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Jayson Hajdu

Verified UND Official
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Posts posted by Jayson Hajdu

  1. Problems: While all live events have streamed well, all archived events (post game pressers, highlights, etc) buffer and skip like crazy. What's the problem?

    BTW, the capitol one mascot ads, prior to the buffering skipping highlights and post game pressers, stream perfectly.

    Unless you have already, I would suggest contacting Neulion's help desk on this one.

  2. Jayson,

    Being in Mountain time and having kids to get to bed, I like to watch the games later at night. How soon will the games get onto replay?

    Also, last year the playback would time out whenever I paused the game for more than a few minutes. Could that be changed? While they are at it, fast forward and rewind worked very poorly last year...

    I will check on this for you. I do know, as a layman when it comes to this stuff, that it takes considerable time to upload a game for archive. But I'll get some specifics for you on both questions.

    UPDATE: Checked with Matt Schill, and he says the average upload over the past couple of years has taken anywhere from 1-90 minutes, and that it will be similar again this year.

    As far as playback, that is a function of Neulion's system. During live events, games can be paused and re-wound like a DVR but during playback of an archived event it will time out if left on pause long enough.

  3. Wouldn't work on my phone last night either.... There is going to be a lot of upset people if this isn't fixed quickly.

    The Sept. 27 women's hockey game wasn't available because the iPhone app only supports high definition. All of our HD men's hockey broadcasts -- plus the four women's HD broadcasts -- will be available on your iPhone.

    • Upvote 1
  4. I'm pretty sure they have more man power but still. It does seem to be a little higher. I'm not sure why they can't manage once a week or even every other week. Maybe Jayson can't elaborate on that. What I don't like is that there are good story lines they could work on and they don't even try. That would get people to watch ala Hard Knocks.

    It is a manpower issue.

    Many may not be aware of this, but Through These Doors and Opening Drive are conceived, written, shot, edited and produced entirely by student workers (with an assist from Matt Schill when his insane schedule permits). Having already sacrificed their nights and weekends for us, these kids are also juggling full class loads, as well as an actual paying-job or two. Unfortunately, the reality is there are too many sports and too many great storyline possibilities, and not enough manpower.

    I know you didn't mean offense when you said "they don't even try." These kids are absolutely busting it for us -- and for the fans -- for little to no pay. We'd love to be able to do even more with TTD or Opening Drive, and we'd love to be able to offer similar programming for other sports, such as basketball. In fact, that is a long term goal of ours. We simply don't have enough resources to go around at this time.

    While we'll always gladly take feedback, in my opinion these guys are doing wonders (an Upper Midwest Emmy nomination!) with what they have to work with and my hope is that the majority of our viewers agree.

  5. There are some Allumni that for reasons beyond their control are not able to spend 30, 40 50 dollars or more a month for cable.

    Even the annual fee for the webcast may mean a choice between not filling a months worth of prepscriptions during the year or a few less meals. That is all based on if they happen to live somewhere that Midco provides services. That is what is wrong with the current system. If you have, you get. If you are struggling, your screwed.

    Maybe the University should direct funds to a foundation that helps those UND Allumni or hockey fans on hardtimes by paying the fee Midco and/or Neulion expect. A new charity could be born!

    So you're expecting the University (or Athletics) to foot the bill for some, but not everyone? With all due respect, if that's the case you and I will probably never come to agreement on this. Like I said, in a perfect world, everything would be free for everyone, Oprah-style (You get a webcast, and you get a webcast, and you get a webcast...).

    But it's simply not realistic. I am sorry. I can say with all sincerity that we are doing everything we can to produce high-quality programming that reaches as many people through as many platforms as possible. Having said that, we still have to operate within our means in terms of budget and manpower.

    • Upvote 3
  6. Jayson, I think my question may have gotten lost in the crap storm that started flying later in the weekend. I'd e-mail you, but I thought it best to have the question posed and answered where others could see it. I thought of sending you a PM to make you aware of my question on this forum, but that seemed a bit too pushy, although I can see too how you might find that helpful - maybe that's something else you can address - when posting a question to you on these forums, would you prefer getting a PM from the poster to alert you of it? Anywho, in order to avoid having to dig back through the thread to see what my original question was, please find it below:

    "...Big Sky TV has a very nice feature - it can be streamed natively on an iPad - will UND Insider be able to do the same from the outset for Men's home hockey games this season? Thanks"

    Actually, it's not a bad idea to alert me via PM if a question has been directed to me. I can't say that I see every post on every thread, so that would be helpful.

    Regarding iPad streaming, our iPad app has actually been in development for some time now and we're a little frustrated ourselves that we haven't been able to launch it yet. I went to our own Matt Schill for an update. Here's what he gave me:

    "The short answer is yes, but we don't know a specific timetable. Men's hockey will be streamed to the UND Sports Android and iPhone apps for the upcoming year. We continue to work on a specific iPad app, but continue to find roadblocks along the way. I believe iPad users can use the iPhone app and stream the games, but we can't guarantee the results yet. Finally, Neulion (our web provider) is moving away from Flash to HTML5, which will allow all UND Insider to be viewed through tablet browsers. Neulion is currently in the test phase and should be available in the near future."

