KSSioux

It varied greatly from venue to venue due to the games that I have watched are US national teams and they have been from various countries and not from one particular team or arena. The picture was usually a pretty good standard quality, but the announcers made the games hilarious to watch at times. I am sure the announcers for these games will be very knowledgeable about hockey, but not so much the teams. I also have not heard the rule changes in place due to these games. Not sure whether they will be US college rules or Canadian college rules, so that will also make it interesting for the announcers. One last thing that I noticed from these games is that they usually have one camera doing the coverage, sometimes two, so you will have to give them allowance for that as well. For those that used to watch the Alaska-Anchorage games it is much better than that.

I have watched numerous games on Fast Hockey (mostly the US National squad games) and the quality has been good. I doubt these games will be in high definition, but the feed does not chatter like the NeuLion UND games, so in that way it will likely be better. But NeuLion continues to say it is on my end and not their problem. Obviously the games that I watched on FastHockey did not have the likely number of folks that these two games will get, so we will see how that is handled. I never had any buffering watching it using IE as a platform and did not have to go to Google Chrome like for the NeuLion feed. Bottom line is that the FastHockey feed was much better than most feeds of college games, but remember there is no commercials, so be prepared for lengths of silence and the camera work is sometimes a little sketchy.

Now the apologists for the university are going to have something else to blame the lack of folks watching the webcasts. They will say that the numbers are down because the team sucks, not because the internet feed is bad, because it is on your end. I really would love to see the numbers of folks logging in to webcasts, vs. FCS vs. FTA. The original numbers Jayson gave were pathetic after the exhibition, but I have not seen anything since.

This is by far the worst loss and team failure I have seen in many years. This team is not playing with any heart and you do not know who is going to show up. There is no line chemistry, zero power play effort (dump and chase might work if someone is going to chase), not playing anywhere good enough to get any bounces, and they should all be embarrassed. This team will be the first in the Hakstol era to not make the NCAA's, because I see no leadership beyond the general,and it will not be even close. There is talent on this team and the defensemen (if they actually play defense, not wing) are going to develop. To watch this on a horrible internet feed which chops and no one cares is even worse (it does look good when they are standing still, but it is on my end I am sure).

Just because it aired zero Minnesota games does not mean you cannot make a comparison. I would bet that the UND-Miami(OH) game on CBSSN will have more viewers than any Minnesota game on the Big10 Network during the first half of the season. Also, I would like someone to explain how the UND-BU game is allowed to be aired on NBCSN since we supposedly cannot have FCS cover the games. Would love to see the contract that was signed by the NCHC.

Big schools by size does not equal TV viewership. The UND/Nebraska-Omaha was I believe the highest viewed college hockey game on the NBCSN last year. My argument is with the negotiation behind the deals with MidCo and CBSSN. A simple clause in the contract that stated that any games that are not selected to be covered by CBSSN would be allowed to be broadcast by the teams in whatever manner they wanted. I would bet that one of the North Dakota-Minnesota games from Marriucci will be on the Big10 Network when they play there in a couple of years. Even if Wisconsin is playing Michigan or Michigan State, that game would get the viewership.

This will end up hurting recruiting and the issue I have is the poor negotiating that the NCHC did. The NCHC does not have an EXCLUSIVE contract with CBSSN as they also have three Atlantic Hockey telecasts. It is sad when the college hockey team with the most TV viewership nationally cannot negotiate. All we hear is the sob story of, "We were just one of eight votes". There is no doubt the BigTen league, with only six teams, has a HUGE edge in coverage right now. Who would have believed even a year ago that Penn State would have more nationally televised games than North Dakota. The Big Ten has games televised on the CBSSN, NBCSN, ESPNU, ESPNNews, and of course the Big10 Network. In fact Wisconsin and Michigan have as many games on CBSSN as Nebraska-Omaha. Do you think that the BU-UND game being televised on NBCSN does not have anything to do with the viewership that the UND fan base has? Also, the WCHA has an equal internet service for all of their teams announced, that UND currently has for fans outside of the MidCo viewing area. Again, take a look at UND's roster and see how many of the boys are outside of the MidCo footprint. This was a horrible deal with CBSSN. By the way, since the Big10 has their own network and NBCSN gathered in Hockey East after Notre Dame joined, who else was CBSSN going to get as far as college hockey. Do you think they would want the viewership of Atlantic Hockey (although as I mentioned they have three games already in their line up), ECAC or the WCHA?

