MLB Extra Innings vs. MLB.TV

[jimmychanga18]

My cable company is offering Extra Innings for $170 is you sign up before this weekend, then it jumps up. MLB.tv is $99 bucks. I read something about Saturday afternoon and Sunday night blackouts for all games with MLB.TV.
Any thoughts from some subscribers? Thanks!

 

[All The Hype]

I don't know what the deal is for blackouts, but I have MLB.tv and love it.

 

[jimmychanga18]

This is what I read:

Regular Season Weekend U.S. National Live Blackout: Due to Major League Baseball exclusivities, live games occurring each Saturday with a scheduled start time after 1:10 PM ET or before 7:05 PM ET and each Sunday with a scheduled start time after 5:00 PM ET, will be blacked out in the United States (including the territories of Guam and the U.S. ****** Islands). In addition, in the event of extraordinary circumstances that produce a programming conflict, the above blackout windows may be subject to change.

I work M-F and would be mad if I couldn't watch anything on the weekends.

 

[vwnut13]

This is what I read:

Regular Season Weekend U.S. National Live Blackout: Due to Major League Baseball exclusivities, live games occurring each Saturday with a scheduled start time after 1:10 PM ET or before 7:05 PM ET and each Sunday with a scheduled start time after 5:00 PM ET, will be blacked out in the United States (including the territories of Guam and the U.S. ****** Islands). In addition, in the event of extraordinary circumstances that produce a programming conflict, the above blackout windows may be subject to change.

I work M-F and would be mad if I couldn't watch anything on the weekends.

I don't know how it is for other teams. But for the Yankees, any games that fit this criteria are on national TV.

Saturday Fox Games and Sunday Night Baseball

I am pretty sure that these blackout rules would have little to no effect on weekend games. Games fitting this criteria should be on national TV so they would be blocked out anyway.

 

[jimmychanga18]

Thanks guys, I think I'm leaning toward MLB.tv right now. Anyone hook their comp to their tv?

 

[leatherman]

The blackout on Saturday is due to the FOX exclusive deal with MLB to be the only live broadcast, for the 3pm (or 4pm) games. There are usually one or two other games at the same time, in case of a rainout at the Game of the Week location. You would still be able to watch the 7pm and later games.

The Sunday blackout is for Sunday night, when only one game is scheduled at that time anyway (with the exception of a makeup game on a doubleheader). MLB teams play day games on Sundays because most teams have Monday off, and it gives them some extra rest or time to travel to the next location (the same reason there are so many Wednesday and Thursday day games). You would still be able to watch all the Sunday games.


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[19braves77]

If you got Direct TV and the basic sports package with all the Fox South, Fox Florida, etc. channels, you are better off not getting the Extra Innings Package. I had it back home in Mobile, Alabama and could not get Yankees, Marlins, Rays or Astros games because of the blackout restrictions.

Anyone hook their comp to their tv?

You got to have a great looking TV and a great internet connection for this to be worth while.

I found a site a while back that let me stream MLB.com thru my PS3 using the program Playon which meant no wires but then the site got closed down.

 

[All The Hype]

Thanks guys, I think I'm leaning toward MLB.tv right now. Anyone hook their comp to their tv?

Yes, I like to be able to watch games at any time, but the main reason I subscribe to MLB.tv is to be able to watch all of Rick Porcello's starts for the Tigers. We have an HD flat screen TV and that I hook my comp up to when Porcello is pitching.

 

[DaleMurphyCollector]

I've had both for the last couple of years. This year, however, I am going exclusively with mlb.tv. The mobility of it alone is worth it.

The Saturday blackout affects both MLB Extra Innings & MLB.tv. Whatever games are schedule during the times listed, will not be shown on either. I never remember it being much of an issue, though, since generally speaking it's the 3-4 games labeled "Game of the Week" that are blacked out and you can watch them on another station (on TV).

I don't have any facts to back this up, but it seemed like the Braves were much more accessible on MLB.tv than Extra Innings. I remember being frustrated with Extra Innings before because the Braves weren't on, but never remember being frustrated with MLB.tv. To give you persepctive, I watched at least 150 of the 162 Braves games last year and don't remember not getting to watch when I wanted to.

