24 replies to this topic

[MichiganGoat]

So MLB has released the 2012 version of MLB TV and At Bat and I'm quite excited and will be getting this in a week or two. Check it out

http://mlb.mlb.com/m...w=E3366D1-2B60X

For $125 you can get all spring training games, all regular and home games, free apps for the iPhone, iPad, and andriod devices. Since there are fewer games on WGN and it's harder for me to watch games on the weekend this will allow me to watch week night games. I bought this last year and loved how it streamed through my blu-ray player in HD quality plus no commercials.

But there is a catch you'll need to check you zIp code and make sure the Cubs are blacked out. I'm lucky here in Grand Rapids that no teams are blacked out but some oddities do exist. For example my Indianapolis zip code I grew up in 46250 has every Cubs, White Sox, and Reds games blacked out. Yikes Wrigley is like 5 hours away yet I'm 2 hours from Detroit and 3 hours from Chicago. Fucking MLB and their blackout rules.

Anyway take a look it seems like a sound investment for a baseball fan, I'm really exciting for the in game pitch counter (like the one you see on app).

Enjoy

[TWC]

I just upgraded my internet at home to a 12MB ADSL+ connection (from a very basic, very lame 1.5MB DSL) so that I can watch games in HQ this year. Oh, yeah, and so I don't have to wait at a 1:1 ratio for goddamn YouTube videos to load. I've been getting the itch to get a TV, because 40"+ HD Cubs games are a treat, but spending all that dough does seem kinda silly, and there's no way in hell I'll ever cough up the scratch for cable. My iMac's 27" screen (or, more frequently, my iPad's screen) is gonna have to do -- but I'm probably just going to stick with the $15 radio only level, at which you get 1 free game per day. At 15 games a day (or so), I'm figuring that's ~11 Cubs games I'll be able to actually watch live. Unless things get interesting mid-season... but I'm not holding my breath.

[Brett]

I'll be purchasing this weekend. I'm blacked out for Pirates and Reds games. The Reds make sense, since I get most of their games here in Columbus. The Pirates, of course, make no sense at all, since I can't possibly get their games here (or drive to their games). So I'll miss those games, but otherwise should be OK.

Now I just have to figure out how to get the MLB.tv stream on my actual TV.

[MichiganGoat]

I'll be purchasing this weekend. I'm blacked out for Pirates and Reds games. .

I just don't get MLB blackout policy, how can I have no blackouts yet everyone else has multiple blackouts... Crazy shit

[Dave]

I'm debating MLB.tv,on the one hand I'd love to be able to catch every Cubs game, but on the other hand they would frown upon me watching day games instead of working. Plus the sound on my work computer isn't all that great.

[MichiganGoat]

Here is a map of MLB blackouts

http://us.i1.yimg.co.../1150742098.jpg

Sorry Iowa you just get F'd in th A

[Cubbie Blues]

I looked into it this afternoon. I get all the games at home for free, but if I want to have it on in the back ground at work on my second screen I can't because it is blacked out. I am 5 hours away. How would I be able to justify season tickets? isn't that what the blackout is for, to make sure every game is sold out?

[Brett]

I looked into it this afternoon. I get all the games at home for free, but if I want to have it on in the back ground at work on my second screen I can't because it is blacked out. I am 5 hours away. How would I be able to justify season tickets? isn't that what the blackout is for, to make sure every game is sold out?

That was the original reason, but MLB has gone nuts, and now it has to do with territorial rights tied to local TV ads. It's really, really stupid.

[Brett]

Just purchased. Hope it works as planned, as I'd like to watch a bunch of games on my iPhone this year while I'm out and about.

[Stinky Pete]

I had wondered if I was dead center of the illogical MLB.tv universe. Yep. Thanks for confirming that, Goat. I thought maybe some east coast teams might have areas with six black out teams. Nope. Just Iowa. I don't even see any area with five. St. L and KC are about 6 hours away from me and obviously closer to each other, yet they are not blacked out of each others games. Check out the Charlotte area. They are blacked out of Cincinnati, but if you moved north into Virginia and closer to Cin. you are not blacked out.
I'm sitting here, ready and willing to to give MLB my money but I guess they don't want my dirty Iowa money.

[BlueHorizons]

I switched from Comcast cable to DishNetwork last year, and with my package I can't get WGN. So, I thought it was a great time to go with MLB.Tv. Going in, I realized there might be some games blacked out... I figured, if nothing else, I could watching the Cubs games when they were on the road. Well, I quickly found out, it was ALL Cubs games... and White Sox games (I HATE the Sox, but I DO sometimes watch them, so I can root for the to lose!) . Even the Tigers appeared to be blacked-out. WTF?! I am just over 100 miles from Chicago... and closer to 200 miles from Detroit.

Fortunately, the good people at MLB.com listened to my argument and gave me a complete refund. I still get the audio, though, and listen when I can't watch.

Surprisingly, I was able to see a pretty large percentage of the games via Dish, so I wasn't too upset, though it was always a big disappointment to sit down and find that the game wasn't on.

[MichiganGoat]

Here's what really strange, I live in a SW burb of Grand Rapids and only a five minute drive to the city line. So my zip code has no blackouts but Grand Rapids is BO of Tigers games but zip code has no blackouts. I'm sure my IP is GR and will result in blackout of Tigers game so you might want o check where you IP address identifies you because that is what MLB uses to set your blackouts.

[Brett]

Here's what really strange, I live in a SW burb of Grand Rapids and only a five minute drive to the city line. So my zip code has no blackouts but Grand Rapids is BO of Tigers games but zip code has no blackouts. I'm sure my IP is GR and will result in blackout of Tigers game so you might want o check where you IP address identifies you because that is what MLB uses to set your blackouts.

Very good point.

[hawkcub]

The Iowa blackouts are just plain stupid. Especially the Twins, Royals and to a lesser degree the Brewers and Cardinals. I've had cable and now Dish. WIth cable I rarely got the Twins, Royals, Cards or Brewers. WIth DIsh I get about 50 Brewer and Card games and only about 10 Royals and Twins games each. For Cubs and White Sox I can watch almost all of them (except WCIU games). Guessing DTV is similar to Dish.

But luckily for me I'm a Cubs fan and rarely watch the other teams. But for fans of those teams it's just plain dumb.

[Cubbie Blues]

The Iowa blackouts are just plain stupid. Especially the Twins, Royals and to a lesser degree the Brewers and Cardinals. I've had cable and now Dish. WIth cable I rarely got the Twins, Royals, Cards or Brewers. WIth DIsh I get about 50 Brewer and Card games and only about 10 Royals and Twins games each. For Cubs and White Sox I can watch almost all of then (except WCIU games). Guessing DTV is similar to Dish.

But luckily for me I'm a Cubs fan and rarely watch the other teams. But for fans of those teams it's just plain dumb.

I have Direct TV and can see all but the WCIU games.