Picture looks great when still or slow action, but when streamed via HDMI cable from PC to Samsung 50" Smart TV the action is still a little jittery and got a little worse near the end of the second period before smoothing out. Using Google Chrome, and a clean copy of that. It is just faster action that gets a little jittery. Definitely better than last week. Not sure what cold be causing it, but at least it is not buffering. The picture on my monitor looks a little better, so it seems like it is just during the expansion.

IT could be the web site. I agree. I am copying in the response that I got from Neulion. The reason I think many folks do not ask them questions is they do not actually try to fix anything. How many times do you have to say to make sure the software is up to date. Do they not understand it when I tell them that other sites and videos, live feeds, etc. work well. The comment I would make to folks is DO NOT run the game on IE. Use Google Chrome for your best opportunity to have the best feed. Below is the canned response: Dear Subscriber, Please ensure that you are up to date with all of your software. Please just verify by downloading the following: Microsoft Internet Explorer: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx Adobe Flash Player: http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/ If these do not correct the problem, please try downloading and installing Google Chrome: http://www.google.com/chrome If you experience the same issues in Google Chrome please first try to lower the bit rate or quality level to see if this improves playback for you. If you have the same issues on the lowest quality level please try the following. Right-click on the video screen, and you should be given a list of Flash related options. Please select "Settings..." from the list of options presented. Along the bottom of the 'Settings' box, you'll see some tabs... Click the 3rd tab over to the right (looks like a file folder with green arrow on top) and move the slider bar to the right until higher than 100 KB (1 MB is the next option to the right) Next, click the tab on the far left (looks like a monitor) and then uncheck the box that says "enable hardware acceleration". (if the box is unchecked already, try 'checking' the box). Next, clear your browser cache and cookies and check for video improvement. Please let us know if you continue to experience the same issues so we can help further troubleshoot your issue. Please also visit the two speed tests below and let us know what your download speeds are. http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest -- Select the New York target option as a baseline http://speed.neulion.com:1855/nlspeedtest/ Thank you, Neulion Support

I have the same issue, and you are correct others have also reported this. I have messaged Neulion and they do as they always do and say it is on my end. I run tons of other live and recorded feeds without issues including the WatchBigSky live events. The recorded shows also blur and than clear during watching with is also annoying. I will message them again, but I expect the same response back.

Appreciate the comments and input. Just a couple of things. If you have to time lag behind, it is not actually a "live" feed is it. I watch many different HD live feeds without these issues and would expect more out of this based on the other live HD feeds that I get over my wireless. I have some of the fastest connections outside of Chattanooga, TN, so that is not an issue and since I have no problems with other live feeds because of that, it should not be a problem. A final thing is about the HDMI cord. I got pummeled earlier on my pricing of a HDMI cable (I used Monster pricing and referenced it to a FTA system), and did not want to by a cheap Chinese knockoff to give Neulion another excuse. I do agree that if you get a good quality one, it is similar and good enough for this 720P feed.

This definitely was not full HD quality and the picture did chatter, but I am not sure why. Part of the problem I see is the comments about, "it is not on our end". It is definitely tied back to UNDSports web site, Neulion, or Midco. There are some folks on here that may have poor internet connections, but those of us who watch HD live feeds regularly on their computer know it is not good. It was definitely 780P and not 1080P quality, but I will say that it was better than I thought it would be. It does amaze me that they still have these issues. Neulion may respond to questions, but they blame the user and do nothing to fix it. I also find it laughable when some folks have said, "give them time, you were not great on your job the first day". That is ridiculous because it does not fly. You pay for a service and expect a professional to do the job, not someone learning as they go. My church has better feed quality than this, in better HD and by the way they added the IPad (non-Flash) fix within a month of folks requesting it.

The picture is choppy, but does look better than FCS last year when it is not chattering. Mine is not buffering on this end, but using a clean edition of Google Chrome I guess helps. This is the only thing I will use Google Chrome for and try to keep it clean, since Neulion refuses to do anything about the IE live feeds. I would say this is actually better than I thought. I knew there would be problems, but not catastrophic so far. I hope people realize that the comments about it "being on our end" is sarcasm. It definitely is on UNDSports/Neulions end as myself, like almost everyone else view other live feeds (HD and other) without so much as a hiccup. I agree with those that say it should be fixed quick. They have used this same platform for years and we have seen very little performance improvement. I would like to see the numbers of viewers online compared to last year at the peak.

