GameCenter Live vs NHL Center Ice

[Callagraves]

Boys, it's almost time. The season's getting ready to start, and so am I. Some of you might remember, I left our lovely Gotham/Metropolis/New York/Westchester/I want to go home/Rockland for the graces of South Carolina. Thus, watching the Rangers will be, well, difficult.

Previously, everyone had told me to go with Center Ice. Cool. Hitch is, I just took a job as a firefighter that'll have me out of the house nearly every other day. But I hear that GameCenter can be a real ***** with blackouts and things like that. I just bought a 60' inch plasma, which i'm really looking forward to seeing games on, but I don't want to only catch every other game.

TL;DR: I'm bragging, I miss New York, and I want hockey.

Click to read more...

 

[charlie460]

GCL has blackouts if you're in the local market of either team that is playing AND any games that are nationally televised (NBC, NBCSN, NHL Network) but you can bypass this using a VPN or Proxy. It also allows you to watch on Xbox/PS3/mobile devices (blackouts still apply).

If you have a TV subscription and center ice you should be able to watch any game.

 

[Callagraves]

GCL has blackouts if you're in the local market of either team that is playing AND any games that are nationally televised (NBC, NBCSN, NHL Network) but you can bypass this using a VPN or Proxy. It also allows you to watch on Xbox/PS3/mobile devices (blackouts still apply).

If you have a TV subscription and center ice you should be able to watch any game.

Center Ice can't stream to a laptop, can it?

 

[Kane One]

GCL has blackouts if you're in the local market of either team that is playing AND any games that are nationally televised (NBC, NBCSN, NHL Network) but you can bypass this using a VPN or Proxy. It also allows you to watch on Xbox/PS3/mobile devices (blackouts still apply).

If you have a TV subscription and center ice you should be able to watch any game.

Center Ice got rid of their blackout rule?

 

[nyr2k2]

If you are interested in GameCenter Live, I would strongly recommend checking out HockeyStreams.com instead. Far, far more content, equal (if not better) quality, less price.

 

[Callagraves]

If you are interested in GameCenter Live, I would strongly recommend checking out HockeyStreams.com instead. Far, far more content, equal (if not better) quality, less price.

I will. Is it compatible with a gaming device?

 

[Tawnos]

The blackouts on GCL and CI are exactly the same when you live out of market. They are as follows: any nationally broadcast game, so NBC, NBCSN and NHLN. any game broadcast on your local team's channel, so for you it would be any of the Rangers vs Hurricanes games (they were blacked out when I lived in Charleston). The national games are a pretty big deal, since they love to play the Rangers.

Personally, I find CI combined with a TV package that includes the networks and Fox Sports Carolina and a DVR to be far, far more convenient of an option. The main problem is that, at least when I had Comcast in Charleston, they didn't broadcast Center Ice in HD and you usually only had the home broadcast. Dish and DirecTV are much better for watching hockey.

I'm going with HockeyStreams this year, though.

 

[haohmaru]

If you are interested in GameCenter Live, I would strongly recommend checking out HockeyStreams.com instead. Far, far more content, equal (if not better) quality, less price.

Hrm. I moved to Florida over the summer and I'm in the same boat. Undecided about whether or not to go with Center Ice (Comcast has very limited amounts of games in HD, doesn't have MSG, and is similar in terms of CI commmitment to Cablevision (ie.... none). Direct TV isn't an option for me because of the amount of huge trees that surround my property.

Can you tell me more about HockeyStreams? I'm guessing it's not "legal" and I'd be concerned that the site just disappears some day. Where do they get their content from?

For me, it's either GCL or, now, Hockey Streams.

(edit) and, do they take Paypal?

 

[Tawnos]

I believe HockeyStreams is legal, because technically you're just paying a lawyer's fee based out of The Netherlands.

 

[charlie460]

Center Ice got rid of their blackout rule?

The only thing that would be blacked out are local team's games, which you are receiving if you have center ice on cable or satellite.

So, you wouldn't get to watch the Rangers broadcast if they're playing your local team, but you could still watch it.

 

[Nanaki]

Center Ice got rid of their blackout rule?

I used a VPN last year and never got blacked out. It was called unblock-us. I got everything including the playoffs and Stanley cup. It looked amazing on the xbox 360 app as well.

 

[Nanaki]

I just realized I quoted someone talking about Center Ice. I was using Gamecenter live. If you are thinking about Gamecenter live, be aware that it automatically signs you up to pay annually. If you had it last year and you don't want it this year you have to call a number before October 1st or you'll be charged. Fair warning. Otherwise it worked pretty well for me.

 

[nyr2k2]

Hrm. I moved to Florida over the summer and I'm in the same boat. Undecided about whether or not to go with Center Ice (Comcast has very limited amounts of games in HD, doesn't have MSG, and is similar in terms of CI commmitment to Cablevision (ie.... none). Direct TV isn't an option for me because of the amount of huge trees that surround my property.

Can you tell me more about HockeyStreams? I'm guessing it's not "legal" and I'd be concerned that the site just disappears some day. Where do they get their content from?

For me, it's either GCL or, now, Hockey Streams.

(edit) and, do they take Paypal?

I don't think Hockey Streams is legal, but it's been around with no problem for years now. It's not illegal for you to watch, as far as I know. They're based out of the Netherlands or something.

I believe it works with PS3 and X360, but I'm not sure. Their website says something about it.

 

[TGWL]

http://www6.hockeystreams.com/devices

Gives you the guide to putting it on PS3/Xbox360. From what I've seen, it's a bit of a mess right now. Lots of complaining going on about it not working right. They created a new guide at the above link.

 

[Doctor King Schultz]

Center Ice can't stream to a laptop, can it?

No, but if you don't mind spending the extra money, you can buy a Slingbox and then stream your Center Ice to any laptop or smart phone. I bought one last year and I enjoy it a lot. The best part is that there is no monthly fee for a Slingbox.

 

[Shadowrunner]

what about Roku?

I recently dumped my cable subscription and got myself Roku 3. As far as TV/movies, I'm golden -- Netlix + Hulu Plus for the win and about $50-60 cheaper than cable. There is a GCL channel as well, but I'm afraid of getting a bunch of blackout games since I'm still in the NY market. If there are better options (preferably with HD), please shout 'em out.

 

[Levitate]

^^^ You'll always get blacked out of the market that you're in, even if the team isn't playing a home game. You'll get all other out of market games though, except nationally televised games (which is annoying as hell)

I believe HockeyStreams is legal, because technically you're just paying a lawyer's fee based out of The Netherlands.

It's certainly not legal in the slightest and technically you probably could get busted for using it, but content providers tend to go after those who are supplying the content, not those who are accessing it.

GCL is more flexible sine you can watch it practically anywhere but be aware that streaming is often a minute or so behind real time.

Center Ice is awesome if you're home for a lot of the games and you have DirecTV. Like 99% of the games are in HD and they have both teams feeds on DirecTV. I'm not sure if Fios does the same and I'm positive that most other cable providers don't have as much HD coverage as DirecTV

 

[nyr2k2]

^^^ You'll always get blacked out of the market that you're in, even if the team isn't playing a home game. You'll get all other out of market games though, except nationally televised games (which is annoying as hell)



It's certainly not legal in the slightest and technically you probably could get busted for using it, but content providers tend to go after those who are supplying the content, not those who are accessing it.

GCL is more flexible sine you can watch it practically anywhere but be aware that streaming is often a minute or so behind real time.

Center Ice is awesome if you're home for a lot of the games and you have DirecTV. Like 99% of the games are in HD and they have both teams feeds on DirecTV. I'm not sure if Fios does the same and I'm positive that most other cable providers don't have as much HD coverage as DirecTV

The reason I don't do Center Ice is due largely to the lack of HD and terrible broadcast quality on Comcast in MD/DC. Last I checked there were only two HD channels for the hockey package. The non-HD channels look absolutely terrible, and you're frequently only offered one feed of the game. So I end up having to listen to the guys on Root sports in ****** low definition.

 

[Levitate]

The reason I don't do Center Ice is due largely to the lack of HD and terrible broadcast quality on Comcast in MD/DC. Last I checked there were only two HD channels for the hockey package. The non-HD channels look absolutely terrible, and you're frequently only offered one feed of the game. So I end up having to listen to the guys on Root sports in ****** low definition.

Yeah, I'd basically never get CI again if I didn't have DirecTV. I ended up moving and dropping TV entirely so I'm doing GCL this year and we'll see how that goes. I should be able to output the video from my laptop to my TV via HDMI cables and pretend it's almost hte same thing

 

[Trxjw]

I had CI on FiOS here in Pittsburgh last season and it was alright, but not worth the money unless you can park yourself in front of the TV and watch tons of hockey. I'd much rather have Gamecenter because at least then I can watch it on my phone or tablet, as well as on my PS3 with the app (though the PS3 app is pretty lousy).

Going to give HockeyStreams a shot this year. It has XBMC support, so I can use my HTPC which is nice. They also have an API suite, so I'm going to tinker with that and see if I can do anything clever.

