MLB TV Complaint Thread

by Old Twins Cap on Apr 9, 2009 10:58 AM EDT Comment 35 comments

Maybe it's just me, but if I get home late at night, or get up early in the morning, and if I didn't get a chance to listen to the game, or even if I did, I like to watch parts of archived games at MLB.com.

Their subscription is not cheap, though I consider it a good deal. This year, they are launching a new product, with better video quality and more features. And, they are not shy about charging for it.

After checking it out during Spring Training, it seemed like it was worth it.

So, you can imagine the disappointment when the new NEX DEF media player and the video feed are experiencing major bugs. And, then there's the fact that the archived games are unavailble after the game--at least I have been unable to find them. And today, no highlights package. So, I don't get to see Morneau's plunge into the dirt at second.

Seems like we are in the midst of a major FAIL to start the season at MLB.com. I don't do television and I do like to use my own eyes when evaluating what happens in a baseball game.

So, while I'm not freaking (yet), I do wonder what others are experiencing out there in case there are fixes or ways around the MLB debacle. Like, are the archived games somewhere? And, how can we give them encouragement to fix their problems or refund some portion of their fees?

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Good complaints...

…I’m using MLB.com to catch the games myself this year. The archived games SHOULD be somewhere…I was under the impression it was part of what we pay for. I’ll take a look and get back to you.

by Jesse on Apr 9, 2009 11:33 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

this was a few years ago

but when I used MBLtv, archived games were not available until 2 or 3 hours after game was over.
The best feature, to me at least was condensed game viewing option. I’m not sure if that is still offered.

by caluofmn on Apr 9, 2009 10:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

MLB.com issues

I have logged a lot of issues myself. They seem to redesign the interface so often, subscriber cookies get lost and you have to reinitialize. Also, when you do try to contact them to help them improve their interface, they’re extremely rude. I’d rather deal with someone in India than an arrogant jerk webmaster who’s first assumption is operator error.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Apr 9, 2009 11:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

MLB.com

I don’t use MLB.tv, but I have noticed that the video player at MLB.com is, at best, unpredictable – I tried to rewatch some video last night from Tuesday’s game, and I just got a nice black box in the middle of the screen on Firefox. Last season, I had plenty of times in which I could see a couple videos but not others.

Old Twins Cap, you’re not the only one having MLB.tv issues – Consumerist had an article about it yesterday, too.

"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein

by BeefMaster on Apr 9, 2009 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

MLB.com

MLB.com has gotten lamer these days.
For a while, you couldn’t watch 1 video clip without watching a 30 second commercial for the Army or something. I don’t think they advertise quite so much anymore, but I can remember when there wasn’t any at all.
Gameday. I think I saw something about a gameday premium for $20 you get to see in game highlights? Well that was free last year… Also whats the deal with not having those game recaps? Maybe they just didn’t do it for last nights game.

The big one though… Why the heck would I pay for MLB.tv if I can’t even watch the twins games live? stupid blackout restrictions..

by ianmader on Apr 9, 2009 2:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm a poor student

I just buy the radio subscription for like 15 bucks for the whole year.

"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane

by AdamOnFirst on Apr 9, 2009 3:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Even that is unpredictable.

by Evan Nelson on Apr 9, 2009 7:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

And they make you dig for the day’s game even if you have a subscription. The link on the Twins site always points to the subscription page regardless of whether you have a subscription or not. It might seem like a small thing, but they are indignant when you try to offer constructive criticism. Same with Game Day. You would think they want to promote their own offerings. But day after day, I have to hunt for it> sometimes I simply can’t find it and I have to ask other bloggers what the link is. And don’t get me started on how slow GameDay is. It’s typically an inning behind.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Apr 9, 2009 11:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

by montanatwinsfan on Apr 10, 2009 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like it a lot

I think the upgraded mlb.tv is phenomenal. I got the premium version, which is $110. That’s not cheap, but I also think it is a great deal. Its also $10 cheaper than last year, which surprised me, pleasantly.

The video quality is amazing for internet. The DVR capabilities are great, and the multi game feature is really impressive, with nearly flawless transitions. I’m also impressed that I rarely get hiccups, even though my internet connection is nearly worthless. I think this is because of the automatic image quality adjustment.

