With new MLB.TV premium features - count me in.

by rlgosnell on Feb 28, 2009 9:45 PM EST Comment 34 comments

OK, so I don't work for MLB, nor do I have any vested interets in attempting to generate increased revenues for said league. However I am a former comcast customer who recently switched to AT&T as my cable provider. Pros and cons with that switch (another subject) but one of my main concerns was not being able to purchase the MLB extra innings package and having to find a different source for my beloved Redbirds fix. I live in Houston so FSMW is not available so MLB.TV is the only other option. I don't like watching TV on my laptop because as far as ISPs have come, there are still always concerns with bandwidth and lag and such reducing picture quality and overall enjoyment. After looking at the new features for 2009 I think Im sold - especially with the choice of radio or TV announcers. I can watch the game but I get to listen to Shannon call it instead of Dan and Al wax on and on about the big addition thats like a major trade but not? Sweet - I cant count the number of times ive tried to mute the TV and tune the receiver to hear the audio, but the crappy AM signal sucks or the TV delay doesnt match the radio delay (which is my only concern with the feature.) Plus the DVR function which means I can watch the games like theyre on my DVR? Double sweet. I don't know if this is a big deal to anyone else but it looks like this season is gaining promise on and off the field IMHO.

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Was considering MLB.TV premium myself.

I don’t have any experience with MLB.TV so I’d certainly like to hear more reviews about the quality of their service and what problems I might have.

by krueger427 on Mar 1, 2009 3:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I don't have much choice other than to use MLB.tv

There’s going to be zero baseball on TV in England this year. You should check carefully about the blackout regions in the States if that will affect you.

On opening day last year there were a lot of reliability issues with the 800k and 1.2m streams, but they fixed themselves quickly. Other than that, it’s always been as advertised for me. I don’t make too much use of the Mosaic feature. Last year required Silverlight for the Premium streams but they are switching to a flash player for this season (I always streamed mine in VLC, anyway).

Make sure you untick the ‘auto-subscribe’ feature when you sign up. It’s on by default.

I can only suggest giving the free trial a go.

by notmorganfreeman on Mar 1, 2009 4:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

MLB.TV user going premium

Being a Cards fan in Michigan who doesn’t want to pay for satellite TV or anything like Extra Innings, I’m pretty much forced to go with MLB.TV. I’ve subscribed the last two or three years and have enjoyed watching the Birds on my computer.

This is the first year I’m going premium as well. I like the fact that you can choose between home and away broadcasts – so when the Cards are on the road, I can listen to their broadcast instead of the home team’s.

Welcome to Baseball Heaven.

by zoomzoomj88 on Mar 1, 2009 4:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I may invest in one

of these this year, especially if a certain ball club is still playing in the middle of October.

hecanthithecanthithecanthithecanthit

by Alxfritz on Mar 1, 2009 4:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

tell me that isn't a joke

I would think they would have a hard time selling those things, what with the high quality of network announcers

* sarcasm might be involved in this comment

and....BEN SHEETS!!! **

**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)

by mattyfrommo on Mar 1, 2009 11:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Like

Steve Phillips and Joe Morgan just to name a couple. ESPN should already know, these guys are the only reason I know anything about baseball. They’ll probably boycott this new product before it has a chance to hit the market.

Patiently awaiting the day Colby Rasmus does this: .275/.381/.551/.932, 29HR, in St. Louis...

by RunninRedbird on Mar 2, 2009 8:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

pretty much the best

choice here in Nebraska i have time warner and they have extra innings but its over 200 dollars and they only have 80 games a week were as mlb premium has 100 games and only costs 100 bucks along with being able to watch anywhere im at and watch games any time i want.

by scottiet05 on Mar 1, 2009 5:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah.

The only thing is that I feel extra innings is much better quality. I dunno. I don’t have a permanent address, but if I did, I would probably do extra innings because I prefer sitting at a TV that comes in with a crisp picture.

On with the (good) youth movement!

by aet15 on Mar 1, 2009 9:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i have

my computer hooked up to a 32inch 1080p lcd and the games are in HD so its pretty good quality

by scottiet05 on Mar 2, 2009 3:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm assuming the archaic blackout rules still apply?

I don’t have cable because I can’t afford it, so I would gladly foot the bill for MLB.TV, if almost every Cardinal game weren’t blacked out. I may get cable this season, but it seems silly to me that I would pay cable’s exorbitant price (here in the monopolized metropolis of Des Moines) when I want it for one station (on which our cable provider actually doesn’t carry two-dozen Card games).

"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."