This is getting to be more and more of a joke. The log in system has always been horrible and Neulion does nothing to fix any of their problems. This is why I comment about these issues, but I keep getting trashed and have been told to keep quiet and wait. They are supposed to be professionals, but if they cannot make their platform run on IE, Chrome, etc. they should be fired. The comments about being perfect from day one on your job that someone suggested is a joke. UND obviously contracted them to do the job. You would not want a plumber to "learn" in your house. You pay them because they are a professional at what they do and if they do not do the job you let them go and get someone else. I want to hear folks try to put more lipstick on this pig.

TRYING to watch the women's game and already there are problems. The popout option does not work and therefore cannot expand to full screen as the menu covers the expansion button. It is also buffering. Do not want to hear that it is my computer, because I play all kinds of live events without any issue. This is what I feared as no problems have been fixed. I had sent these issues to neulion and they responded back I should use Google Chrome. What a joke this will be in about 9 days.

Just a little tidbit about the NCHC "deal" with the CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Network announced that they will cover two Atlantic hockey games. That means Army will have two games nationally televised so far, one on CBS Sports network and one on the Big 10 network. That means they have one more game televised than Omaha nationally. Penn State has six games nationally televised on Big 10, while North Dakota gets 7 on the CBS Sports Network. Great negotiating for that "exclusive" deal with the CBS Sports Network. Trust me, I love that there is more college hockey being shown, but the deal the NCHC got was horrible considering everything that went along with it.

Thanks for that input. That teaches me to go on what I have heard regarding the feeds. Glad to hear that is the case, so it justifies an upgrade to my system since my receiver and motorized dish system are a little dated.

I am glad that you are recognizing what is known and what is not known. One additional fact everyone should know is that a GOOD FTA system would cost you only 2.5 times what the cable costs that will connect you to the HDMI port on your TV from the computer (a cable that is about ten feet long). Also, the FTA feed was far superior to the FCS picture that we received last year. There are far more FTA customers and UND donors that received this feed that will now have to rely on the internet feed. Right now the internet feed is not good so I do hope it improves quickly. It is not my computer because I get many other live feeds, even in HD, without a problem. I cannot even watch a replay of the UND coaches show without it blocking and delaying. Also, just FYI, a HD FTA system would cost about 3.5-4 times what that cable costs to connect your computer to the HDMI port on a TV. The reality is that there are not many FTA HD feeds yet, so getting that type of a system would not get you much right now. It is true that I hope UND will realize how much not being on television will hurt recruiting outside of the MidCo area. I am glad they are looking at options,

My point with that statement is since the Big Sky conference sports are run through the America One/Big Sky system has that slowed down the efforts to getting an acceptable internet video feed through UND Sports. The America One/Big Sky system is very good, and much better than the UND Sports system. Probably the only video feeds folks will watch through UND Sports is hockey. I did not say that it did slow down the improvements to the UND Sports system, only how much emphasis are the putting into it since it has been the same for a couple of years now. Again, I hope they will fix the issues but if they are still running the current platform I do not have much confidence. I have multiple computers that I have ran it on and it is not good. I know it is not my computer setup because I run other live video feeds through The Blaze, CNN, Fox News, NHL, etc. and do not have an issue with those. Just FYI, The Blaze system is about the best that there is and I believe they modeled it after the MLB system they use for their games and it is a High Def setup.

i apologize as I was too generic in my response. The only point I am inferring here is the deal that everyone is referencing with MidCo, and how great it is to see an increase in football, basketball, etc. coverage. Because of that we should not complain about the REGIONAL hockey coverage by MidCo due to the dissolving of FTA because of that deal. I realize the CBSSN deal is the cause for the loss of FCS national coverage, but that could have been dealt with much better by our athletic department and we should have used our leverage to accomplish that. I would also like to know how much the video coverage of football and basketball by America One (Big Sky licensed) has had to do with the slow response to getting a better video feed on UND Sports for the hockey games. Appreciate you calling me out on that as I was a little zealous in my comment.

Really, everyone who had a TV in the 80's when UND hockey was on PBS could watch it when they wanted. Due to signal strength it was available everywhere in ND, in southern Alberta (including Winnipeg), southern Saskatchewan and eastern Minnesota. My point regarding PBS was the number of viewers was greater than than it is now due to that fact. I am not saying PBS was, or is, the answer but just that coverage has varied through the years and is far worse now. I am sure that did help recruiting in the area, but at that time you could watch Sioux hockey in a greater area than the other division one schools, so it may have. The conversation will continue if things do not get better. To sacrifice hockey for the rest of the sports I do not think was in the best interest of the school. There was no reason the best division one hockey program, and most followed, should have this done to them. At least they could have upgraded the streaming capabilities in all the time that they have had and known this was going to happen. Again, I hope in a month I will see that I am wrong, but with their current system I doubt that.

