MLB.TV, MLB Extra Innings and other services

[ExposFan]

For the first time in over a decade, I have no desire to watch the Blue Jays season opener or any of their games. I guess I’ve gone beyond frustration to simply indifference. I still love baseball but I’m thinking of following another organization.

 

What is the best and most cost-effective service for watching other teams? I know MLB.tv and MLB Extra Innings are out there. Do regional blackouts play a factor in these services? What other services are out there?

 

I apologize if this has already been discussed ad nauseam, but I’m just looking for other ways to watch MLB instead of through Sportsnet.

[NorthOf49]

Get MLB.TV! It's the most amazing thing ever. You can watch any game you want at any time on any platform in HD. You can even watch multiple games at once and jumping between games is very easy. I watched A LOT of non-Jays baseball last year and it gave me a better appreciation for the game. Now the Blue Jays ineptitude doesn't dampen my excitement for the upcoming season, because I follow every team.

 

Last year for whatever reason I didn't get blacked out from watching Blue Jays games despite living in Southern Ontario. But if the blackout does exist for you there are ways around it. There are no blackouts for games involving teams that are out of your area so if you're getting it to escape Blue Jays land you won't have any problems.

[jays4life19]

I have the super sports pack and it works well for me.

 

Saying that i have noticed a ton more non Bluejays baseball on the sportsnet platforms. You really don't need a fancy mlb package to watch non jays baseball.

[Boxcar]

For the first time in over a decade, I have no desire to watch the Blue Jays season opener or any of their games. I guess I’ve gone beyond frustration to simply indifference. I still love baseball but I’m thinking of following another organization.

 

What is the best and most cost-effective service for watching other teams? I know MLB.tv and MLB Extra Innings are out there. Do regional blackouts play a factor in these services? What other services are out there?

 

I apologize if this has already been discussed ad nauseam, but I’m just looking for other ways to watch MLB instead of through Sportsnet.

 

No offense, but the issues surrounding MLB.tv and their solutions have been discussed like a hundred times it seems.

 

- purchase MLB.tv for 130

- either use a browser add-on like Media hint or pay for a VPN. I use Unblock-us because it is only 5 bucks per month, you can configure your router so that anything connected to it can benefit (consoles, apple TV, tablets) and it changes your IP on the fly so that you never get blacked out. You also have the option to change your Netflix region to anything, Canadian, American, British, Irish, etc. I watch everything on my PS3 so that works for me.

 

That's it. Pair that with an ISP that doesn't bog you down with a severe bandwidth limit (I use Teksavvy, best ISP ever) and you're golden.

[wilko]

I thought I read that they are not blacking out games anymore starting this year for MLB.tv users?

[Rotator]

i wasn't getting blocked last year for Jays games while watching them in Toronto. hopefully that continues or I just sign into Rogers anywhere tv to watch the games. the mlb.tv is a pretty sweet package, with its cross platform apps, i can watch games on any device i own.

[wilko]

That's it. Pair that with an ISP that doesn't bog you down with a severe bandwidth limit (I use Teksavvy, best ISP ever) and you're golden.

 

Doesn't Teksavvy just piggy back off pre-existing connections? Shaw/Telus/Eastlink etc.

[Jim_Ackers_balls]

Even better is to use VMedia with their unlimited bandwidth and you can watch as many games as you want. I've had them since October 2013 and no issues to report at all.

 

I bought MLB Premium last year for the first time for Roku and it is fantastic. The true beauty lies in being able to listen to the Jays radio broadcast instead of the idiots on TV and it is synced perfectly. The picture quality is better than MLB Extra Innings which I had in 2012. It's not even comparable.

 

I did the month to month package last year, because I was unsure how much bandwidth I was going to blow through and you go through a lot. Rogers is obviously not the service to use for your Internet for this. VMedia and their unlimited bandwidth all the way.

 

For a VPN, I also used UNblock-US. Not a bad service. I haven't seen any promotional stuff saying that Mlb.TV is not going to have broadcast restrictions or not. I guess time will tell if that is true.

[baseballsss]

No offense, but the issues surrounding MLB.tv and their solutions have been discussed like a hundred times it seems.

 

- purchase MLB.tv for 130

- either use a browser add-on like Media hint or pay for a VPN. I use Unblock-us because it is only 5 bucks per month, you can configure your router so that anything connected to it can benefit (consoles, apple TV, tablets) and it changes your IP on the fly so that you never get blacked out. You also have the option to change your Netflix region to anything, Canadian, American, British, Irish, etc. I watch everything on my PS3 so that works for me.

 

That's it. Pair that with an ISP that doesn't bog you down with a severe bandwidth limit (I use Teksavvy, best ISP ever) and you're golden.

 

Hey Boxy,

 

Can you confirm if i were to buy mlb tv for my PS3 I would be able to watch jays games on it? I'm seeing mixed things. when i googled it finding more stuff from previous years and nothing on 2014. but I'm pretty sure they said the blackout is lifted thia year.

[G-Snarls]

I thought I read that they are not blacking out games anymore starting this year for MLB.tv users?

 

Even last year they didn't seem to. I could watch Jays games no problem last year for the first time. (living in Atlantic Canada FWIW)

[Boxcar]

Thanks for gritting your teeth long enough to post this tidbit, been recently shopping for an alternate to Rogers (dear god they're awful.)