--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS

by bgh on Mar 1, 2009 5:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

A little googling

will show there are ways around such problems. ;)

Gregatron is not responsible for any of the crap he just wrote.

by Gregatron on Mar 1, 2009 6:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Out of curiosity (since I have mlb.tv in Chicago and blackouts don't affect me)

I did a “little googling” and all I found were people bitching about the blackouts and other people telling them to pony up for DirecTV.

Which really isn’t help at all.

Getting two tickets to an execution is like getting two tickets to NASCAR, except you KNOW Jeff Gordon's gonna die.

by Tackle Box on Mar 1, 2009 6:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Route through Proxies to begin game than switch off as soon as they game starts

They only initially check the IP when you start the broadcast.

Stat Whore

by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 1, 2009 9:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

How do you switch off the proxy

without navigating away? I guess I’m thinking of an anonymizer, but I don’t know any other way to use a proxy.

by spants on Mar 3, 2009 2:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

you can

put your zip code in at mlb.com to see if the blackout in your area is for the Cards

by scottiet05 on Mar 2, 2009 3:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

seeing that the above icon is a picture of Iowa with a superimposed cards logo

I would say that the answer to that question is ‘yes’

They say that it's never too late, but you don't get any younger...

by Valatan on Mar 3, 2009 2:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

BGH...

E-mail me and I’ll get you set up with FSMW-HD and local basic for about $20 a month for the next year, $30 a month after that. I work at Mediacom in Des Moines, so I can work SOMETHING out for you

fourstick@gmail.com

"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller

by fourstick on Mar 2, 2009 12:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

can you get me a list of the games Mediacom plans to black out this season?

or better yet, talk them into not blacking out any games at all this year.

* sarcasm might be involved in this comment

and....BEN SHEETS!!! **

**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)

by mattyfrommo on Mar 2, 2009 5:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I will as soon as we have it

I don’t know if you are aware of the MLB black out rules, but they are ridiculous, and we don’t always know which games we are going to be blacking out until the day of the game.

They seriously need to fix these rules so they make sense.

"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller

by fourstick on Mar 2, 2009 5:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yes, the blackout rules are crazy

I know that last year I got a list that was almost completely dead on from Mediacom. They were ones to be broadcast by FSM but Mediacom blacked them out because they were surcharge games. I was just wondering if you knew if that was going to be the case again this year.

* sarcasm might be involved in this comment

and....BEN SHEETS!!! **

**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)

by mattyfrommo on Mar 2, 2009 7:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ahhhhh

We haven’t decided whether to pick up the surcharge games yet this year. I will let you know when and if that happens and I’ll post a FanShot here with a link to the list. How’s that?

"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller

by fourstick on Mar 3, 2009 8:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

outstanding!

The next franklin is on me

* sarcasm might be involved in this comment

and....BEN SHEETS!!! **

**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)

by mattyfrommo on Mar 3, 2009 6:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm just happy the price went down

even though it’s only by $10, it’s nice to see. Now if only they’d respond to my email asking if it works in New Zealand . . .

On with the (good) youth movement!

by aet15 on Mar 1, 2009 8:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

new zealand? how'd you end up down there?

i’ve always wanted to go there, and of course Australia.

i wish DTV EI’s price would go down. i think they raised the price by $20bucks this year. i don’t remember paying $180 the last two seasons.

BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS

ManRam

I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!

by gdm426 on Mar 1, 2009 11:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

studying abroad.

and the wonder of it is that since my university in America is private, I’m actually SAVING money by coming here. It’s like I’m getting paid to go on vacation. Now if only I can get MLB.TV to work, I’ll be in paradise.

On with the (good) youth movement!

by aet15 on Mar 2, 2009 1:37 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

MLB.TV is a godsent option when studying abroad

However, I confess that I did not get MLB.TV during the fateful summer of 2007. Reading the box scores was painful enough…

"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."

--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS

by bgh on Mar 2, 2009 9:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

nothing better than getting paid to take a vacation

live it up dude. live it up.

BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS

ManRam

I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!

by gdm426 on Mar 2, 2009 11:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

They ditched that craptastic silverlight stuff this year

And it’s the only reason I came back this year. I have yet to see a game streamed with their new flash player so I have no idea how good it will be, but last year absolutely sucked with silverlight.

by cloistermaximus on Mar 2, 2009 10:08 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Silverlight...

was seriously awful. It was so choppy that I felt like every game I watched was going on during an earthquake. I uninstalled it and continued to use Windows Media. It made the feed small in its original window, but the quality was the same when you went full screen. And it wasn’t all choppy of course. I’m glad to hear they’re using a Flash player this year…

by LukeMP1186 on Mar 2, 2009 5:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs