Viewing options for Sioux hockey games this season

[stoneySIOUX]

Tonight's game on Channel 17 or 18 on DirecTV in the Minneapolis area.

[Blackheart]

No updates for the deal with FCS yet. Starting to wonder if this will really happen; what's the holdup? Hopefully we will get an update from tomorrows online chat.

[Fetch]

I am one who wants to eventually watch every away game & am willing to pay a good price but it does not sound like were there yet

[90siouxfan]

I was in a similar boat.

 

If you already bought UND insider for the year .... you should be able to access via NCHC as "already paid".  That's what they say anyway.

If you didn't already buy UND insider for the year ... the NCHC feed is pretty good.   Last night I was able to watch 4 streams at the same time (anything to make the Bemidji-UND game smaller) and it was pretty decent.

 

 

Thanks,

 

I have an annual subscription that rolls over on 10/23,  guess these CC games will be the test for me

[BigGreyAnt41]

Here's my experience:

 

My UND Insider subscription from last year expires on 10/19 or 10/20.  It automatically transferred over to NCHC.tv without a problem, all automatically.

 

So, I was able to watch the exhibition and Friday's Bemidji game with last year's subscription (and next week's CC games, I assume).  The exhibition game had some rebuffering issues.  Quite a few actually.  But the Bemidji game was flawless.  Not a single instance where the feed dropped out.  I was able to start it up on my iPad and Airplay it to my TV through the Apple TV, and it worked perfectly for the whole game.  Hopefully that's the trend for the season.

[southpaw]

Here's my experience:

 

My UND Insider subscription from last year expires on 10/19 or 10/20.  It automatically transferred over to NCHC.tv without a problem, all automatically.

 

So, I was able to watch the exhibition and Friday's Bemidji game with last year's subscription (and next week's CC games, I assume).  The exhibition game had some rebuffering issues.  Quite a few actually.  But the Bemidji game was flawless.  Not a single instance where the feed dropped out.  I was able to start it up on my iPad and Airplay it to my TV through the Apple TV, and it worked perfectly for the whole game.  Hopefully that's the trend for the season.

 

The conference has made it a priority to fix any and all of the issues that were present during the exhibition weekend for all teams.  Just like the teams, the schools and conference were getting used to live games and they've made some great adjustments so far.  Will it be perfect for everyone?  Of course not, but they've actively worked to improve so it's perfect for as many people as possible.

[Frozen4sioux]

The conference has made it a priority to fix any and all of the issues that were present during the exhibition weekend for all teams. Just like the teams, the schools and conference were getting used to live games and they've made some great adjustments so far. Will it be perfect for everyone? Of course not, but they've actively worked to improve so it's perfect for as many people as possible.

As many people as possible???....??....

As a business that doesn't cut it..they don't collect $$ from as "many people as possible"!

If this was a free stream or a service of the league...ok "as many as possible" is something you can get away with.

As a business model for paying customers. ...well its just not an acceptable philosophy.

That being said...haven't tried the new system out this year and from what I have heard I'm looking forward to good things!

Reviews have been good from those ive spoken with...."I dont listen to online forum reviews cause those idiots are wackos "

[southpaw]

As many people as possible???....??....

As a business that doesn't cut it..they don't collect $$ from as "many people as possible"!

If this was a free stream or a service of the league...ok "as many as possible" is something you can get away with.

As a business model for paying customers. ...well its just not an acceptable philosophy.

That being said...haven't tried the new system out this year and from what I have heard I'm looking forward to good things!

Reviews have been good from those ive spoken with...."I dont listen to online forum reviews cause those idiots are wackos "

Never said it was their business philosophy. You've been on SS long enough to know someone will blame Neulion even if they're trying to watch a game wirelessly on a laptop from 2002.

[sprig]

Never said it was their business philosophy. You've been on SS long enough to know someone will blame Neulion even if they're trying to watch a game wirelessly on a laptop from 2002.

And there's the "it's on your end" argument. no matter how much you post it it's just not a one size fits all argument.

Neulioms service simply did not work well for me last year. However, this year's has worked perfectly through the nchc site, with the same equipment on my end

[southpaw]

And there's the "it's on your end" argument. no matter how much you post it it's just not a one size fits all argument.