 

I get 300 GB per month @ 25 MBPS (speed is fairly close to that) for a little over 40 bucks per month.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/3322041928.png

I was with Acanac before because they are unlimited but the customer service is so horribly bad (I'm talking like 4 months for refunds, they don't take phone calls, want everything done through email, etc.) Teksavvy calls you after the installation to make sure everything is peachy keen, and the amount of communication and response time to queries are excellent. Can't recommend them enough.

 

Edit: to put it in perspective, an equivalent-ish package from Rogers is 25 MBPS and 80 GB of bandwidth for 55 dollars a month. Plus you have to deal with Rogers.

[Boxcar]

Hey Boxy,

 

Can you confirm if i were to buy mlb tv for my PS3 I would be able to watch jays games on it? I'm seeing mixed things. when i googled it finding more stuff from previous years and nothing on 2014. but I'm pretty sure they said the blackout is lifted thia year.

 

As long as you do what I do, I can guarantee it. You have to configure your router if games are being blacked out since I don't think there's a way to do it directly on the system...or maybe there is, I don't know. Either way, I'm pretty sure you will need to pay for a service which shouldn't cost more than 3-5 bucks a month.

[Boxcar]

Even better is to use VMedia with their unlimited bandwidth and you can watch as many games as you want. I've had them since October 2013 and no issues to report at all.

 

I bought MLB Premium last year for the first time for Roku and it is fantastic. The true beauty lies in being able to listen to the Jays radio broadcast instead of the idiots on TV and it is synced perfectly. The picture quality is better than MLB Extra Innings which I had in 2012. It's not even comparable.

 

I did the month to month package last year, because I was unsure how much bandwidth I was going to blow through and you go through a lot. Rogers is obviously not the service to use for your Internet for this. VMedia and their unlimited bandwidth all the way.

 

For a VPN, I also used UNblock-US. Not a bad service. I haven't seen any promotional stuff saying that Mlb.TV is not going to have broadcast restrictions or not. I guess time will tell if that is true.

 

Damn, never heard of VMedia but I got wary of "too good to be true" prices after Acanac. I'm happy with my service, and I'm not really going to come close to 300 gigs so it's not enough of an issue for me to switch but probably something for people like Silvergun to consider.

[Jim_Ackers_balls]

Damn, never heard of VMedia but I got wary of "too good to be true" prices after Acanac. I'm happy with my service, and I'm not really going to come close to 300 gigs so it's not enough of an issue for me to switch but probably something for people like Silvergun to consider.

 

All they do is subcontract from Rogers and Bell. They've been around since the summer last year and like I've said, I've had them since October. I stream everything through my Roku 3 in addition to baseball. I hate having to worry about how much bandwidth in the back of my head, so this is the company that works right for me.

 

With tax it works out to 58 or 59 bucks a month for 45 mbps with no cap. I don't think that is available in all areas though. A friend of mine is getting setup for V-Media and in her particular area can only get 20 or 25 mbps for cable internet.

[G-Snarls]

I get 300 GB per month @ 25 MBPS (speed is fairly close to that) for a little over 40 bucks per month.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/3322041928.png

I was with Acanac before because they are unlimited but the customer service is so horribly bad (I'm talking like 4 months for refunds, they don't take phone calls, want everything done through email, etc.) Teksavvy calls you after the installation to make sure everything is peachy keen, and the amount of communication and response time to queries are excellent. Can't recommend them enough.

 

Edit: to put it in perspective, an equivalent-ish package from Rogers is 25 MBPS and 80 GB of bandwidth for 55 dollars a month. Plus you have to deal with Rogers.

 

Bell Fibre Op owns them all out east:

 

http://www.bluejaysmessageboard.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=555&d=1393027092

Edited February 21, 2014 by G-Snarls

[wilko]

Bell Fibre Op owns them all out east:

 

http://www.bluejaysmessageboard.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=555&d=1393027092

 

Jesus.

[baseballsss]

As long as you do what I do, I can guarantee it. You have to configure your router if games are being blacked out since I don't think there's a way to do it directly on the system...or maybe there is, I don't know. Either way, I'm pretty sure you will need to pay for a service which shouldn't cost more than 3-5 bucks a month.

 

I appreciate the info. I'll probably end up doing that, that way i can get better netflix to.

[wilko]

I appreciate the info. I'll probably end up doing that, that way i can get better netflix to.

 

If you plan on watching MLB and Netflix at home use media hint plugin for chrome/firefox. You can also use another website to stream hd feed's for MLB and other sports related events that will remain nameless unless you PM me.

[TBJ12]

Bell Fibre Op owns them all out east:

 

http://www.bluejaysmessageboard.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=555&d=1393027092

 

The speeds are great but limitations are brutal. Haven't checked lately but Bell Fibe was crazy expensive last time I had a look.

[G-Snarls]

The speeds are great but limitations are brutal. Haven't checked lately but Bell Fibe was crazy expensive last time I had a look.

 

Fibre Op is not the same as Fibe. Bell deliberately tries to make them sound similar but they're not. I think you can only get Fibre Op in Atlantic Canada and northern Ontario.

 

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=146810&highlight=FTTN+FTTH

Edited February 22, 2014 by G-Snarls

[Boxcar]

If you plan on watching MLB and Netflix at home use media hint plugin for chrome/firefox. You can also use another website to stream hd feed's for MLB and other sports related events that will remain nameless unless you PM me.

 

He's watching on PS3 though.