TV Coverage

[UNDColorado]

Whatever works. I just love that they have been on Directv, period.

Agree 100%!

[southpaw]

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.

I wasn't watching FCS when it was just one camera but it likely was one of their auxiliary outputs being set to just a single camera instead of the program out feed. I'm going to add that to the list of technical issues related to using the HD truck for the first time.

[KSSioux]

KSSioux stated:

I was asking how the coverage of football and basketball by America One would affect UND's response to fixing the internet feed for the hockey games. After re-reading what I had written the first time, I realize it wasn't very clear.

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.

[Blackheart]

So how many of the people posting on this thread work for Midco? just saying...

[82SiouxGuy]

So how many of the people posting on this thread work for Midco? just saying...

I'm guessing that no one does, just sayin'...

[bincitysioux]

Do you really believe that thousands of people in the western hemisphere stumble on UND games while surfing FTA, and then they become fans of UND athletics? I'm sure that there are people that have become fans of UND hockey after stumbling on the games. But the number is not in the thousands, and most of those fans are not fans of the entire athletic program.

Personally, I think you are underestimating the impact that FTA has had on viewership of North Dakota athletics. To be fair, I think that Redneksioux is probably overestimating it as well. I think it is somewhere in between.

Have to remember that the FTA option was intially born into this world because Ralph Engelstad wanted access to the hockey games in Las Vegas. Guys like me were secondary beneficiaries. But because of the FTA option, sports bars in places like the Twin Cities (Joe Sensers), Arizona (R.T. O'Sullivan's), and Las Vegas (Torrey Pines) were able to carry Sioux games long before Fox College Sports did. And they did, every weekend. Fox College Sports has been carrying UND games for 4 years. But places like Joe Sensers have been airing our games at 3 locations to hundreds of fans every weekend in the biggest alumni center for 12 years thandks to the FTA option. Not just Hockey, they put on every televised game whether it be football, basketball, or volleyball. According to the UND Alumni page, sports bars in Minnesota, Arizona, Nevada, California, Wyoming, Illinois, and Washington D.C. picked up the FTA feed for their patrons over the years. They can't do that anymore.

I love the emphasis that Midco is putting on North Dakota athletics. I just wish it was more accessible. For example, I didn't see the coaches show that they put on on Tuesday before the Valpo game because I have to watch it online, and it isn't available online until Thursday which was of course the day of the game. I didn't see the next episode because I totally forgot about it before the SDSU game because I have a job and a family and it is hard to log in and wait for it to buffer rather than just change the channel to 8 like we did for 30 years.

To sum up, there are good and bad with the current TV deal.

[Truthseeker]

Small observation about the FTA issue.

Up until two years ago, the Ralph website actually provided the Satellite coordinates for all the Allumni and fans to access the games in North America. Say you live on a ranch in northern New Mexico, satellite access would be a better option then High Speed Internet. The long term effect of removing easy access for life long UND fans nationwide will result in less money being donated to the University. Being forced "out of mind" will allow potential donators to reassign their funds to other organizations. The Exposure provided by Ralph when he funded the whole concept including the uplink facility at UND took the Hockey program to a whole new level. That all has now been flushed down a drain.

I have two cousins who feel alienated by the current system. One lives in Denver, the other in Red Lake, Ontraio. Both for years watched every UND game off the satellite. Die-hard UND Allumni left out to dry.

Less exposure will equal less interest.

Less interest will be less donations.

[Blackheart]

The loss of FTA sucks for those who have been able to get the games for years...places like Sensers in the twin cities would be packed Friday and Saturday nights with Sioux fans. Hope that the current tv deal can be upgraded at some point because 6 games a year is a far cry from the 20+ games we are used to seeing...and I can't excited about watching webcasts, the quality just isn't there. End of rant.

[jdub27]

Small observation about the FTA issue.

Up unitl two years ago, the Ralph website actually provided the Satellite coordinates for all the Allumni and fans to access the games in North America. Say you live on a ranch in northern New Mexico, satellite access would be a better option then High Speed Internet. The long term effect of removing easy access for life long UND fans nationwide will result in less money being donated to the University. Being forced "out of mind" will allow potential donators to reassign their funds to other organizations. The Exposure provided by Ralph when he funded the whole concept including the uplink facility at UND took the Hockey program to a whole new level. That all has now been flushed down a drain.

I have two cousins who feel alienated by the current system. One lives in Denver, the other in Red Lake, Ontraio. Both for years watched every UND game off the satellite. Die-hard UND Allumni left out to dry.

Less exposure will equal less interest.

Less interest will be less donations.

I'll preface by saying it is unfortunate for fans who used FTA that they won't be able to access it anymore. But, I'm sure UND did a cost/benefit analysis of the situation. Previously they were paying to produce the broadcast and then maybe getting some of those costs back with advertising. Now they not only don't have to bear the costs of producing the content but Midco is also going to give them $1 million over the next five years to do it for them. Maybe looking back it will be a bad decision on UND's part, but I can see where their thought process came from.

[Jayson Hajdu]

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.

[Jayson Hajdu]

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.

[Redneksioux]

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.

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.

[UNDColorado]

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.

Great news! Any progress on the feed issues that we saw on FCS last Saturday?

[UND1983]

Great news! Any progress on the feed issues that we saw on FCS last Saturday?

To add to your question: any reason why FCS only shows it in SD when the HD is obviously available?

Thanks for the communication Jayson!

[UNDBIZ]

To add to your question: any reason why FCS only shows it in SD when the HD is obviously available?

Thanks for the communication Jayson!

Doesn't FCS only have one HD station available? Perhaps demand is greater for another game?

[Jayson Hajdu]

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.

[UNDColorado]

Doesn't FCS only have one HD station available? Perhaps demand is greater for another game?

I have yet to see a game on the FCS HD channel that is right next to channel 623...doesn't look like anything is scheduled on it for this week either.

[mksioux]

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.

Very cool. Thanks Jayson.

[Blackheart]

Trading Tv broadcasts for webcasts feels like going backwards. Also, I've yet to see a webcast near the quality that FTA provides.

I am glad that the football games are available on Fox College Sports, that's definitely good exposure for the program. However, hockey fans definitely get the short straw with the loss of FTA and FCS broadcasts. Hopefully CBS Sports does a decent job on the handful of games they will cover this year.

[sprig]

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.

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.

[jdub27]

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.

I'm not as informed on the whole FTA landscape as you are, or anywhere close for that matter, though a few years back I did look quite a bit into them. That aside, Jayson did respond to that comment saying that he was going off of information from what someone in the industry had told him and apologized for what may have been bad information. I think we're pretty lucky that he is willing to come on to a board where he takes a lot of heat, directly and indirectly, and does his best to explain and inform the die-hard fans that frequent this board.

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.

[Blackheart]

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.

Agree.

[Jayson Hajdu]

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.

[Jayson Hajdu]

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.

[WeAreNorthDakota]

I, for one, am ecstatic we have the type of media coverage that we have. I'm probably one of the few UND fans that is football first then everything else. I won't be able to attend the game this weekend but I'm going to be able to stream the game on my phone. That's pretty damn awesome!

We're only in the 2nd year of the Midco deal and they've already stepped up and given us HD a year earlier than they had to. I'm confident that by the end of this 5 year deal there will be plenty more to be excited about.