OT: Watching Games Online
I know this won't be of interest to everyone, but maybe a few people are in my situation:
Comcast recently decided that they had been offering me their TV-on-internet service in error, and yanked it--annoying turn of events since they had offered me this service as an inducement to subscribe to one of their many dumb packages along with a free internet-based phone servuce that I do not use. I don't do cable, and have been watching most games on the internet for years. They want an additional $30; that will get me some cable I won't use and the Internet-on-TV service back. (I don't avail of their bad movies since we already sub to Netflix and Hulu.)
All of which I would consider if it got me Michigan basketball and football, but it doesn't. What it has obtained in the past is an often-bad ESPN feed (carrying some of the bigger UM games) that was usually bettered by online streaming at places like VIP sports, Front Row sports, and goATD.Net. The Big Ten Network is not available with Comcast's package, so my only option--apparently--would be to pay for that, too, although on the rare occasions when I signed for free trials with BTN, their stream was also often worse than those streaming "services."
The problem is that all of those services suddenly don't work for me, either, and I wonder whether anyone else is facing this. The blizzard of popups that go with a stream --some of which can be beaten off with the likes of ad block--are also now followed by a black screen and a "play" symbol to press that doesn't get me the games, just a whirling time symbol and a return to the black screen.
Anyone got any advice, other stream providers or ways in? I use Firefox, for what it's worth. I may yet succumb, but it seems like the option of $50 or so more bucks to obtain undependable streams, in this day and age--when all content is supposed to have long-since "migrated" online--is nuts. Would my best bet be to buy a tv tuner for my computer?
Thanks for any helpful thoughts, mglobules.
i
January 21st, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^
It was a sad day when Wizwig.tv got shutdown couple months ago.
January 21st, 2015 at 3:49 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 1:40 PM ^
Get Adblock plus for Chrome or Firefox... and use this site.
atdhenet.tv , best site for sports imo when you got no other free options.
Just gotta wait 15 seconds and hit the x on the ad covering the video box and you're golden.
Oh and DO NOT click on the right side links that say Link 1 Link 2
CLICK on the NAME of the match/game
IE
Michigan Wolverines vs MSU Watch Live Link 1 Link 2
Hit the bolded link.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:04 PM ^
you require "an additional plugin" at the top of the page, I assume that that should be ignored?
January 21st, 2015 at 2:11 PM ^
Yup. Ignore that.
January 21st, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
use it to get a good job, pay for a good internet/tv service.
There are also sports bars.
January 21st, 2015 at 1:55 PM ^
now have a doctorate, and am doing pretty okay. A careful read would show that I am willing to pony up if it will get me the ca. 5 TV sports events involving the UM that I actually want to see each month. But I won't impugn or make assumptions regarding YOUR education. :)
January 21st, 2015 at 3:10 PM ^
a pay stub that says you made $75,000 last month, I quit my job and got to work for you right now.
January 21st, 2015 at 8:04 PM ^
looks a lot like me!
January 21st, 2015 at 2:39 PM ^
Ted Turner, is that you?
January 21st, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
and was sad when they disappeared. Many of those streaming sites - I've heard - are just a mess of popups and gross ads. Frontrow is awful.
That said, I've, uh, heard good things about stream2watch.me
Like OccaM suggests above, get popupblocker and you are all set.
January 21st, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^
Sling TV from dish will get you ESPN and ESPN2 over the internet for $20 a month. Other than that, have fun with sketchy pirating sites. I listened to the Bball game on Tunein radio last night, and was fine.
January 21st, 2015 at 3:55 PM ^
might get you the BTN network, too, for another $5-10 smackers.
January 21st, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^
I like to use First Row Sports to watch a lot of out-of-market hockey games.
January 21st, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^
OP, please understand I'm not directing any of this at you at all, I promise. But truth of the matter is, I'm getting sick and tired of these regular posts asking about online streaming of games and what not.
Now, to turn this into a positive, we're in a period where more and more people are going to be closing the door on cable/satellite and looking towards streaming options to get their tv fix. I think the board has proven there is enough demand for this topic to once and for all justify a sticky on it, one that discusses alternative ways to watch tv (with a primary focus on Michigan and related sports) for those overseas and for those who have chosen a cable free lifestyle.
Mods, what say you? Pretty please?
January 21st, 2015 at 1:51 PM ^
Negged because I haven't in awhile and I remember saying I was going to neg your posts for all eternity.
January 21st, 2015 at 1:53 PM ^
Ha! Oh yeah, I forgot about that already. You're doing a terrible job at remembering to neg me, and I appreciate that.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:07 PM ^
I negged you for a while, as well. Don't remember why. Now I like you. So you've got that going for you.
January 21st, 2015 at 1:53 PM ^
It's funny that you bring this up because in August I had asked myself if this was something that might need to happen for football season because for three months we will get a similar thread 2-3 times per week, and there are enough people on the site who go cable-free that a central repository for the common alternatives might be in order. I asked myself this but never answered it, I should say.