 

[nyr2k2]

Yeah, I'd basically never get CI again if I didn't have DirecTV. I ended up moving and dropping TV entirely so I'm doing GCL this year and we'll see how that goes. I should be able to output the video from my laptop to my TV via HDMI cables and pretend it's almost hte same thing

I had CI on FiOS here in Pittsburgh last season and it was alright, but not worth the money unless you can park yourself in front of the TV and watch tons of hockey. I'd much rather have Gamecenter because at least then I can watch it on my phone or tablet, as well as on my PS3 with the app (though the PS3 app is pretty lousy).

Going to give HockeyStreams a shot this year. It has XBMC support, so I can use my HTPC which is nice. They also have an API suite, so I'm going to tinker with that and see if I can do anything clever.

I've done the streaming to my TV through HDMI before with GCL, and it worked pretty well. I picked up a Chromecast at launch, so now I'm eager to see how well that will work for me. If I can wirelessly stream from my laptop to my TV and still maintain halfway decent HD picture quality, I'll be ****ing thrilled. And the nice thing with Chromecast is that you can stream what's open in one browser tab to your TV, and then just open another tab or window and continue to use your computer. It's all bandwidth permitting, though...we'll see!

I also like GCL on mobile devices. Nothing like whipping my phone out at a kid's birthday party or something similar to pass the time watching a hockey game! I tried the PS3 app a few years ago, but it was pretty much garbage. I had a great connection but there was frequent buffering and fits and stops. Hopefully they've tightened that up a little.

Hockey Streams has a mobile app for Android, though to be honest, it sucks. Only about half of their streams will work on it and there's a bug where every stream will start from the beginning of the broadcast, even if you're tuning in mid-game. You can just load the stream in your mobile browser and go full screen, though, which actually works incredibly well (even on 4G). Still, it would be nice if they could provide a fully functioning mobile app.

 

[Trxjw]

Hmm. That might be an issue then with HockeyStreams. I watch a lot of things on my phone at night in bed, and I don't have a TV in my bedroom. Crap. Are the streams from their site in Flash? Chrome on mobile won't run it, and my native web browser on my GS2 chokes on most high-bandwidth flash feeds.

I've heard GCL is better on the XBOX, but I use my PS3 for online gaming and never bothered with an XBL account. I really don't want to pay 60 bucks for a year of XBL I probably won't even use just so I can get GCL on there.

 

[nyr2k2]

Hmm. That might be an issue then with HockeyStreams. I watch a lot of things on my phone at night in bed, and I don't have a TV in my bedroom. Crap. Are the streams from their site in Flash? Chrome on mobile won't run it, and my native web browser on my GS2 chokes on most high-bandwidth flash feeds.

I've heard GCL is better on the XBOX, but I use my PS3 for online gaming and never bothered with an XBL account. I really don't want to pay 60 bucks for a year of XBL I probably won't even use just so I can get GCL on there.

So I just checked the HS website and this was the top news story:

Android now starts live
Hey folks,
We found out what the issue was with android starting live streams from the beginning instead of live. Using the mobile page - streams will now start from the live point on all mobile devices. HSDroid will need to be updated to make use of this, I will contact the developer to help with this.

Let us know if you have questions as always
- See more at: http://www5.hockeystreams.com/suppo...Android+now+starts+live#sthash.u6GOuDqo.dpufp

So it looks like they're fixing the mobile app. To directly answer your question, they have three types of streams available: Flash, iStream and Progressive--which I believe is HTML5-based rather than Flash.

On the Android, I use Dolphin Browser. It has Flash support, is the quickest of the Android browsers, and has the best tabbed browsing setup. I'd give it a look.

 

[alotlikehomer]

Yeah, I'd basically never get CI again if I didn't have DirecTV. I ended up moving and dropping TV entirely so I'm doing GCL this year and we'll see how that goes. I should be able to output the video from my laptop to my TV via HDMI cables and pretend it's almost hte same thing

Go for an AppleTV if you think you would use it for things beyond GCL. It's a very easy way to watch GCL on your TV, plus you can access all of your photos, videos and music.

 

[Trxjw]

So I just checked the HS website and this was the top news story:

So it looks like they're fixing the mobile app. To directly answer your question, they have three types of streams available: Flash, iStream and Progressive--which I believe is HTML5-based rather than Flash.

On the Android, I use Dolphin Browser. It has Flash support, is the quickest of the Android browsers, and has the best tabbed browsing setup. I'd give it a look.

Nice. Thanks for the heads up.