We’ve written before how MLB has tried to stop fans from forming fantasy leagues under the asinine claim that baseball statistics are intellectual property. Well, now MLB is calling fans who use Slingbox to watch games criminals!
Like other professional sports leagues, Major League Baseball is jealous of its content. The latest company to come under its scrutiny is Sling Media, makers of the Slingbox television place-shifting device. According to The Hollywood Reporter Esq., MLB is upset that fans can watch out-of-market games via the Slingbox, calling the device illegal.
MLB is of the opinion that the Slingbox violates contracts it has signed with cable and satellite TV companies and that Slingbox owners are redistributing content without MLB’s express written consent whenever they place shift. The fact that Slingbox owners are watching content—encrypted to hinder piracy—that they paid for (or free, over-the-air transmissions in many cases) is irrelevant to the major leagues.
MLB has been down this road before with Sling Media. At last year’s Digital Media Summit, MLB VP George Kliavkoff said that a San Francisco Giants fan visiting Chicago and watching a Giants game via his Slingbox is “stealing” from whatever Chicago cable operator has the rights to carry the game in the Windy City. In so many words, leaving your TV on while you travel with nobody watching it is fine with MLB. Streaming it to your hotel room while on the road is not.
#15, Andrew, that orb.com looks great, thanks for the tip.
Baseball to me is a chess match and a game of, literally, inches. One of the biggest entertainment bangs for the buck
No argument from me. But it’s not for everybody, which is fine. I think it’s the APPARENT simplicity of the game that fools a lot of people into thinking it’s boring.
MLB stupidity is exactly why I am now a proud owner of a slingbox (although a friend in my former home town hosts it). I was planning on purchasing the cable tv MLB Extra Innings package, but MLB put the screws to the cable company by signing the (then) exclusive DirectTv contract. At the beginning of the season, the only way I was able to watch “my” team was on the internet (mlb.com). I figured, if I was stuck watching the Indians on my computer, why not buy a slingbox? So I did, and get to watch all the games without giving MLB a dime! They could have had my $$$ just like last year, and the year before for the Extra Innings package if it was available at the start of the year, but now they have blew it, and they can thank themselves. And better yet, now get to annoy all of my West Coast friends by telling them 3 hrs early who won Survivor, Idol, etc!!!!
#17, Bubba: You’re right. The beauty of baseball is that you can sit outside on a balmy summer night listening to a game on radio, drinking a cold beer, watching the stars while contemplating the mysteries of the universe and not miss a thing. * sigh *
#15 and #21 Orb.com is a great idea but the video quality sucks and the lag is brutal.
#24, Pfkad, now remembering Mark Holtz, Harry Carey, Curt Gowdy, Vin Scully, Mel Allen, Red Barber, Jack Buck, et al. Here’s to those balmy summer evenings with a radio and a cold one!
I have a great idea.MLB should start legal action against their customers.This has worked so well for the music business.
#14 it would be great to make a protest in front of the MLB’s headquarters with everybody sitting with laptops and smartphones whatching a game thru slingbox. That’d be so cool!
And, who’s gonna pay me all those cable fees I paid and couldn’t watch before I had my slingbox?
I’m a long time baseball fan but these dumbasses are doing all they can to fuck the sport up. They are at the height of income at this point but they are aleinating our youth. The dumb fucks are going to be in big trouble in 10 years!
#23, paul, thanks for the info on slingbox. Their website isn’t great, but I hope their product is. Is it worth the money? Any help appreciated.
I’ve only been to the new ballpark in Cleveland twice (Jacobs Field?), but both were very enjoyable experiences, and the traffic management was outstanding.
#30 I’m watching and controlling my home directv here in germany. I can watch & control it on my laptop and (for a fee for the client soft) on my pocketpc. I’m using the AV.
It depends on your internet home conection’s upload capability. I suggest you use the thoughtput analyzer they have on their web page.
Anything above 350~400 kbps upload is good. Below 250 is quite blocky.
I thought about upgrading to directv plus just to use and control the dvr inside it and so, jumping over the time difference this way, but I though otherwise after reading how crappy the directv dvr’s are.
Watching it at home is quite nice too! there, you get a much better image @ 3 or 4 mbps, even over wifi.
BTW, I can use the directv receiver this way becuase I have it go thru a vhs/minidv player that has 2 video outs. That way, they can still watch directv @ home while I’m away (I only have one receiver)
If you are quoting an idiot like George, then good luck.