Basically, I think this is a real leap in internet video. MLB.tv is acting as a real pioneer. I’ve got my complaints, especially that there is no way for me to pay extra money to buy out the blackout feature, but overall I’m impressed. I think this is the direction of all TV. In 10 years, we may find that people prefer to take in media this way.

by snolls on Apr 9, 2009 3:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Where are the archived games?

Have you located them on the site?

I agree the quality of the picture is a huge leap forward. Though, I have been finding that some feeds are better than others. Some of the time I have to lower the video quality in order to get a continuous feed.

And I don’t really mind the local blackouts as long as they get the game up in an hour after the fact. That’s my issue right now.

STill, you can’t beat watching other games. My current favorites are the CWS, and I love it when a team like KC wins and Hawk has to explain what happened—how Coco Crisp just destroys them on a regular basis. That kind of stuff is priceless.

by Old Twins Cap on Apr 9, 2009 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If I had money, I’d get MLB.tv. I watched an exhibition game for free this season and it was pretty amazing. But still, I wanna watch the twins live, and $110 is not worth watching it after the fact.

by ianmader on Apr 9, 2009 5:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You should still be able to watch the Twins live.

Unless you’re saying youre unable to catch the games live?

by Jesse on Apr 9, 2009 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Archived games

You can see archived games by going to the “Watch MLB.tv” page and clicking on “previous day” or “Calendar” (or the game, if it is today’s and over and has an A next to it)

Or if you are watching a game there is an Archive button you can click.

by JonathanR on Apr 9, 2009 6:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

blackout

since i live in minnesota, or whatever area they consider the blackout area, I am not allowed to watch the game until it ends.

by ianmader on Apr 9, 2009 7:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Use Proxies to get around Blackouts.

Try using proxies to get around Blackouts.

http://www.proxy4free.com/page1.html

Firefox – Tools-Options-Advanced-Network-Settings-Manual Proxy Config-Enter in the HTTP field.

IE – Tools-Internet Options-Connections-Lan Settings-Use a Proxy Server.

Then type in Google.com to see if it worked. (if you used a proxy from Mexico, it should say something like Google Mexico.)

Now load your video and it should get past the blackout.

Then go back and select to turn off the proxy. Now enjoy watching local games.

by Braves-fan on Apr 9, 2009 8:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

here is a good story about possible problems with MLBtv

http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3161:buyer-beware-7-things-to-do-before-purchasing-mlb-extra-inningsmlbtv&catid=48:ei-mlb-network&Itemid=82

I hope I’m not doing anything wrong by posting the link. I’m sorry in advance if I am.

by caluofmn on Apr 9, 2009 10:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I've had MLB.tv for a while now,

and there are no complaints from Tucson, Arizona. It works great for me, and I would probably pay $100 more if I had to.

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by Andersklasen on Apr 10, 2009 2:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

3 years of MLBTV

You think it is bad now, you should have had it 3 years ago. It has gotten way better. The quality of the games is very much dependent on your computer performance, processor, ram, bandwidth, and graphics card. I have a pretty good setup and hardly ever get bugs.

However, their support people are really annoying and always assume operator error. It took me 4 weeks to resolve a billing issue, and it is a true monopoly on coverage. Blackouts can be bypassed by using a proxy as listed above, but MLB really needs to do away with this antiquated rule that favors none.

MLB is not in the business of providing media feeds and should really outsource this to Yahoo or Google, or some other company that has the infrastructure to handle this type of service. If I could afford it I would ditch MLBTV for Extra Innings.

by WITwinsfan on Apr 10, 2009 9:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

TV contracts

As this has grown, I expect the next big TV contract cycle to improve some of this. In reality, the blackout system doesn’t make sense anymore. The problem is, that Fox, or some local station, purchased the right to be the sole provider of certain games in certain regions, and paid handsomely. This means that mlb is not allowed to provide alternative means of watching the game.

