MLB Extra Innings

[NY_FAN_in_NJ]

Why does FIOS only offer 2 MLB games a day in High Definition?  As a leader in high definition, why is there only 2 channels when DirecTV offer 15 games a day in Hight Definition.  When I was a DirecTV customer I paid the exact same amount as I currently pay but received 13 more games a day in High Definition.  I might cancel my Extra Innings package and sign up with MLB.TV where all games are offered in HD quality.

Also, DirecTV offered pre and post game coverage with their Extra Inning Package.  Today on FIOS the games become available a few minutes before the game starts and end immediately after the game ends.   DirecTV offers 40 minutes of pregame and 15 minutes of postgame coverage.

The other diappointing thing is FIOS needs to offer all of the sports channels that are available on a national feed.  DirecTV offers channels like MASN, MSG, SportsNet NY,  SportsSouth, etc.  FIOS only offers YES as a national feed.  I would pay an additional $10.00 for those channels.

More Sports and more HD, please!!!!

[ekem015]

Definitely an area where Verizon needs to improve vis-a-vis DirecTV.

[Yaztheman]

I completely agree with you on the lack of HD MLB games.  A couple of questions;

1) How is the picture quality for you on the SD games?  I find it abysmal.

2) When you mentioned signing up for MLB.TV, you mean on your PC?

Thanks!

[NY_FAN_in_NJ]

I find the SD picture with FIOS better than that of DirecTV but still is not what I am looking for in a quality picture.  We are in 2010 and High Definition is now the standard.  I just don't understand why.

MLB.tv is $119.99 a year and you get all the games in HD quality but can only be viewed on your computer.

[Yaztheman]

Funny, my experience is the opposite -- my DirecTV SD picture (using component outs from an RCA box I purchased separately) is superior to the FIOS SD picture using the same component outs and same TV but from the Motorola 7100 receiver.  But either way, if I went back to DTV, I would see every game in HD because they use the Regional Sports Network feed for the team I follow.

[Carl]

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@Yaztheman wrote:

Funny, my experience is the opposite -- my DirecTV SD picture (using component outs from an RCA box I purchased separately) is superior to the FIOS SD picture using the same component outs and same TV but from the Motorola 7100 receiver.  But either way, if I went back to DTV, I would see every game in HD because they use the Regional Sports Network feed for the team I follow.

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and this is where it is different on Verizon. They use inDemand for the sports packages. inDemand is run by a consortium of cable companies(Comcast, TWC, Cox), and they don't have the setup like DirectTV.

I only wish Verizon carried the 2nd HD channel for EI/CI.

However, even if they added the 2nd HD channel from inDemand, I don't think I am going to reup next year for any of the sports packagaes (specifically Center Ice)

[YankeeFanInMass]

I have been asking about this for a year.  As a prior customer of DirecTV (for 15 years), I had their MLB package forever.  When I signed on with FIOS I found they only offered the two games a day in HD.  I also found that their SD broadcast on my HD widescreen tv was literally un-watchable....it's awful, and is why I haven't signed up for it again this year.  The game came in better on my old SD tv, but who wants to sit in front of that when you have a large screen HD tv to watch.

I cannot understand why they don't broadcast all those games in HD.  I can't believe it's because they can't get the rights...I'm guessing it's because they are too cheap to pay for the additional cost.  I'm actually thinking about switching back to Direct TV as I was miserable without the NFL Sunday Ticket this year as well.  The Red Zone channel, which Direct TV has too, does nothing for me.

[NY_FAN_in_NJ]

I put a lot of the blame on inDemand who carries the MLB Extra Inning games for all other cable providers except DirecTV.  I am not sure why this would be but it really sucks.  DirecTV has agreements in place to broadcast the HD versions of the games on Extra Innings.  I dont want to hear the bandwidth or capacity arguement because FIOS can utilize more bandwidth on their fiber than Satellite ever can.

Same goes for carrying these regional sports networks on a national feed.  Networks like SNY, NESN, MASN, Fox Sports, SportSouth, etc should all be part of a sports package nationally. All we get today are the ESPN networks and the BigTen network with an assortment of fishing channlel, etc.   Charge a few extra bucks and offerall regional sports networkst in HD only.  Verizon FIOS must consider competiting in the sports arena in order to lure customers over from DirecTV.  In my opinion, without sports DirecTV would fail as customers would leap for the better picture quality FIOS offers.

Be a national player, not a local cable operator!!!!

[Raypac]

The MLB Extra Innings games in SD are atrocious on fios, then on top of that we can't get any postgame commentary as it immediately shuts off after the game.

If the YES Network is carried nationally then Sports Net NewYork (SNY) should also have a national feed especially if they are covering the "BIG EAST" basketball games. The "BIG EAST" is not only in New York guys. Show us some love too, after all Rhode Island borders New York by water and is minutes from Connecticut.

Let's Go Fios, more HD baseball and SNY nationally.

Raypac

[psumatt1]

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@NY_FAN_in_NJ wrote:

I dont want to hear the bandwidth or capacity arguement because FIOS can utilize more bandwidth on their fiber than Satellite ever can.

This is where you, and alot of people are wrong. FIOS uses an 860MHz frequency layout to deliver us channels, just like cable does. Within that frequency, there are only so many QAM's available to deliver those channels. Since FIOS only places 2 HD channels to a QAM (unlike Comcast, etc. which uses 3-1), they have run out of space to add additional channels unless they too, move to a 3-1 compression scheme.