    I hope this answers your question.

  7. As I recall, the reason two broadcast cameras and the TV control room were added to the Ralph had multiple functions. To provide uplinks of hockey which were to then be manned by students in Communications. It was to provide the students with some real world Broadcast experience. It would seem that that concept has been "lost" over the years.

    Why wouldn't the University allow those two cameras to still be "manned" by students and sent to the uplink as was originally intended?

    Giving their students the chance to be involved in a small two camera production each game would be "priceless". It would also give the FTA crowd a piece of the action. Admittedly it wouldn't "hold a candle" to the quality Midco Sports adds to their broadcasts . The Ralph is pre-wired so several outputs can be sent out of the facility.I also know that the two cameras at the Ralph are not HD. So what? Neither the students or the FTA crowd would care if there is a image of the action. Before I get "blasted" here over my idea, it should be known that I have over 33 years in Film and Video production, 25 years of it in Broadcast.

    I say put the students back in the action and kill two birds with one stone.

    A couple of thoughts on this:

    *While I was employed in the athletics department at the time, it was at the undergrad/grad student level, so I was not involved in any of the planning for the arena or its broadcast capabilities. So I do not know whether this was ever the plan or not. I don't recall ever hearing that to be the case prior to your post, but that doesn't mean it's not true.

    *While it does appear to be a nice idea in theory, if I can be completely frank here, there is no way this would fly with a fan base as demanding (and I use the word in the most complimentary way) as ours. Having seen so much vitriolic criticism from some fans over the years of professionally-run broadcasts (Midco, FOX Sports North, CBS, NBC, ESPN, etc.), I find it hard to believe our hockey viewership would tolerate some of the hiccups that often come with a student-run broadcast and the production quality. You would demand better, and rightfully so.

    *On the FTA front, again just being completely frank, it would make zero business sense whatsoever for a broadcast or digital media partner such as Midco or Neulion (our web provider) to allow us to provide a FREE to air option. In fact, if my memory is correct, REA stopped publicizing those coordinates approximately six years ago (though I could be wrong on the exact timeline).

    In a perfect world, an athletics department would be completely self-sufficient and we could offer free broadcasts over every possible medium to 100 percent of our fan base. But it just doesn't work that way, because we have bills to pay too.

  8. Jayson - I am one of the many disappointed UND fans (living in FL) who will miss seeing the majority of our hockey games. However, I fully believe that you folks know what you are doing and that this was a "necessary evil".

    Very sorry to hear you're among the affected FCS viewers. I strongly encourage you to try watching via webcast. If you prefer the flat screen TV route, the webcast can be run through your television via HDMI cable, or a number other ways other posters have suggested here.

    We appreciate your understanding and devotion; in return, we'll keep working to get those lost games back on TV for you.

  9. I get that people are trying to increase our tv exposure, but I am wondering if we have any say in the new league at all.

    We have the same say as each of the other seven member institutions: one vote.

  10. This would not happen over and over again if a couple posters (not you Jayson) insist on arguing that we FTA'ers don't know what we are talking about.

    That's fair, but there's also no denying there exists a now-regular hand-wringing in general about the loss of men's hockey games on FCS (and FTA). Believe me, I totally understand the frustration all of you feel with regard to this. Where I do take issue with the discussion is when it turns into, "Men's hockey games are no longer available on FCS (or FTA), therefore UND does not understand the impact of exposure."

    I guess that was a much more succinct way of summarizing what I was trying to say in my previous post :)

  11. My thought is the first webcast or two are going to be a disappointment as I think Nuelion will truly underestimate the resources they will need to dedicate to this. Once they get it figured out, I believe it will be fine. Maybe not HD quality, but at least equal to what the majority of people were getting on FCS. These guys handle NFL, NBA, NHL and CFL games along with streaming for quite a few major colleges. Again, that is a disappointment for the FTA people, but I agree with Jayson that you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.

    This is all reasonable and accurate, although we obviously hope there are no issues with the first webcast or two.

    On the TV front, whether people choose to believe it or not, we are continually searching for potential solutions that would enable to us to put more games back on national TV for those FCS viewers affected by the NCHC's deal with CBSSN. Will we be able to do anything in time for the 2013-14 season? Extremely doubtful. But we're constantly working on it and, in the meantime, every home game (but one) remains available via broadcast or webcast.

  12. You sir, are clueless when it comes to FTA. I can't even tell you the large numbers of fans on this site who have pm'ed me concerning FTA over the years, how many have installed systems, and how many more were interested, at least up to the time the Sioux got on FCS. As others have posted, those with systems are just a small part of the many that watched at establishements with FTA. With FCS now being the dinosaur for hockey, you'll see the youknowwhat hit the fan when the hockey season starts, unless midco can get on one of the satellite services.

    The stream better by extremely good, or this whole mess will stink.

    While I realize you are a U spokesman and therefore supportive of what the U has done with sports coverage, making comments like FTA a dinosaur it a bit much.

    You're right: I AM clueless when it comes to FTA, which is why I sought the opinion of someone with extensive experience within the industry, and relayed that information here. Again, if that information was incorrect, I apologize.

    • Upvote 1
  13. Thanks for the update Jason. It's nice that you are able to come on here and give us demanding fans updates. But you are very wrong on Fta being gone by the way of the dinosaur. On any given Saturday you can scan with a motorized Fta dish and find almost any college football feed out there. Most still use satellite trucks and midco is one of the few companies who has stopped this for und sports. Most fta'ers know that feeds can come and go so it doesn't shock us and the und feeds were never expected to continue. But to say that Fta is basically dead nationwide is dead wrong. I can get more college football games with my Fta system than I ever could with midco cable virtually every weekend.

    I apologize if my info was incorrect. I was relaying what I had been recently told by someone with experience in the television production business. Our decision to longer make the coordinates is more of a business decision with relation to our broadcast partners, our webcasts and our ticket sales.

    As everyone on here knows, you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. The broadcast landscape in college sports is incredibly fluid these days, and we're doing our best to only offer as many options as possible (within good business practices, to be sure), but to also anticipate future evolution and changes within the industry.

  14. Actually, this is an issue on our end that we are currently trying to solve. Without getting into the logistics of the issue, the long and the short of it is when we webcast from the Alerus, we do not have a way to pull the HD feed for streaming like we can at REA. But we ARE working on possible solutions and there is a chance it could be rectified as early as this week. Will keep everyone posted.

    An update on this front: it's looking like we've come up with a way to be able to grab the HD feed at the Alerus, so Saturday's football webcast should be available in HD. It still needs to be tested this week, but I'm hopeful this is good to go.

  15. It should be pointed out that all of these same establishments that were previously picking up the game via FTA can -- and likely will, if they determine such viewings remain in the best interests of their business -- still pick up the game via webcast. Is it still "free" for these establishments to pick up the feed? No. But for the price of one single plate of Buffalo wings they can still treat their patrons to the broadcasts.

    The fact is that FTA has virtually gone the way of the dinosaur, not just at UND, but around the country. It might be a harsh reality for some, but a reality nonetheless.

  16. The store is run by a private business known as GW Gear (Green and White Gear). It has been around for more than a year. They don't have a nickname that they can use to promote the school or products. UND has been known as the Green and White as a secondary and informal nickname for years. The media has to use something, just using UND gets very repetitive and doesn't always read well. If you go back and read Herald stories over the years, you would see the team being called Green and White even in stories where Sioux or Fighting Sioux are also used. There is no conspiracy. The paranoia runs very strong.

    Please refer to the statements in bold. Anything beyond those and you'd be reading into something that isn't there.

  17. Thank you for the update. The FCS feed on Saturday was the worst UND production I have ever seen (just an honest observation). Makes sense since the week before the production was great. I have faith you guys will find a fix. Thanks again.

    We're aware FCS viewers were "treated" to just a single camera angle for most of the first quarter (Midco and web viewers reported no such problem). I'm not exactly sure what went wrong there, but when we became aware and went down to the production truck to look into it, those folks were already trying to fix the problem. It is my understanding that it was rectified for the final three quarters, although that's obviously one too few.

    I've never worked in television production and would not want to speculate as to how the FCS feed could end up with just one of the camera angles, but maybe Southpaw could shed some light.

    Either way, we appreciate the patience shown by our FCS viewers during that first quarter. Hopefully that never happens again.

    • Upvote 2
  18. Hello everyone. It's been awhile -- I trust everyone's had a great summer. I posted this over on Schlossman's blog but figured I'd double up over here. FYI, the "big announcements" reference was in response to a specific comment over there:

    No one affiliated with UND Athletics promised anyone “big announcements.” Simply not true.

    What we *have* been saying is that we will continue to seek improvements to our viewing options across ALL platforms. That has not changed and that will not change. The broadcast situation we have today may not be the broadcast situation we have by the time the puck drops opening night. Or a year from now. These things evolve, take time and require a little patience.

    Did we promise HD webcasts and enhanced webcast support? Yes, beginning with the upcoming season our home webcasts will be offered in high definition. In light of the shifting TV situation, we have allocated and committed the necessary resources to providing high quality web streams.

    At the end of the day, fans will still have the ability to watch literally every single home game. Every one of them. Plus four road games. Some of these will be on your television screen and yes, some will have to be on your computer screen. You also have the ability to send the HD webcast feed to your flatscreen TV with one cord and one press of a button. In the coming weeks, our website will offer a video tutorial on how to make that conversion for those who are unfamiliar with the process.

    In the meantime, we will continue to do everything within our power to bring more of our games back to national TV. Neither UND, nor the NCHC Commissioner, is ignoring our television situation. Quite the contrary, in fact.

    But please understand that it is a work in progress.

    • Upvote 2
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