MLB.TV - any recent opinions?

[jrbdmb]

Since Dish does not have MLB EI anymore I am considering purchasing MLB.TV for 2009. Unfortunately the last time I tried MLB.TV in 2007 it was a terrible experience - video quality on the Premium product was OK but there were so many drops / locks-ups I had to drop the package and get a refund about a week into the season.

Does anyone here have any experience with MLB.TV in 2008 or 2009 to suggest that the reliability of this product has improved?

Edit - chances are that I'll just get Gameday Audio or MLB At Bat for the iPhone (which includes audio this year). But maybe I'll try MLB.TV for a month or two if there are some good reviews out there.

 

[skysurfer]

I never had problems in 2008, but then again I did mostly same-day archive viewing late at night when I had time since I was busy most afternoons/evenings and I didn't use the mosaic because my PC is a dog for something that advanced.

I hook up my PC to a HD monitor, so it allows me to keep the same MLB from my comfy chair feeling. I don't have to sit in front of the PC to watch the action.

MLB.TV is going to flash from WMP for 2009 so i guess it's a tossup if MLBAM is going to have that working right or not.

I'm still subscribing to premium because of the higher video quality bitrate access and I find the archives valuable due to my schedule and it's still way cheaper to access my favorite sport through MLB.TV than get soaked with an expensive DIRECTV package and then the more expensive EI on top of that. I just wish they would get Gameday Audio to at least FM radio quality, becuase that's what I listen to while working and it bugs me that Gameday Audio sounds telephone horrible quality when it could sound FM radio/studio quality great without much more bandwdith needed.

 

[ehren]

I had this whole reply typed and my power went out. Gotta retype all this again GURRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I love MLB.TV because I can watch all the Phillies games from either CN8, WPHL-17 or CSN-philadelphia for all the games that are not on ESPN or FOX.

if you have a sustained bandwidth of 3meg (I have 5meg) you will get a 720p HD feed for the games this year with the flash player.

I used WMP at 1200k for the games last year and they pissed me off with 2 months left in the season by defaulting to 800k unless you used that P.O.S Microsoft Silverlight which was choppy and awful.

Directv only uses CSN and doesn't always use it, just the other teams broadcast.

HD video on Youtube is awsome for clips and I hope MLB.TV looks like those clips this season!

 

[skysurfer]

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the flash player last night (game 1 of the WBC that had China v Japan).

The stream was limited to 800k since it is in testing. On a PC screen, you could see some slight artifacting, but when I put the player window on my monitor 2 (a.k.a. my HD set) and full-screened it, the slight artifacts were not noticeable and video looked good. Baseball from the comfy chair will work great this year with flash (and not with workarounds and tricks like WMP in 2007-2008) if last night is typical of how 2009 will be.

no flash archived games yet to test, but live flash was good.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

I don't even have an old opinion.

 

[cybok0]

I haven't even watched it yet.

 

[ehren]

I just watched an 3000k HD stream of the netherlands vs. Dominican Rep and it was awsome, can't wait to see all the games in 720p this season!

for some reason fullscreen was not HD, but that's why it's beta right now.

 

[Claude Greiner]

MLB TV worked just fine both here with comcrap 6 meg service and by 3 Meg T1 line at the office.


I got a Directv receiver coming just for MLB so that should put this whole thing to rest

 

[Jimbo]

MLB TV worked just fine both here with comcrap 6 meg service and by 3 Meg T1 line at the office.


I got a Directv receiver coming just for MLB so that should put this whole thing to rest

Are we talking MLB TV or MLB Network TV ?
One being the TV the other being on the computer ?????

 

[Islandguy43]

MLB TV worked just fine both here with comcrap 6 meg service and by 3 Meg T1 line at the office.


I got a Directv receiver coming just for MLB so that should put this whole thing to rest

Wait a Minute...Claude...a Dish Retailer...whom is telling us...to stay with Dish....now sub of Directv????

 

[Jimbo]

Wait a Minute...Claude...a Dish Retailer...whom is telling us...to stay with Dish....now sub of Directv????

I believe Claude sells both DISH and D* now, has been for a while now, at least I think I remember something being said about that.

Being able to sell both makes his profits double

Jimbo

 

[Islandguy43]

I believe Claude sells both DISH and D* now, has been for a while now, at least I think I remember something being said about that.

Being able to sell both makes his profits double

Jimbo

That would be a smart move on his part. The Buffalo area, the two largest retailers Intertech (Dish) and Satellite Solutions (Direct) butt heads with each others offers.

 

[skysurfer]

I got a Directv receiver coming just for MLB so that should put this whole thing to rest

so you are bending over this year, huh?

I love how DIRECTV jacks up the price to almost $200 this year, and I pay about half of that for MLB.TV with a lot more MLB access (archives, audio, etc) especially that fits my schedule of late evening viewing from the archives or the late-running west coasters.

 

[bleedblue23]

Yup, best part about MLB.TV this year is dual feeds. You can watch whichever broadcast you want and hpoefully they will have all the games that are in HD in widescreen on MLB.TV. A good portion are already but there are a few parks teams that don't have their HD games in widescreen on the package yet, atleast from last year. The flash player works pretty well so far. The WBC has looked great on it and I have put it up on my 32" and 50" tvs and both look pretty good. This may be the year I kick EI to the curve. All the feeds on MLB.TV means all the games and the quality is pretty darn good. It will be interesting to see though if the multiple view option on the new player will be like or if it will be possible to open multiple players up in order to watch several games at a time.