If Brian and/or Seth approve of the addition, I think we could probably do with something along these lines because it does come up quite a bit in the fall and occasionally during baskbetball season as well.
January 21st, 2015 at 1:57 PM ^
lots of people can use it.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^
I agree. I cut the cable and have watched most of my sports online for the last year. First with frontrow, now with vipleague, vipleague.se seems to have way WAY fewer adds than frontrow. I'm always interested in learning about other options that might be better. I think this information would also be useful to cable/sat subscribers for times when their life takes them away from home or other viewing options.
January 21st, 2015 at 7:03 PM ^
Thanks from yet another cable cutter.
FWIW, I keep an old PC running Ubuntu Linux (actually, Lubuntu, which has a lighter-weight window manager) soley for online streaming. I still battle the ads, but it seems easier to win the whack a mole game against the popups because they usually render a little differently in Firefox for Linux. I also worry a little less about malware from those sites.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:06 PM ^
+1 from me. Just cut the cord myself recently. I was going to wait until end of football season (which I had assumed was early Jan for Michigan, lol), but after... well *that* happened, I cut the cord in Oct. This sling box thing from Dish looks mighty interesting, but I still need a way to fill in for BTN.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:46 PM ^
I am 100% for what JHendo posted. I have a few streaming links saved, but it would be nice to get other options, especially considering some links are shut down at some point. I'm guessing the reason there isn't something like the sticky JHendo proposed is because these streaming web sites are illegal in this country. I doubt Brian & Co. are interested in promoting something that is illegal. As far as I know, it's not illegal to use the streams, rather it is illegal to own and operate the streams.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:09 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 21st, 2015 at 2:13 PM ^
I don,'t have problems with front row or first row, whichever it's called. I have adaware and adblock and stream it to my TV via chromecast. I watch UFC mostly with that.
I recently bought 2 of the Amazon FireTV sticks and they are fantastic! ESPN looks as good on the kitchen tv as it does over satellite. There is no official B10 app yet, but you can side load any android app. The only problem is if yuou need a touchscreen to control it but a $20 wireless keyboard gets around that if you Google a how-to.
The only thing you'd still be lacking is the login info but I'm sure a friend could hook you up with that.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:30 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 2:32 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 2:33 PM ^
Try a Direct TV minimum package that has ESPN and it's family of networks. The WatchEspn app will shortly become available with ESPN. And BTN is also available. You would need the "Entertainment Package". I only use Comcast for my internet connection. I hate when these companies want to package everything together. I feel like they have me by the nuts.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:38 PM ^
They also have NBA and NHL ... They put the thread up just before the game and then it is taken down after, which is why those pages seem so empty right now.
They always have High Def, and Standard Def... Plus they put in VLC streams as well.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:40 PM ^
Have adblock on
http://www.vipleague.se/american-football/2142/1/espn-live-stream-onlin…
Click the basketball or football and select desired game regardless of network. Wait awhile for ads to expire 30+ seconds. Do not download anything. and watch game. It has a lot of btn games this year.
I use superusvoxtv.com for playon, but you can watch btn and the espn's (and many other channels) on your computer directly from the website. You can show it on your tv by an hdmi cable, casting it, or whatever.....
These are all free.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:43 PM ^
I live in Northwest Ohio and have Buckeye cable. The cheapest cable package with ESPN that you can get is $75/month. That doesn’t include internet service which is also going to cost you another$30-$50 per month. I just said no thanks and went with the internet. That was 2 days ago. Thanks for this thread.
January 21st, 2015 at 7:57 PM ^
Buckeye cable sounds awful. I mean, really really bad. Like the kind of thing headed by someone who you need sanitizer after meeting.
January 21st, 2015 at 3:24 PM ^
I use my Amazon Fire TV to use Kodi (XBMC) to find games for me. It's not 100% true HD, but it's certainly watchable.
The Fire TV is a Detroit-transplant's dream
January 21st, 2015 at 7:54 PM ^
I have been using http://www.stream2watch.me/
Adblock on.
And Chromecast sends it to my 40" TV, so it's almost like watching cable (but lower quality & I'm not paying $100's for channels I don't watch.)
January 21st, 2015 at 8:29 PM ^
If the answer is obvious, yes, I'm old and this is a serious question.
Thanks.
January 21st, 2015 at 9:23 PM ^
I am setting up my video system anew after moving. I just ordered a new Blu-Ray/DVD Region-free player that I am going to use a HDMI converter to send S-video to my DVR/DVD Burner unit.
I now wonder if I use the USB to HDMI cable to go to this if I will be able to just roll on a game.
Hmmmm...
January 21st, 2015 at 9:03 PM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 6:18 AM ^
Candy Crush Soda Saga is most online played game , it can also played offline on mobile , you can find simle tips to play the game with this post. you are assured to get the quality tips, as i have also find the great tips regarding to crushing candies soda saga level.