Apple TV and MLB TV

[RobDeer 45]

Hey guys, I think I ask about different devices to watch the Brewers on every year. Well we got an Apple TV this year and was curious if anyone has done MLB TV on it yet? When you pay for the MLB package, are you only able to watch it on Apple TV? What all do you use your Apple TV for?

[1992casey]

I believe that when you buy MLB.TV, you can watch it on any device that's capable of receiving it. That should include your Apple TV, computers, tablets, smart phones, etc.

[Storm]

We have been thinking of getting an Apple TV. It would be nice to hear how you like it.

[RobDeer 45]

So far so good. We use netflix quite a bit and it's worked great. I would guess you would need at least average internet speed for it work well all the time. I have never had an issue with it. If you have an iphone, it's pretty cool. You can mirror video, music, and pictures to your tv and then stereo (if you have one hooked up). We use it to look at pictures quite a bit. It's also pretty cool for video podcasts that can stream from your phone of computer. Endless options of things to get off iTunes when it comes to podcasts. I'd say that youtube is a bit slow to load at times but most of the time it's pretty solid. There is a lot more on there that I haven't gotten to but I'd say that it's a pretty cool device and at only $99, a great value.

[nate82]

I believe that when you buy MLB.TV, you can watch it on any device that's capable of receiving it. That should include your Apple TV, computers, tablets, smart phones, etc.

 

I think you have to purchase the MLB.TV app in order to watch on a smart phone. I am not 100% on that also this year you will be able to get MLB.TV on the Xbox 360 along with the PS3 and other devices.

 

The only problem I had with the PS3 version was when I had my computer on at the same time and I was browsing the net and doing other things like playing a game or any other intensive bandwidth stuff.

[ttsather]

My Apple TV is essentially the core of my home entertainment. No cable, just Netflix and MLB.TV (as well as the other non-subscription Apple TV features). I used it for Brewer games after the move to Atlanta, and it was great. I'd never previously had MLB.TV. I actually watched other games a lot more than I expected to, and incidentally having the service available to me off of my laptop was awesome when traveling. I echo statements about needing decent broadband speed, but it's otherwise totally worth it.

[RobDeer 45]

Ya I do think you have to pay for the app and I believe last year if you had iPhone and iPad you had to pay seperately for them both. I think that is kind of pushing it a little by apple but oh well.

[1992casey]

MLB decides whether or not you need to pay for the apps. They could easily offer them for free if they'd like.

[GoudaBrew]

They are including the AtBat App for the premium MLBTV package this year.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/index.jsp?&c_id=mlb&affiliateId=mlbMENU

 

Weren't there some pretty major issues with MLBTV and all streaming devices last year? I was looking into buying a Roku last year and looked at the forums on Roku and MLBTV and there were tons of complaints about streaming with Roku, AppleTV, Samsung TVs, etc. Did those issue get worked out as the season wore on?

[twofistedslopper]

I'm glad this came up. I was thinking about getting mlbtv for my ps3. Anyone ever try it on there? What's the video quality like?

[PKBadger]

They are including the AtBat App for the premium MLBTV package this year.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/index.jsp?&c_id=mlb&affiliateId=mlbMENU

 

Weren't there some pretty major issues with MLBTV and all streaming devices last year? I was looking into buying a Roku last year and looked at the forums on Roku and MLBTV and there were tons of complaints about streaming with Roku, AppleTV, Samsung TVs, etc. Did those issue get worked out as the season wore on?

 

 

I bought a Roku prior to the 2010 season, for the sole purpose of watching MLB games, and was severely disappointed. Picked up a PS3 that Christmas and used it for MLB in 2011, and it was better (although nowhere near perfect).

 

That said, I'm not sure if Roku has improved their stream since I made the switch.

[AJOHNSON104]

I'm going to be traveling alot this year. Even though I live in Milwaukee, can I still watch Brewer games on MLB via wi-fi if I'm in Chicago, Las Vegas, etc., or will I still be blacked out?

[PKBadger]

I'm going to be traveling alot this year. Even though I live in Milwaukee, can I still watch Brewer games on MLB via wi-fi if I'm in Chicago, Las Vegas, etc., or will I still be blacked out?

 

 

You'll be good when traveling. The blackout only applies if you're logging in from the local (MKE) area. It looks at your IP address when you log in to the site, as opposed to your home billing address.

 

Chicago is far enough outside of the Brewers' "zone" to be OK.

[SenatorShriv]

I enjoyed haveing MLB.tv this last season and will subscribe again this year. That being said, they do really nickle and dime you. The playoffs cost extra, the iPad and iPhone aps cost extra and it seemed like they were always trying to sell me something extra. I stuck with the basic subscription and watched from my computer at work or occassionally set up a projector and watched it on "the big screen" at home. My only real complaint was that the HD video quality NEVER worked - it was always too slow no matter what network or device I was on.

 

I'll probably get the iPhone ap this year just to see if it is something that i would actually use. I have a hard time envisioning watching many games on my tiny phone, but who knows...

[twofistedslopper]

Do you get all the games that are on TV (FSW, WMLW, Fox, ESPN, etc.) or how exactly does MLB TV work? I remember a friend of mine had the at-bat app a few years ago and said that he only got the video feed (no audio).

 

I left Wisconsin in September and hated missing those pivotal games down the stretch (had to go to bars to watch playoffs) and I don't want to miss games this year. I don't have cable and really don't want to get it along with the Fox Sports package just to get the Brewers games.

[ttsather]

My only real complaint was that the HD video quality NEVER worked - it was always too slow no matter what network or device I was on.

 

I got what appeared to be HD quality through my Apple TV, but I also basically never got it to work on my laptop. At best, I got a few minutes of HD there if I had no other apps/windows drawing from my network connection and if I lucked out and had few people on my cable node. Otherwise it wouldn't even load. Even on the big fat networks at my university, it was typically nonfunctional at high video quality. Disappointing.

[SenatorShriv]

Just got an email from MLB.tv asking me to re-up my subscription for 2012 and I thought some of the fine print was relevant to this conversation. Looks like you can get the MLB.tv ap for free this year. That might make it worth it. Also mentions compatability with AppleTV

 

New 2012 MLB.TV Premium Features (included at no additional cost)MLB.com At Bat 12, the top-ranked sports app in the Apple App Store and recent inductee into the Macworld App Hall of Fame, is now included for free with your subscription (separate purchase not required). Enjoy complete portability to iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and select Android phones and tablets. At Bat 12 is available on 2/29/12.*

MLB.TV Premium is available on your Xbox 360** in 2012 (coming soon). Simply log-in with your MLB.TV username and password to access live and on-demand baseball.

 

Standard 2012 MLB.TV PREMIUM FEATURES Connected Devices: Sony PlayStation 3, AppleTV, Roku and other connected devices. Click here to see a full list of compatible devices.

HD Picture (where available): Speed detection technology delivers high definition video at the industry standard of 720p on any size monitor.

Home and Away Feeds: Watch either the home or away teams' broadcasts.

Live Game DVR Functionality: Pause and rewind live games. Jump back up to 10 seconds to create your own instant replay.

Multi-Game Viewing Options: Watch up to four games simultaneously with the Mosaic® feature.

Pitch by Pitch Tracking: Track live the location, type and speed of every pitch. Follow balls and strikes on overlay.

Picture-in-Picture: Choose one game and track another or watch in-game highlights simultaneously in a secondary window.

Audio Overlay: Overlay the home or away team's radio broadcast over the live video or use the "Park" option to include the ballpark's natural sounds.

Clickable Linescores: Go directly to any at-bat or half inning of a game.

In-Game Highlights: Real-time highlights and player stats automatically load in the media player. With one click, the clip instantly launches in a picture-in-picture window

Player Tracker: Customize a list to feature entire fantasy rosters and receive on-deck notifications to watch live look-ins for each player. Simply click the alert and watch the at-bat live in a Picture in Picture window.

 

* Simply download the free MLB.com At Bat 12 app to your supported smartphone or tablet and log-in with your MLB.TV Premium username and password to access live and on-demand baseball

[RobDeer 45]

That's great news that they are combining the the mlb.tv with the apps. I did think it was a little much that they made you buy new apps for that. I really think I will go with this option this year.

 

Does anyone watch the games on an iPad? I think tha would be pretty solid.

[kalle8]

I'm glad this came up. I was thinking about getting mlbtv for my ps3. Anyone ever try it on there? What's the video quality like?

 

i watched whole season on my ps3 with HD quality most of the time.

only missing feature is the condensed games.

[twofistedslopper]

I'll definitely be buying the premium subscription for the season. Here's a breakdown of everything included. Love the fact that you can overlay the radio broadcast with the video feed.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/index.jsp

[RobDeer 45]

Wow that's a heck of a deal and it looks great! I can't believe they are giving all that access this year and not charging extra! I really love that you can do the radio overlay as well. That will be great.....that is if the new guy is good

 

I really can't wait to fire this up! Does anyone know if you get the spring training stuff along with this or is that completely seperate?

[1992casey]

A new Apple TV model will be available next week. At $99, it'll be priced the same as the old model. This one features 1080p and a simplified interface.

[GormanHarvey]

A new Apple TV model will be available next week. At $99, it'll be priced the same as the old model. This one features 1080p and a simplified interface.

 

I'm trying to decide between an Apple TV and a Roku (or some other device I may have not even considered yet) mainly for streaming my mlb.tv premium onto my tv. Any thoughts?

[1992casey]

I was looking into that a while back and never really came to any conclusion.

 

It seems to me that Roku is more customizable and offers more services while Apple TV is easier to use. It sounds like Apple TV would offer a major ease of use advantage if you use iTunes. If you own a Mac, as of OS X Mountain Lion (coming this summer), an Apple TV will wirelessly display your computer desktop on your TV.

 

You could take home one of each and keep the one that you like better. And if you ultimately decided that you made the "wrong" choice, the prices are low enough that it wouldn't kill you to buy the other product. It wouldn't stop you from finding a use for your first device.

[GormanHarvey]

Thanks for the help/info Casey. I should've mentioned that I own zero Apple products. I think I'm going to give the Roku a shot. Do they make different models also? What's a typical price of a Roku?