All out-of-state Dawg fans worried about missing the pay-per-view Georgia Southern game can relax. According to the WWL's website, ESPN GamePlan has picked up the broadcast. If your ISP carries it, ESPN 360 will also air the game online. Blackout restrictions apply to GamePlan, so if you're in Georgia, I believe you are blacked out because of the pay-per-view offering. I presume the same restrictions apply online.A blackout map is usually available about a week before the game, and we will publish it as soon as possible. Last year's Western Carolina game, a pay-per-view offering, was blacked out in Georgia, but available everywhere else.
(Update: Some astute commenters have said that DirecTV and Cox still offer the one day GamePlan package for $21.50. Evidently the girl I was talking to last night at DirecTV was an idiot. After calling back this morning and waiting on hold for 20 minutes for the rep to figure it out, I was informed that the one weekend option is indeed still alive. But, I have to order it on the 29th or 30th because their computers won't let them sign me up until the GamePlan is in season. Huh? One problem I've run into in prior years was that DirecTV wanted to charge me a fee for calling them to order this instead of signing up on their website. There is, however, no way to order the one weekend GamePlan option on their website. Ask them to waive the fee if they try to charge you.)
I haven't watched a football game on ESPN 360, but I have watched a few baseball games on the online network. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the broadcast. The picture was clear and had few, if any, stream interruptions. It's a solid option if you get it.
Quinton
Quinton
46 comments:
Since moving to Chicago in '03, I have gotten GamePlan each year and it is definately the way to go. Not only does it give you 2 or 3 games each year (along with all of the other SEC PPVs), which you would otherwise not get, but you get the weekly 12:30/11:30 Lincoln Financial games, which give you SEC match-ups that you would not get outside of the South East.
I'm on the brink of ordering GP but wish they would have their entire schedule of games for the year. Looks like they only have through week 3 right now.
I'm a little fuzzy on what exactly this EPSN360.com is. They put a .com on the name but it's obviously not a real website since you can only access it if the Internet Service Provider subscribes to it. I think instead of sending ESPN's form letter to my ISP, I'll send a letter to ESPN requesting they just put it on the really real Internet instead of running it through some proprietary network and then pretending it's on the Internet (unless I'm missing something fundamental here).
Dante, it would require a tremendous amount of bandwidth to stream video from one central location directly to all the ESPN360 subscribers simultaneously. To mitigate that problem, they enlist the ISPs to pull the video down to their networks and distribute it internally to their subscribers, thereby reducing the total traffic.
If your ISP chooses not to participate, then ESPN is out of luck because they probably don't have the kind of network resources that would be required to deliver the video directly to you (and the many, many others who would want it).
I agree that getting GamePlan is the way to go. The best part about GamePlan is the 3:30 ABC Regional Broadcast. If you can get two TVs set up and have one on the CBS broadcast, the other TV can be used to watch any of the 3 or 4 regional games ABC is showing.
In the SE, you are stuck with a crappy ACC matchup every Sat, but with GamePlan you can watch a quality Pac 10 or Big 12 game or whatever.
that bandwidth issue sounds right.
I know that currently YouTube requires more bandwidth in 2008 than the *entire* internet needed in 2000.
Video is a staggering resource hog.
Mirrors or some other sort of load balancing or localized caching would make a lot more sense than crying to the ISPs but that would require ESPN to actually invest in a network infrastructure to make their network application work and apparently that's too much to ask of them. Video is a huge resource hog but the technology to handle it exists. YouTube is put together with string and silly putty. If they can handle more bandwidth than the entire 2000 Internet, surely ESPN can work out a more universal solution (or at least a more universal option to go alongside their current solution).
On the other hand, I guess they could just be talking the ISPs into carrying a multicast instead of dropping it at the router level like ISPs usually do but I doubt that's what ESPN and the ISPs are actually doing since those little Linksys wireless routers everyone uses these days for their broadband would also cut the multicast before it got the destination without some tinkering.
I have Cox digital cable in Pensacola and they do offer one day packages for $21.95. I don't know if this is available in all Cox outlets. Just thought I'd pass it along.
Contacted direct tv and they said you could indeed buy the UGA/GSU for 21.50. It has to be ordered 24 hours before the game and you must have a land line to recieve the feed.