Neulioms service simply did not work well for me last year. However, this year's has worked perfectly through the nchc site, with the same equipment on my end

If someone is trying to watch with a crappy computer or a weak wireless signal, then it is on their end. There's nothing Neulion could do to improve that stream for them.

I'm glad it works better for you.

[Frozen4sioux]

Never said it was their business philosophy. You've been on SS long enough to know someone will blame Neulion even if they're trying to watch a game wirelessly on a laptop from 2002.

This is true. Yes agree. There is a point when it truly is "on your end".

If I pay for a service from a business and they tell me that XXXX seems to not do well but xxxxxx works well....then its on me to know what I have going into it and adjust my expectations accordingly.

This is truth

[BigGreyAnt41]

The conference has made it a priority to fix any and all of the issues that were present during the exhibition weekend for all teams.  Just like the teams, the schools and conference were getting used to live games and they've made some great adjustments so far.  Will it be perfect for everyone?  Of course not, but they've actively worked to improve so it's perfect for as many people as possible.

I certainly wasn't complaining about the performance of the exhibition.  I was just pointing out how much better it was and that they must have learned from that weekend.

 

 

As many people as possible???.... ??....

As a business that doesn't cut it..they don't collect $$ from as "many people as possible"!

If this was a free stream or a service of the league...ok "as many as possible" is something you can get away with.

As a business model for paying customers. ...well its just not an acceptable philosophy.

That being said...haven't tried the new system out this year and from what I have heard I'm looking forward to good things!

Reviews have been good from those ive spoken with...."I dont listen to online forum reviews cause those idiots are wackos "

I hate to say it, but "as many people as possible" is simply how the internet works.  With so many different platforms, browsers and other factors, it's nearly impossible to ensure that every user of anything on the internet will have the same experience.  The best of developers will work as hard as possible to test all combinations of variables, but it's very difficult to do.

 

The best they can do, in a case like this, is give a sample to view, and if the sample works you should be able to reliably say that the rest of the system will work.  That's why you'll often see a video sample to see if it works before an event starts.  Also, good customer service would, within a certain timeframe, offer a refund.

[sprig]

If someone is trying to watch with a crappy computer or a weak wireless signal, then it is on their end. There's nothing Neulion could do to improve that stream for them.

I'm glad it works better for you.

My point was it's not everyone's problem, possibly very few

[Blackheart]

Per today's Online Chat, Schlossman stated that Midco is responsible for the holdup in broadcasting the men's games on Fox College Sports. He said this was due in part to the fact that people in Fargo who have CableOne, a competitor of Midco's, could watch the games on FCS. (thereby, not needing to switch cable providers in order to see the Sioux games)

It's great for UND that they have a regional deal with Midco, but for those many fans outside the Midco footprint, it's just more home games not available via TV.

[nodak651]

cant they black it out?

[Redneksioux]

cant they black it out?

Does fcs blackout any college games? I doubt they would even if they could in this situation.

Midco should realize that there are plenty of folks without access to their programming. Instead of thinking progressively and attempting to expand the footprint of their sports channel, they are using it as bait to get a few extra cable subscribers. I still don't like the deal where und signed over all rights of und sports on tv to midco.

[Blackheart]

Does fcs blackout any college games? I doubt they would even if they could in this situation.

Midco should realize that there are plenty of folks without access to their programming. Instead of thinking progressively and attempting to expand the footprint of their sports channel, they are using it as bait to get a few extra cable subscribers. I still don't like the deal where und signed over all rights of und sports on tv to midco.

Agreed.

[southpaw]

Agreed.

Not defending Midco, but how many of those people are buying anything advertised during the game? The only money Midco would get back is from local viewers.

[Blackheart]

Not defending Midco, but how many of those people are buying anything advertised during the game? The only money Midco would get back is from local viewers.

Probably true, but once again Sioux fans outside the Midco footprint get the short end of the stick.

[Redneksioux]

Not defending Midco, but how many of those people are buying anything advertised during the game? The only money Midco would get back is from local viewers.

Did midco ever intend on thinking big? Over the past couple years it was thrown around their goal was to become a rsn with one or both of the dish companies. Are their ad reps not capable of working with bigger companies? Maybe they don't have the travel allowance to work with some companies that have a bigger footprint? There are businesses in our area that do a lot of business both in and outside of grand forks. These businesses should have been targets.

