BBTF's Newsblog Discussion :: Timmermann: MLB.tv, I can’t say I wasn’t warned (updated with less interesting information!)

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Timmermann: MLB.tv, I can’t say I wasn’t warned (updated with less interesting information!)

I want my Bob Tv!

UPDATE: I called MLB.com today and became a former MLB.tv subscriber. Back to the world of Extra Innings. Television as seen on television! What a concept!

UPDATE 2: MLB.com’s email support says that “Bob Timmerman” has a different e-mail address than what I gave them and I can’t have my account cancelled. And people wonder why I tell people to spell my name correctly. Also, MLB.com’s Mosaic support team will be glad to help you if you send them a DXDIAG report or a NetStat report. Because that’s something that I’ve always expected to do to get my computer to work.

Despite all this, I could watch NCAA Tournament games on CBS Sportsline with no problems. And I didn’t even get charged for that.

Why didn’t I just sign up to get beaten up by Bud Selig and Bob Bowman with a sack of door knobs instead?

UPDATE 3: The door knob beatings commence. MLB.com won’t even display a login screen for my Gameday audio, which I still pay for. I was told it was a website issue. But I was also advised to make sure I have Silverlight installed. That apparently will make the door knob beating more enjoyable.

Repoz Posted: April 15, 2008 at 03:09 AM | 33 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: business, media, online, television

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1. greenback

Posted: April 15, 2008 at 03:36 AM (#2744327)

MLB.tv works for me with the latest beta of Firefox and Flip4Mac. Silverlight is not used, and I'm rather happy about that.

2. North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan Posted: April 15, 2008 at 03:41 AM (#2744332)

Silverlight sucks. My video is worse than it was last year, and I have very fast internet.

3. Robert S. Posted: April 15, 2008 at 03:44 AM (#2744334)

MLB.TV and Mosaic both worked on my MacBook in Safari until tonight. The "free" D-backs game for Phoenix has killed the service for me. Plenty of people who don't pay for it are apparently enjoying the game, though!

Anyone happen to have an email address or phone number for one of the higher-ups so I can cancel without too much hassle? I really don't want to waste a couple hours of my life trying to get a pro-rated refund . . .

4. Shock Posted: April 15, 2008 at 03:45 AM (#2744335)

start->run
"dxdiag"
enter
save information
email.

Don't act like it's such a big deal.

5. NTNgod Posted: April 15, 2008 at 03:47 AM (#2744336)

Silverlight sucks. My video is worse than it was last year, and I have very fast internet.

I wonder how much of it is on Microsoft, and how much of it is on the MLB.com coders.

I noticed some complaints in Spring Training about things (like fullscreen) that Silverlight supported easily, yet weren't implemented on MLB.com at that point yet.

The "free" D-backs game for Phoenix has killed the service for me. Plenty of people who don't pay for it are apparently enjoying the game, though!

They've already got YOUR money... they're trying to attract new business! :P

6. CWS Keith plans to boo your show at the Apollo Posted: April 15, 2008 at 03:53 AM (#2744339)

MLB.TV and Mosaic both worked on my MacBook in Safari until tonight. The "free" D-backs game for Phoenix has killed the service for me. Plenty of people who don't pay for it are apparently enjoying the game, though!

Opening Day was absolutely miserable. I didn't get to actually watching any of the White Sox game until the third inning. Their customer service was equally terrible -- it took me about ten minutes to even find a phone number on MLB.com and when I eventually got the number, I was disconnected about five times. Furthermore, even when I have gotten to see games this year, the quality has been piss-poor -- some of that is on the crappy internet I have at Marquette, but even last year it wasn't this bad.

I also don't like reading that Timmermann is having trouble canceling his subscription. I forgot that MLB plays that game where they charge you for the next season if you don't cancel your prior season's subscription.

Their service this year, quite frankly, has been a ####### joke.

7. NTNgod Posted: April 15, 2008 at 03:59 AM (#2744340)

some of that is on the crappy internet I have at Marquette

Wah, wah, wah. In my day, we didn't have internet in the dorms at MU. And my freshman dorm was stuck way out on 26th (and Dahmer was living half a block away).
(Yeah, I did walk to classes in the snow a few times)

When I moved off-campus, we had 14.4 modems AND LIKED IT!

