispute) Blu-ray players are generally not supported by their manufacturer for more than 3 years. Their apps tend to slow quickly. Smart TVs are ok for a few years but the internal processors get outdated eventually and can’t run current versions. Outboard is always the best option.
Most smart tv ui is horrible. I picked up a Samsung smart tv and roku for a 75+ family friend with intent to use the spectrum app in her bedroom. Booted that f'er up and no app available do to the dispute. The Samsung tv had the spectrum app available, but every time you turn it on it take 8 clicks to get it loaded and a station on. That is the stuff that keeps people 55+ from streaming. The games the sticks play with what apps can and can't be on their platforms is not helping one bit. I'm paying an arm and a leg for Spectrum. The wife wouldn't give up entering station numbers and jumping between the 8 different apps mentioned above.
Not to get too far into the weeds but if you have a Samsung with the small remote with no numbers, you can arrange the app icons so your favorite is right there every time you turn it on. You can even talk to the tv through the remote. The basic Samsung’s generally have an app button on the remote. I have a few Samsung’s that my kids use exclusively for apps. My 5 year old can find minecraft on YouTube with no problem. I agree, it’s not easy enough for older folks.
I'm running into the lack of native apps on my LG as well. Especially when it comes to soccer. No ESPN or NBC apps, and 90% of the time, they aren't on Peacock (which is a native app). Ended up getting a Roku for sports pretty much.
I want to know how your new tree in your front yard is doing. Didn’t you replace the old one with some type of oak?
Well, I certainly agree with this. But I'll give you an example from the past. I got a "home theater in a box" from Sony. I thought it would be simple solution. Buuut. Turned out to be multiple devices put in a box, which I never did--quite--figure out how to set up use correctly--the sound system, anyway. It was not "plug and play". So color me skeptical--just a a bit.
Yeah we picked up our 60” LG 4K, I made sure we picked up the 4K Apple TV. The Apple TV (despite being a little pricey) is far and away the best streaming device. We have a small Amazon Firestick in our room but it just doesn’t even compare in quality and UI.
Saw this on the CBJ Reddit. Let's all have a laugh at Sinclair's expense for a bit. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sinclair-plunges-giving-dim-outlook-201905147.html
I did! We replaced a dead Silver Maple with a Red Oak back in August. Seems to be doing well, and I'm sure it's loving all the water from snow over the winter. I'll give a full update in the spring after it buds.
By the time the APP is available (2022???) will The Crew even still have a TV Rights Contract with the network...?
Do they though? Exhibit A My main TV is less than 5 years old, and I'm already getting to the point that I cannot use some Apps (Hulu Live for example). My other tv is a couple years older and basically can't use current version of apps. We now have to use Roku on both TVs. Not that this is the end of the world, but it is annoying, and I woulldn't say it's convenient or user friendly. My parents got a tv about 8 years ago. They tried to get top of the line so that their grandkids would be able to use it in the future with Playstation or whatever. They also already can't use pretty much any of the apps anymore, even Netflix. Exhibit 2 Exhibit D
So, has anyone heard anything about who will carry the Crew's matches this year that aren't national broadcasts? The schedule still says TBA but we're less than a month from the start of the season.
Massive Report is showing Bally’s Sports Ohio. Which is Fox Sports Ohio from last season. The theory was the TV contract was through the 2022 season. Unless the Crew is working on another 2 yr contract with someone else. The only other option (Besides Bally’s) I could see them doing is partnering with a local TV station for local Columbus coverage and streaming the matches like Orlando is doing through their app but that will cut down on their distribution quite a bit. (It’ll make it easier for supporters to get the matches via streaming, but it’ll make it difficult for anyone with bad internet or casual TV surfers to find the matches as they’d have to know where to go for the matches and maybe pay.
Bally's is still sorting things out. They are also working on a pay per game streaming service. Still not sure how that works with MLBtv's contract and MLS's contract with ESPN+.
Bally's DTC product isn't coming until 2022, and they haven't confirmed that live sports will be part of it. They are rebranding Fox Sports RSNs on 3/31 as Bally's RSNs, and their rebranded app will come live then as well, but it will be Authenticated only at launch. https://thestreamable.com/news/sinc...fox-sports-rsns-direct-to-consumer-until-2022
Will the entire season be on Bally’s Ohio or Bally’s Great Lakes? Or split like last year? No issue in Columbus but us Dayton area folks are blacked out on the Cleveland feed. Would be nice of the FO to get this published sooner rather than later. Didn’t we just get a new communications guy from Texas recently?
Nope, the comms team looks the same this year as it did last. Tim, Carlos, and that other guy. If there isn't an announcement about local broadcast in the next 7 days, we know they have no idea - either through their own poor planning or Sinclair's.
Don't discount the possible (even likely) involvement of MLS here, though. That's messed up deals in the past.
You are always so quick to throw the FO under the bus for things completely out of their control. We have professionals in the FO now. If they know and haven’t announced yet, there is a reason.
I think the fact that they can't send email on time shows that the FO isn't 100% full of pros, but I know what you're saying and there has been marked improvement in a lot of areas. But I'll always hold the communications team to a higher standard, because if the fans don't know what's going on what's the point of the rest of it.
The news of something happening on 2022 that'll affect all local TV deals has me nervous. I mean, I shouldn't be, since I've been unwilling to jump through hoops to see locally televised games for a few years now. Still, I keep waiting for a reasonable and convenient package, but the trend seems to be going in the opposite direction when it comes to live sports.
I had a conversation with Steve Lyons at the draft right after he got hired and he was shocked at how little process was in place in the FO after the previous morons left. Absolutely no structure to how even the little things are supposed to function. He likened it to a start-up that expanded quickly. Said he had a ton of work to do just to get the FO functional at a basic level. There are certainly things that can be improved but I’m still giving them the benefit of the doubt.