Well I hope they do not "whine" to Schlossman, but I do hope that they "whine" to Jayson. Your comment regarding my post earlier that basically nothing is anyone at UND'S fault is quite laughable. UND did set up the streaming system and could have dealt with the issues while everyone was "whining" for over two years now. As far as the NCHC and the TV coverage, UND does have enough power to have stated that any game not being telecast by CBSSN they have the rights to. By the way, CBSSN does not just cover the NCHC as they have a game involving Wisconsin on the network as well. Why did the NCHC folks think that was OK? This is a terrible reduction in coverage for those fans across the country and it will effect recruiting. That is actually what I am worried about long term, since I do know how to connect a computer to a television. I actually commented favorably regarding the Big Sky streaming setup in that it "was" very good last year. I have only caught a little this year and it was OK. Far superior to what UND offers right now through the paid coverage on UND Sports. For those that do not remember, back in the early 80's all of UND's home games were on PBS. Coverage equals recruiting and this is going to hurt badly. As I stated, I hope things do get fixed but if they do not there should be a fan uprising that lets folks know what is wrong. People have a right to speak up without being called an idiot.

Those that are apologists for the coverage will likely see the storm about to come in a month when the coverage of hockey starts to implode the system. Trust me, I hope I am wrong on this but it is already starting to be a problem with what I have heard this last weekend and their has been nothing done to the streaming of the games on the UND athletics site that they have mentioned. To see the mass of people that are going to try to get the games on line and watch the system fall apart as we try to watch even an exhibition game I hope will stir more of a fire under folks that are sitting back and have been told to keep quiet. I have the fastest internet speeds outside of Chattanooga, TN (please bing/google it if you actually want to see what I am talking about) and I also know how to hook a computer up to a television. Unfortunately, even the coaches show caused delays. If you try to watch on an IPad, good luck because you cannot. Please do not try to run the Photon App or something like it because the UND system does not support it and the Photon App will not handle the streaming. I know that moving to D1, the Athletic Department was trying to upgrade the Football/Basketball coverage and the Big Sky system was actually pretty good, to very good, last year. Unfortunately, I hear it is not as good this year or maybe the increase in viewers also taxed that system. The UND Media Relations does need to improve things and I hope it will be done quickly for the coverage. Please take a look at the roster on the hockey team and see how many folks are on the team this year, or the past few years, outside of the three state area MidCo covers. Do you think kids actually will PAY for an internet feed rather than watch their parents sport package to see a UND hockey game that used to be on FCS? I know people think folks are just complaining, but it will have a serious effect on recruiting. Those same kids can watch many other games on BigTen Network, NBCSPN, FCS or the other sports channels in their tier. I just hope North Dakota does very well in their few games on CBSSN, because they will be extremely important to recruiting. As far as all this HD stuff that people are bragging to folks about regarding MidCo, my cable system here in Kansas has high school, and junior college football games on in HD and the coverage is far superior to MidCo.

Pattyn deserves the "C" with Simpson a close second choice, but will definitely be an "A". I would say the scond "A" is up in the air and I would not be surprised if St. Clair is not in the running. I think he will be an everyday player and may be moved up to a second line role. Not easy to sit out a whole year and try to get your legs. That commitment is a real positive and I am sure is noticed in the locker room.

I think next years team will be very good and if we stick with line combinations we will be better than good and could make a run. I do not comment on here much, but was upset with all the folks wanting Rocco on the first line. The two top lines should have been Kristo-Knight-Parks and Rocco-Rowney-Caggiula. Rocco has great chemistry with Drake and Parks should have been kept on the first line and did not have a chance after he got back form injury. This is how I would like to see the forward lines next year: Caggiula-Parks-Rocco (I officially dub this line the CPR line to get life back in this team) Gaarder-Mark McMillan-O'Donnell Murphy-Johnson-Tambellini (all freshman line to build chemistry) Rodwell-Pattyn-St.Clair (The best fourth line in the NCHC, and maybe the country) I see Chyzk, Mitch McMillan and Jimmer to fill in. Could easily see Mitch with his brother if he develops chemistry and Gaarder can fill in on the fourth line as needed. I also do not see any other freshman forwards coming in next year unless something else develops. Just my impression, for what it's worth, but I am very optimistic that we could have a great TEAM next year even though it may not be as talented on paper as what other folks have thought.