I would expect that future contracts will solve this problem. One solution would be that Fox (or someone else), gets revenue every time a subscriber in the region watches mlb.tv. This would presumably come from advertising that will be built in to the service (they started it a bit last year). In reality, the mlb.tv casts should be able to provide much more targeted commercials, by zip code, based on links you click on. Ads could have links themselves to purchasing sites or informational sites.
The more likely alternative, I think, is that the contract is bundled. Fox gets to operate mlb.tv and their own stations.

by snolls on Apr 10, 2009 9:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I have had not problems

So I guess I may be lucky. I watch the games on my laptop and use an S-vid cable to hook up to my big screen and the quality of the picture is great. The only little “trick” is that I usually start the game live and then use the DVR capability to pause the game for a few minutes. This allows it to download and get a little ahead and then when I start watching again it seems like the picture is a lot smoother and there are no breaks. My olny complaint would be that they have not gotten to the Condensed Games yet. All archived games are there on the site but when the team goes to the west coast I usually just watch the Condensed Game in the morning. Hopefully they will get caught up on this before the Twins make their first west coast swing. All in all I am very pleased with the price and quality.

richman

by anderson800 on Apr 10, 2009 10:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I have had not problems? That's easy for you to say...LOL

I really have to laugh at myself sometimes!

richman

by anderson800 on Apr 10, 2009 10:34 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I found this thread on Google and I'm visiting from Fishstripes...

Has anyone been successful this season using a proxy to get around the blackout restrictions? I’m in New York (Buffalo) and I’m going to miss the Marlins game tonight because they’re playing the Mets. My cable provider doesn’t even have the Mets network. I tried to use a proxy to watch the Mets game yesterday but it wouldn’t work, MLB saw right through it and still placed me right in Buffalo on the blackout map.

by Bumppo on Apr 10, 2009 12:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm no proxy guru...

…but I’d try the suggestion above from Braves-fan. If that doesn’t work, I’m cooked.

by Jesse on Apr 10, 2009 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tried that...

No good. MLB sniffed right through it and still blacked me out.

by Bumppo on Apr 10, 2009 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Proxy

Sometimes you have to go to the scary depths of the internet to find a good proxy. Luckily living in the scary depths of Wisconsin, I don’t need one to catch the Twins, and when they play the Brewers, I can watch it on TV or drive to the game. Good luck with the Proxy search

by WITwinsfan on Apr 11, 2009 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Drive to Boston

That should solve it :)

by snolls on Apr 10, 2009 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It says the game is archived 45 minutes after its done

tonight, I made sure noone would tell me what the score was, or anything about the game. I got home About 45 minutes after the game and excited to watch it. 2 hours and 2 calls to the MLB.com support line later, I ended up looking at a box score and am now off to bed.

My main problem with this is that the disclaimer says that the archived game will be available “45 minutes after the completion of the game”. It doesn’t say, “about 45 minutes” or anything like that, it says “45 minutes”. If they can’t load them that fast, fine, but they shouldn’t pretend that they can.

I also tried the proxy server thing, didn’t seem to work for me, they didn’t see through it, it just screwed up my internet and I couldn’t load anything.

So anyway, I’m out 15 bucks, and will not be renewing come may.

by lookatthosetwins on Apr 11, 2009 1:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

better make sure you call again after you cancel

When I had MLBtv, I canceled my sub and still got billed for 2 months during the following spring training. It took something like 4 or 5 calls for them to stop charging my CC

by caluofmn on Apr 11, 2009 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's another thing

Two years in a row, they automatically re-upped my subscription without my authorization. Now, I wanted to subscribe. But that’s illegal.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Apr 11, 2009 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Check box

When you sign up, they ask you if you want to automatically re-up every year until you call and cancel. The box is automatically checked, unless you uncheck it (dirty trick if you ask me). You may have accidentally left that checked two years ago.

by snolls on Apr 12, 2009 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

It’s not only a dirty trick, it’s illegal. Unlike baseball, I’m an expert on Web laws. It’s illegal to use opt-out methods to land unwilling subscribers. They’re supposed to have opt-in forms. But this is one area where there’s lax enforcement.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Apr 13, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

MLB has definitely tightened up their location detection this year

Over the past few years I’ve had no problem using basically any proxy to get around the blackouts, but this year none of the ones I’ve tried have worked.

by FROZEN on Apr 13, 2009 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I haven't used much of MLB.tv

I’ve heard generally good things, but with similar complaints from others. Personally, I subscribe to MLB Extra Innings on DirecTV. Since I’m out in Maryland, I don’t have a problem with blackouts…at least for live games. For some reason, any FSN North games from the past (e.g., 1991 World Series, Game 7) are blacked out. I suppose that provides incentive for me to use my time machine and attend the game…

I’ve been pretty happy with MLB Extra Innings on my DVR. It’s a little more expensive than the MLB.tv premium option, but I DVR games like crazy during the season.

by Adam Peterson on Apr 12, 2009 8:54 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs