MLB.TV

Dormeezy · 02-25-2008, 01:07 AM

Does anyone here have a MLB.TV subscription? If so, how do you like it? I am considering getting it for this season.

The main thing is I'm a Twins fan, so those are the games I am interested. However, due to the nonsense blackout policy, Twins games are blacked out in Iowa.

I was thinking I could go through a proxy server to bypass the zip code blackout restrictions, but I'm concerned that might result in a laggy video feed.

Has anyone ever tried this? Has it worked? thanks.

c'mon tank · 02-25-2008, 01:19 AM

I am a padre fan so I subscribed last year just for the final month of the season and really liked it. I am going to get the full year subscription this year. I very rarely had problems with the video.

HGPuck · 02-25-2008, 01:23 AM

We get Fox Sports North here in Ames and have not been blacked out in the past...Has something changed that I havent seen?

Dormeezy · 02-25-2008, 01:30 AM

Originally Posted by HGPuck

We get Fox Sports North here in Ames and have not been blacked out in the past...Has something changed that I havent seen?

I meant the games are blacked out on MLB.TV, so even if the games aren't on TV here they are still blacked out on MLB.TV.

I don't get Fox Sports North on my cable in Ames except for the occasional game on the Mediacom channel, and I don't get FSN in Cedar Rapids when I'm there in the summer. That's why it's so frustrating that Iowa is considered in the "local region" for the Twins (along with about 6 or 7 other midwest teams).

theshadow · 02-25-2008, 01:32 AM

Satellite customers may get FSN North as part of their "local" region (along with FSN MW), but cable is just FSN Midwest.

There have been a few articles on Yahoo Sports over the last couple of years detailing MLB's ridiculous blackout policy.

Items included:
*A SF/OAK fan living in Vegas who had MLB.TV blacked out on his computer because he was in the blackout territory for the Bay Area.
*A guy in west Texas (like El Paso west) who had Rangers and Astros games blacked out on TV -- despite it being a 9-hour drive one-way to the ballpark.
*A guy in Keokuk who was blacked out from SIX different teams (Cubs, Sox, Twins, Brewers, Cardinals, Royals).

HGPuck · 02-25-2008, 01:32 AM

Alright I see, thanks.

Dormeezy · 02-25-2008, 01:35 AM

Exactly. A lot of ESPN games end up being blacked out as well.

The Twins opening night game was on ESPN2 last season -- not for me, I got ESPNEWS.
The Twins vs. Astro's was on ESPN two years ago, when Liriano faced off against Clemens and beat him in his first game of the season -- I was left in the dark, while the rest of the country got to watch.

To say the least, on more than a few occasions I've sat down excited to watch a Twins game only to be infuriated once the games starts to find I've been blacked out.

theshadow · 02-25-2008, 01:39 AM

A black(out) eye for baseball - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

Left in the dark - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

HGPuck · 02-25-2008, 01:40 AM

Also a Twins fan and the only thing I have found that works is we ended up getting DishNetwork with the Sports pack (all the FSN channels) for something like 5 or 6 dollars a month and had to plug a phone line into the receiver. The only other thing I could think of would be a slingbox connected to somebody with FSN North. Dont know if either of these are a possibility, I know my brother has mlb.tv and likes it but he is in StL.

Iastfan112 · 02-25-2008, 02:47 AM

Yeah dish or direct tv both have FSN north in their basic packs I'm pretty sure and that works very well for me. Get to see parts of most the games at least in the summer(if a game starts at 7 and I want to do something I sometimes don't watch much past 8 though)

Dormeezy · 02-25-2008, 03:20 AM

I tell you what, though, Cubs fans don't know how good they have it.

It's not uncommon to see the same Cubs game on 2 channels at the same time.

nickborton · 02-25-2008, 08:33 AM

i get it every year but am going to wait and see if the games are on channelsurfing.net this year

Rogue52 · 02-25-2008, 12:31 PM

MLB's blackout restrictions are a piece of you know what.

ISUKyro · 02-25-2008, 12:38 PM

I used the MLBtv thing for about 2 years now. Each year it seems to get better - go for it. It's a must for die hard fans to keep up with their teams. Or just if you are a Cubs fan and don't want to see the Astros every day.

wonkadog · 02-25-2008, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by Dormeezy

I tell you what, though, Cubs fans don't know how good they have it.

It's not uncommon to see the same Cubs game on 2 channels at the same time.

When? Maybe 3 times a year when they're either playing the Braves on TBS or are on the Fox Saturday game of the week? I wouldn't say that's common and with the decision of Mediacom to dump Comcast Chicago for Fox Sports Midwest, cable subscribers in central Iowa get only the WGN telecasts which aren't as often as they used to be.

Back to the blackout thing, Iowa has to be in the absolute worst position of any state in regards to that stuff. It's a joke that we're all "hometeam" fans of the Twins, Royals, Cardinals, Cubs, and who knows else. That 2nd article linked earlier was dead on.