:P

8. Boileryard Posted: April 15, 2008 at 04:01 AM (#2744341)

I've also been unimpressed with the 1.2M Silverlight stream. I haven't done a side-by-side comparison yet, but based on my first impressions the 800K stream in Windows Media Player looks better than the 1.2M stream in Silverlight. The WMP feed is definitely smoother. I just wish the 1.2M stream was available in WMP instead of being exclusively in Silverlight.

9. Phil Coorey. Posted: April 15, 2008 at 04:05 AM (#2744345)

It didn't work today and 800 WMP is better than 1.2 silverlight

10. HowardMegdal

Posted: April 15, 2008 at 04:16 AM (#2744352)

When I was 13, I listened to Anthony Young snap his losing streak by positioning myself in a dormitory window at Dickinson College so that my black Sony Walkman was in the upper right corner of the window.

This is not to say MLB.com shouldn't deliver better service.

11. Dan Posted: April 15, 2008 at 04:17 AM (#2744353)

Is there a way to make MLB.tv go back to using the WMP feed instead of silverlight without uninstalling silverlight?

12. NTNgod Posted: April 15, 2008 at 04:20 AM (#2744356)

When I was 13, I listened to Anthony Young snap his losing streak by positioning myself in a dormitory window at Dickinson College so that my black Sony Walkman was in the upper right corner of the window.

My freshman dorm was within walking distance of Milwaukee County Stadium, so it wasn't all bad. Day games and $4 bleachers - beautiful combo for a college student.

13. Dan Szymborski

Posted: April 15, 2008 at 04:27 AM (#2744359)

When I was in college, we didn't have any internet. The only way you could find out what happened was to wait for the stele-carving to come out.

14. Boileryard Posted: April 15, 2008 at 04:53 AM (#2744376)

Is there a way to make MLB.tv go back to using the WMP feed instead of silverlight without uninstalling silverlight?

I have Silverlight installed in Internet Explorer but not Firefox (which is my primary browser). If I want to use WMP for MLB.TV/Gameday Audio, I simply use Firefox instead.

15. SouthSideRyan Posted: April 15, 2008 at 05:27 AM (#2744389)

I went to college so long ago, that it was the Stone Age. No, but seriously, it wasn't the stone age... it was the Ice Age. I went to college so long ago that Jesus Christ was my counselor!! My roommate's name was Ug and he walked on all fours!!

16. Tuque

Posted: April 15, 2008 at 06:25 AM (#2744411)

^awesome

17. Bob T Posted: April 15, 2008 at 06:32 AM (#2744416)

start->run
"dxdiag"
enter
save information
email.

Don't act like it's such a big deal.

If someone had the read my whole post, you would know that I'm using a Mac, so there is no dxdiag file to send. I could send the system profile, but what little support that exists doesn't ask for it.

18. Gambling Rent Czar Posted: April 15, 2008 at 07:06 AM (#2744429)

It still amazes me that after countless horror stories about this, that bright people still pay for their services each spring.

MLBAM is making you pay to be a beta tester for them. Bottom line.
I could see the Jerry Springer types being a sucker for it, but not bright intelligent people, the types that frequent this board.

its amazing.

19. philoye Posted: April 15, 2008 at 07:11 AM (#2744431)

It still amazes me that after countless horror stories about this, that bright people still pay for their services each spring.

MLBAM is making you pay to be a beta tester for them. Bottom line.
I could see the Jerry Springer types being a sucker for it, but not bright intelligent people, the types that frequent this board.

its amazing.

As I live in Australia, what alternatives do you suggest?

20. Ben Broussard Ramjet Posted: April 15, 2008 at 09:04 AM (#2744439)

This Brit is also interested in the proposed solution.

MLB.tv has presented me with plenty of problems over the last 5 years I've been using it, but overall I've probably watched at least the majority of a couple hundred games live, and listened to many more with the audio player. For that money I probably could have watched 20 mediocre Sunday afternoon Premiership games instead.

Not excusing the poor service detailed above, but as the 'any port in a storm' solution, MLB.tv isn't close to the worst I've seen. And I'm not only bright intelligent, but smart and handsome too.

21. Harveys Wallbangers

Posted: April 15, 2008 at 09:25 AM (#2744442)

15 dollars to access to numerous games in both real time and via archive is an excellent deal. I can't speak to the video option.

I find nothing foolish about wanting to enjoy as much baseball as possible at a modest price.

I would encourage all to ignore criticism of your love of baseball.

22. Jim Wisinski

Posted: April 15, 2008 at 10:29 AM (#2744444)

My roommate's name was Ug and he walked on all fours!!

And now he stars in Geico commercials!

23. amcg Posted: April 15, 2008 at 11:16 AM (#2744450)

As a fan living in Ireland, MLB.tv is a godsend. Mind you, I actually listen to about 10x the amount of games I actually sit down and watch, but it's nice to know they're there...

24. The elusive Robert Denby Posted: April 15, 2008 at 12:55 PM (#2744481)

It seems like every time I use Mosaic, there's a new bug. So at least it's not boring. Crappy, but not boring.

25. Don't want the truth; just wanna see some dingers Posted: April 15, 2008 at 12:57 PM (#2744486)

And now he stars in Geico commercials!

Hold on, I'll put him on speaker.

26. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: April 15, 2008 at 01:02 PM (#2744494)

"When I was 13, I listened to Anthony Young snap his losing streak by positioning myself in a dormitory window at Dickinson College so that my black Sony Walkman was in the upper right corner of the window."

I went to college at Duke down in Durham, NC, and there was this one square in the parking lot where I could get the KDKA broadcast for night games. I used to go out there sometimes and listen.

27. Arva Posted: April 15, 2008 at 01:05 PM (#2744497)

I've had good luck with MLB.tv as well. I don't use SilverLight, run things in 800k full screen and its smooth and clear. Since my laptop has a TV hookup, I get to watch it on the big screen. I've had no trouble so far, knock on would.

28. faketeams Posted: April 15, 2008 at 01:07 PM (#2744498)

This is the first year I have used MLB.tv. There have been some issues, but I think it is a great product regardless. I can be in the same room with my wife now. I watch games on my laptop while the she watches one of those HGTV houseflipping/redecorating shows or the Bachelor or some other reality show that wishes it were Brett Michaels' Rock of Love II!

29. Bob Dernier Cri

Posted: April 15, 2008 at 01:23 PM (#2744503)

When I was in college in the 70s, we used the mainframe computer on campus by punching holes in IBM cards, running them through a verifier, and then handing them over a counter to an operator. Of course BTF was in its infancy:

1. BOB D#RNIER CRI: 09:18 AM HOW ABOUT THAT MIKE ####
2. JIM LONBORGHINI: 09:37 AM DO YOU MEAN M1K SCHIT
3. BOB DERNI3R CRI: 10:11 AM ####### NANNY

30. zack Posted: April 15, 2008 at 01:42 PM (#2744526)

MLB.tv was always great to me, until two days before the season when they rolled out silverlight and everything went to hell. Customer service is completely nonexistant. I'm determined enough that I've gotten compromise solutions to work, but it's a pain in the ass and I wish they would just go back to what they used last year. Same thing with gameday, which now requires flash9, though you can plug current games into the old gameday player address to watch them in last year's version.

31. HowardMegdal

Posted: April 15, 2008 at 01:59 PM (#2744546)

It still amazes me that after countless horror stories about this, that bright people still pay for their services each spring.

My only issue with MLB.tv is that I can't watch Mets games from the Yankee Stadium press box, or vice versa. A MLB.com producer tried to help me- and even he couldn't get access.

It's not clear what additional business MLB has generated as a result of this.

32. Harveys Wallbangers

Posted: April 15, 2008 at 02:38 PM (#2744579)

Call Matt Gould at 212-485-8959. Tell him that you know he wants fans to have a great experience.

He's PR for MLB Advanced Media but can connect you to a legit person.

Jim Gallagher left MLB for IMG or I would do better.

You could Google this in case Matt gets curious.

33. Boileryard Posted: April 15, 2008 at 02:40 PM (#2744582)

Aside from the quality issues with Silverlight, I've been a reasonably happy MLB.TV customer since 2006. The blackout restrictions are annoying and I really wish they'd get rid of them, but I doubt that's going to happen any time soon.

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Timmermann: MLB.tv, I can’t say I wasn’t warned (updated with less interesting information!)

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