Someone help me out here---will I or won't I be able to get the game here in Georgia? I use DirecTV, btw, and I planned on having a lot of people over to watch the game. Will I be able to order the game or is it still blacked out? Also, will local cable providers here (charter, cox, etc) offer the game either way? Thanks.
Again, I live in Pensacola and have the MLB package with Cox. All Marlins and Rays games are blacked out. I believe the blackout used to be determined by distance, however now it seems to be by state. I would just contact your provider, hope you get someone who knows what they are talking about, and ask them. Good Luck!
If you live in the state of Georgia the pay per view is blacked out unless you have Comcast. I have no idea why that is, but for some reason they don't let you watch your in state team on pay per view. I have had GamePlan for two years now, but am thinking about cancelling, because I'm not sure its worth it to watch a handful of ABC afternoon games if I can't watch UGA on pay per view.
<"Evidently the girl I was talking to last night at DirecTV was an idiot."i>
That's the same girl I get every time I call DirecTV.
I was looking around the internet to see if I could get the pay-per-view on my local cable (CNS out of Thomasville) and found something interesting. According to Zap2it, they are showing the Georgia-Georgia Southern game will be on WALB (NBC out of Albany). I checked a couple of other TV listing to make sure this was right. TitanTV lists “SEC Football” during this time slot on WALB, but provides no details and YahooTV has this entire time slot listed with “Paid Programs”. TVGiude also shows this time spot as being “Paid Programs”. I tried to check the WALB website, but it is useless. Does anyone have any ideas about this? Could a local NBC station have picked up the game, or am I just getting my hopes up?
Anon -I get her sister when I call Comcast.
Relax, People.
See here:
http://www.csssports.com/pages/georgia_georgiasouthernppv
I ordered the yearly GamePlan package tonight. The lady was very nice, but when I asked her to confirm that the Georgia Southern game was going to be available, she (apparently a Gator fan) told me to "enjoy my cupcake, 'cause they don't serve them at the Cocktail party." Cute, I thought, very cute, just like Tebow's grass-stained ass will look. . .
Gotta love Comcast.
This is a reply to the guy asking about WALB in South Georgia. The SEC game that will be shown in that 12:30 slot will be the Florida-Hawaii game. I work for WALB and can confirm this. Unfortunately there is no way that a station can supersede SEC contracts to show a game like this. The real problem is the PPV blackout. I was hoping that the ESPN360 thing would work for me as my ISP carries it, but now learning on here that it will be blacked as well. That sucks. Does anyone know this for sure?
Clarification: Direct TV, via ESPN Game Plan, is offering the GA vs GA Southern Game. However if you live in Georgia it will be blacked out. But you can call DTV and order this game on Aug 29th or 30th for a seperate fee if you already have subscribed to Game Plan. Is this correct or is the only way to get this game in Georgia is through Comcast Cable?
so is it still blacked out on ESPN 360?
Just to clarify... DirecTV is picking up the CSS-produced PPV game for $21.50? Even though CSS isn't offered through DirecTV since it is owned by Comcast? This would be a huge relief since I won't have to leave our tailgate to go to a bar to watch the game.
chris:
Have you (or anyone else) heard that it will be blacked out on ESPN360 in GA?
Mike, well ESPN says its on Gameplan but they will also be showing it on 360 so if it was blacked out on Gameplan for Georgia residents, do you think it would be blacked out on 360 as well?
This is ludicrous. I live in the state, along w/ most other Dawg fans, yet I have no viable option for watching the game on tv. I have Dish Network, so if I spend over $100 for Gameplan, I won't see it due to Blackout restrictions. My buddy with cable can't get it because our local cable company doesn't have access to it. Yet, the rest of the country can watch it on Gameplan instead of the core fanbase. Ridiculous.
I remember a couple of years ago this happened when Comcast offered the pay per view, it was blacked out on Gameplan
I am having my buddy in Florida Fedex me his direct tv receiver as it will not be blacked out.
B I,
Same here - I have Dish. Commiecast hasn't allowed Dish to sell it as a single game PPV in the past. I don't expect that to change this weekend. I do have ESPN360 on my ISP. I'm holding out hope (but not my breath) that I'll be able to see it there. This madness will go away next year. I think ESPN will have a much wider distribution of the PPV games across most of the cable systems and both satellite systems. Heck, this type of game might make it to ESPNU or ERT next year.
I called Cox in New Orleans to ask if they have a weekend Gameplan deal. The guy said that "right now" all they were offering was an early bird special on the full season. But then the dude told me that if I check back later that they "may" offer half season deals. Sounded like they were being shady to try and get people to sign up for the whole season. I'm definitely still going to check back on Friday to see if they will allow the weekend deal.
To FedEx guy...
Make sure you will be able to hit whatever feed your Florida buddy is on. If you're too far away and cant hit the dish, you'll be SOL like most of us.
I live in Alto, GA. I just got off the phone with DirecTV and they confirmed that the game will NOT be blacked out where I am. So I purchased the one day gameplan for $21.50. They even gave me $10 off for being a long time customer.
GOOOOOOOOOO DAWGS!!!!!!!!
I'm jealous, Pablo. I live in Cornelia, just down the road, and haven't spoken with a Dish Network rep who knows the difference between college and nfl games, much less blackout restrictions.
I spoke with a Dish Network rep. today and was told that Dish will NOT carry the game as a PPV. So, I guess I am out of luck
Commiecast is just plain mean. There are a bunch of folks who live in the woods (like my kinfolk in South GA) who can't get cable. Why can't this be on the two satellite providers as a PPV?
Update from Alto......
I just confirmed that DirecTV WILL NOT be showing the game. It will be blacked out. So now I am off to find a bar to watch the game at. Any suggestions?
I just called DirecTv and confirmed my order for the game and they told me that I WILL NOT be blacked out. I ordered the specific game via the internet (not sure if that matters). I'm in Lexington, GA (15 min from Athens). Hopefully the customer service rep knew what she was talking about...
I'm thinking since they added the UF/HI game (which comes on WATL 36 @ 12:30), that'll be the one blacked out on GamePlan...they'll have to show ours (not shown on a channel DirecTV carries) since it is the only other 12:30 game.
Hopefully I'm right...or I'll be at the Wild Wing Cafe on Washington!
Heading to Tempe, what color are Dawg fans wearing for the game? Red? white?
Thanks
Sorry to hear all my fellow Dawg fans in my home state having trouble getting an unneeded pay per view game, I mean it's not like the game was the Cocktail Party!!! I'm out in Cali and just got Gameplan with Time Warner out here(ironic Time Warner is homed in Atlanta), so I will be watching this game out here at 9:30 am.
GO DAWGS!!!!
But the way, know I have Southern Cal fans out here going crazy because the Trojans are under us in the rankings, not to mention on a weak conference.
Just hack dish network by going to f2atv.com. You can order a captive works 700 on ebay and your set. No more 21 dollars here 49 dollars there.
In Cleveland, GA. DirecTV. UGA just lost a football fan because of the constant crap like this shit with DirecTV... Unfortunately its a dish or nothing where we're all at. Bye bye.
The game is no longer listed on esn360.com as of saturday morning...please tell me someone is playing a joke....
I hear ya there anonymous in Cleveland! I just called and asked DirecTV again if I will get the game and the rep said yes. I was on the phone with them for nearly 20 min. It has "not available in your area" on the channel but she said at game time it will come on.
If it doesn't they are gonna get a pissed off call at 12:31!
Grant,
I just checked ESPN360 and saw the same thing as you. It was listed in the lineup yesterday, but they pulled it off this morning. They also pulled off the Fla - Hawaii game. Looks like anything that gets blacked out on GamePlan in your area also gets blacked out on ESPN360.
Nick,
I hope it comes through on your dish, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
GO DAWGS!
All of us only have one hope and thats toward ABC...i have dish and checked my guide yesterday and saw that they are the only station with an opening from 12:30-3. the opening says TBA which could mean anything, but keep your fingers crossed
Guys - the game (along with the FL- Hi game) just popped up as 'up next'... I'm in GA (actually running a ssh tunnel into the UGA network to get access to a eligible ISP.
Go DOGS!!
It's on ESPN360 here in GA!
Just curious: If you ordered GamePlan on satellite in GA, were you able to see the game or did they black it out?
I am also wondering if anyone in GA got the game on Gameplan? I called DirecTV 5 times and was told each time that I should get the game but I decided not to buy it.
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