Or does midco as a company lack vision for und hockey on the midcosn channel?

To me it appears midco's only real intention with their 5 year/$1 million investment was to increase their subscribers. The first reason we were given for no und hockey on fcs was because the CBS deal. Now that hurdle is out of the way it's uncovered that midco is holding it up.

I hope the athletic department considered this when they signed the deal with midco. Did they consider the decrease in exposure that would happen? Was it worth it?

Sorry for the rant. Just a frustrated fan with no access to und hockey:/

[SiouxTupa]

Per today's Online Chat, Schlossman stated that Midco is responsible for the holdup in broadcasting the men's games on Fox College Sports. He said this was due in part to the fact that people in Fargo who have CableOne, a competitor of Midco's, could watch the games on FCS. (thereby, not needing to switch cable providers in order to see the Sioux games)

It's great for UND that they have a regional deal with Midco, but for those many fans outside the Midco footprint, it's just more home games not available via TV.

My interpretation is that he was speculating on the reason why Midco might hold up the deal. If you ask almost anyone in Fargo if they'd prefer to stick with CableOne, the answer would be a resounding NO. They use CableOne because it's really their only option other than satellite. I'm not sure if Midco has completely advanced into Fargo yet. After a quick coverage check it appears they now cover my former house, which was near West Fargo, but don't cover the apt I lived in before that, which is more centralized. 

 

CableOne uses service contracts and early termination fees, so people who currently use it are likely stuck with it until the contract is up. Midco has shown games on FCS in the past, which would allow people in GF, and other Midco areas, to stay on DirecTV and still watch games. My thought on the delay is that the negotiations and planning started too close to the beginning of the season.

[southpaw]

Did midco ever intend on thinking big? Over the past couple years it was thrown around their goal was to become a rsn with one or both of the dish companies. Are their ad reps not capable of working with bigger companies? Maybe they don't have the travel allowance to work with some companies that have a bigger footprint? There are businesses in our area that do a lot of business both in and outside of grand forks. These businesses should have been targets.

Or does midco as a company lack vision for und hockey on the midcosn channel?

To me it appears midco's only real intention with their 5 year/$1 million investment was to increase their subscribers. The first reason we were given for no und hockey on fcs was because the CBS deal. Now that hurdle is out of the way it's uncovered that midco is holding it up.

I hope the athletic department considered this when they signed the deal with midco. Did they consider the decrease in exposure that would happen? Was it worth it?

Sorry for the rant. Just a frustrated fan with no access to und hockey:/

For the first year of the Midco deal, every home game was on FCS. Then the NCHC/CBSSN thing happened which removed those games. Now we are in year three and I'm hopeful it's back on FCS soon.

[Blackheart]

CableOne uses service contracts and early termination fees, so people who currently use it are likely stuck with it until the contract is up. Midco has shown games on FCS in the past, which would allow people in GF, and other Midco areas, to stay on DirecTV and still watch games.

THIS^^. Why would Midco pay UND for the games, then turn around and let their competitors show the same games for free on another channel? Too bad that they won't allow the games to be shown on FCS outside their coverage area, there's a LOT of Sioux fans that don't live in the Grand Forks/Fargo area.

[KSSioux]

It is really sad that Midco would hold up this deal.  As was mentioned, they actually did have it on FCS prior to the CBSSN deal.  I do not buy the advertiser end, because that still goes out nationally which is not a bad thing.  Those outside the ND,SD, MN area have gotten the short end for the last couple of years and the vision for national exposure should have been thought about.  Obviously the CBSSN deal has done nothing until January this season, and the NCHC-TV is a good thing for those on the road, but it is still a long way from true HD in your home viewing.  It has improved from last year, but it is not a long term solution until they get all the bugs worked out.  The action live video is still jittery, and please do not buy the "it is on your end" answer.  The improvements have been in the addition of Apple products to be able to run the games, and the PIP option for all the games.  The PIP is good for those who had a subscription for UNDInsider this year, but it will be interesting to see how many subscribers will bail next year if the quality does not improve and only do the school subscription.  I realize the cost is not too much more, but it still will be interesting.

[gfhockey]

All hail faison