If you have a decent internet connection and an HDTV, then mlb.tv can easily be watched on your tv. In fact, for $119 you can get mlb.tv in HD and I bet it would look great on your tv.

The BEST feature on MLB.tv that IS NOT AVAILABLE on Extra Innings is the ability to chose which broadcast you watch. I'm an admitted homer for the Braves, but I find myself annoyed when I have to watch Braves with other team's commentators. They just don't seem as good. With MLB.tv, you can always chose to watch the Braves local broadcast.

Only word of warning I have about MLB.tv (& Extra Innings, for that matter) is that your local team(s) WILL BE blacked out ALWAYS. For me, the Reds, Indians, and Pirates are ALWAYS blacked out on both (I'm in Columbus, OH). Be aware of that before you subscribe to any. Depending on where you live and who you want to consistently watch, you might have issue.

 

[pigskincardboard]

MLB Extra Innings is Free Until April 11th, at least on my cable network. I would assume that other cable companies would be pimping the product too.

 

[jimmychanga18]

I live up in the ND and they will only blackout the Twins, which are on FSN anyway. I don't have an HDMI port on my mac, whats the best type of connection one could use to hook up to an HD TV?

Thanks for all the feed back already everyone, I appreciate it.

 

[Incline Investments]

I've got both and love them. I use MLB Extra Innings more, just because I'd rather watch a game on my TV than on my computer. But if you travel during the Summer like I do, MLB.TV is necessary as well.

 

[baseballguy350]

Hooked up MLB.TV using and HDMI cord to a 65 inch in college. Looked alright. Now hooked up to a 37 inch standard def, and it looks fine.

 

[rsmath]

My cable company is offering Extra Innings for $170 is you sign up before this weekend, then it jumps up. MLB.tv is $99 bucks. I read something about Saturday afternoon and Sunday night blackouts for all games with MLB.TV.

No brainer to go with MLB.TV Premium at $120'ish. Way less expensive than EI and I have a Roku box that I can watch MLB.TV on my HD monitor (once Roku and MLB get that going for 2010 - any day now). It worked well in 2009 for me when Roku and MLB came up with their agreement. I could also get a video card that isn't messed up and watch it on my TV directly from my computer if I wanted to, so multiple ways to port the game to a TV to give it more of the MLB EI feel.

MLB.TV also has archives (and you can watch your in-market team on the archives since you are blacked out liive). MLB.TV also has just about every game covered, using diamondvision or in-house productions when a RSN or local station isn't broadcasting a game. MLB EI relies on RSNs (or RSNs that carry local station broadcasts outside the DMA) so you miss potential access to lots of games.

Gameday audio is also included with MLB.TV premium so you can listen to your in-market team live.

Both MLB.TV and MLB EI have the same blackout rules so there is no advantage to one or other. It is nice with FOX switching things up for 2010 that the FOX blackout rules have changed. It used to be any game with first pitch before 7:05 PM ET was blacked out.

This year, it's this way:

If FOX is broadcasting at 3:10 PM ET, any game that starts before 12:10 PM ET or after 6:05 PM ET will not be blacked out.

If FOX is broadcasting at 4:10 PM ET, any game that starts before 1:10 PM ET or after 7:05 PM ET will not be blacked out.

If FOX is broadcasting at 7:10 PM ET, any game that starts before 4:10 PM ET or after 10:05 PM ET will not be blacked out.

The new FOX blackout rules result in a few more Saturday games being watchable in MLB EI/MLB.TV than in prior years.

 

[Canocollector#1]

Thanks guys, I think I'm leaning toward MLB.tv right now. Anyone hook their comp to their tv?

Yeah, I have mlb.tv and I hook it up to my hdtv. It is amazing. I love it. The quality is usually very good and the audio is great. As for the blackouts, whatever mlb teams network you get will be blacked out all the time. I live in NY so I can't watch and Yankees or Mets games. As for the other blackouts the games on FOX or blacked out because they are on national tv and the sunday night baseball game is blacked out because its on espn.