Best Option for Watching Crows games?

[Niximus]

Can someone help me? I can't watch the game on Saturday. Does anyone know how the AFL live pass free with Telstra works? Can I just go to the servo and buy a $2 sim, chuck it in the phone and I'll be able to watch the replay? Or do I have to buy credit or something? Help pls.

I may be wrong, but I believe to get it free on prepaid you need to maintain $30 in credit. Double check the terms first though.

 

[GreyCrow]

China Southern Airlines will be screening games

*maybe

 

[Vader]

Can someone help me? I can't watch the game on Saturday. Does anyone know how the AFL live pass free with Telstra works? Can I just go to the servo and buy a $2 sim, chuck it in the phone and I'll be able to watch the replay? Or do I have to buy credit or something? Help pls.

If you only need it for a one-off, they have a 2-week free trial period. Just register using the weekly/monthly/yearly options, watch the game, then cancel your subscription.

 

[Infra Ted]

If you only need it for a one-off, they have a 2-week free trial period. Just register using the weekly/monthly/yearly options, watch the game, then cancel your subscription.

I may be wrong, but I believe to get it free on prepaid you need to maintain $30 in credit. Double check the terms first though.

Thanks guys. I'll look into both. Can't miss the game!

 

[CROWS84]

Just regarding tonight's game (only have 1 tv), can you watch the channel 7 coverage of the game on the 7plus app through laptop?

Also if you can watch through the app has anyone tried changing vpn to a state (ie Melbourne or Sydney) that is showing the game live you want to watch? Like the Crows Hawks tomorrow.

 

[Vader]

Just regarding tonight's game (only have 1 tv), can you watch the channel 7 coverage of the game on the 7plus app through laptop?

Also if you can watch through the app has anyone tried changing vpn to a state (ie Melbourne or Sydney) that is showing the game live you want to watch? Like the Crows Hawks tomorrow.

No. AFL games are not available through the plus7 app - not in real time, nor in replay.

 

[Roovolution]

Just watch it at the Welly!

 

[Scrotes2000]

As you all know, I live in Canberra. This means that Crows games are few and far between when it comes to the FTA TV schedule. We average about 5-7 H&A games per year, depending on how many games are bumped because of clashes with Sydney & GWS games.

In the past I've always gone to the Ainslie Football Club, and watched the games on the big screen there. The advantage of this is that it costs me next to nothing. The disadvantage is that I have to drive to the club, hope to find a seat with an unobscured view of the screen, and hope that the untrained monkeys in charge of the system manage to get both the video and audio piped into the right area (it frequently takes them until half-time to get things right).

So.. I'm looking at options for watching the games at home, preferably in HD.

Option #1 - Foxtel
I don't like this on principle - I refuse to pay them for garbage that I have no intention of viewing (i.e. every single channel in their base package). I would consider the option if they allowed viewers to select (and pay for) channels they actually want, but they don't seem to be in any hurry to change their business model.

This is the most expensive option - $125 for the IQ3, plus $65/month (sports + HD) for 7 months. That's a total of $580. Ouch!!!

Option #2 - AFL Live Pass
I have an Android media player, so installing the AFL app and watching the game this way would be trivial. It's also the cheapest (legal) option, at $100 per year. Last year the AFL Pass had a limited screen resolution, this year they've crippled it even further by ensuring that the picture is no larger than the size of an iPhone screen. Stupid, stupid, stupid AFL.

Option #3 - AFL Global Pass
I have the ability to connect the media player via a VPN, so fooling the AFL's Global app into thinking I'm overseas shouldn't be a problem. Cost is $185, which is higher than AFL Live Pass - but so is the picture resolution. What I don't know is whether this service is HD, SD, or something lower than SD.

Option #4 - Streaming from Overseas TV Networks
Most, if not all, AFL games can be streamed, and the cost is $0. Big plus. On the other hand, the picture resolution and sound quality are both poor - well below SD, and the streams frequently stop for "buffering" (though that may stop with a faster home internet connection).

What do people recommend? Does anyone know if the AFL's Global Pass operates in HD?

I'm same as you with foxtel, it's the principle probably my Western suburbs upbringing.

The global AFL streams are killer. Can't remember the bit rate but it's very high - HD. Looks fantastic.

I use getflix.com to unblock it. Bit easier than VPN and cheap.

I wish foxtel would just hurry up and die. It's a joke we don't have games in HAD over the internet here in Australia.


Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[xazos79]

It's about 1.2 Mbps. SD is usually around 4 Mbps. Anything below 2 Mbps is barely watchable.

Ok, a mate found this and it looks the best i've seen so far.

Zem -> Sports -> Mona -> BT Sports 2

Zem is the kodi add-on. Then follow your nose through the folders above.

 

[Roovolution]

If you only need it for a one-off, they have a 2-week free trial period. Just register using the weekly/monthly/yearly options, watch the game, then cancel your subscription.

I'm pretty sure you can only do that if you haven't subscribed to the game pass before

 

[Vader]

Ok, a mate found this and it looks the best i've seen so far.

Zem -> Sports -> Mona -> BT Sports 2

Zem is the kodi add-on. Then follow your nose through the folders above.

Will give it a go.

 

[Vader]

I'm pretty sure you can only do that if you haven't subscribed to the game pass before

Hence why I suggested it as a one-off.

 

[Vader]

Ok, a mate found this and it looks the best i've seen so far.

Zem -> Sports -> Mona -> BT Sports 2

Zem is the kodi add-on. Then follow your nose through the folders above.

Outstanding, thank-you! Already had Zem installed, but had never even looked inside it. The Zem streams are much, much, much better than anything that SportsDevil has to offer.

 

[xazos79]

Outstanding, thank-you! Already had Zem installed, but had never even looked inside it. The Zem streams are much, much, much better than anything that SportsDevil has to offer.

No worries. I saw a bunch of HD streams along the way. Looks like a lot of options for a lot of sports.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[FR0GGY]

Ok, a mate found this and it looks the best i've seen so far.

Zem -> Sports -> Mona -> BT Sports 2

Zem is the kodi add-on. Then follow your nose through the folders above.

I'm new to kodi, how the hell do you find what is on what Chanel?

 

[feenix67]

WTF with the AFL live app? Am I right in saying they only do scheduled replays now, and not on demand?

 

[xazos79]

I'm new to kodi, how the hell do you find what is on what Chanel?

That's the thing, with so many video add-ons and so many potential streams, unearthing them is the issue. Typically the way to go is to find out what channels AFL is on internationally, and then find that channel on the add-on.
This is a good starting point:
http://www.afl.com.au/tv-radio/international-broadcast-partners

Then of course finding out games are actually on which channels:
http://www.tvguide.co.uk/titlesearch.asp?title=Live+AFL

Then find one of those channels in your favourite video app. Mileage varies, sources vary, quality varies. So far i've heard good reports from the Zem add-on and experienced it yesterday for myself. Its not 7HD quality but its a bit better than standard definition IMO. The stream i had yesterday was 720p but i couldn't check bitrate as kodi v17 doesn't have that in the codec info screen anymore. Vader may be able to check this as he mentioned bitrates in another post. It's certainly better than what i've experienced in other add-ons and streams.

 

[Vader]

I know about the bitrates for WatchAFL, because you can specify them in the settings. Not sure about the bitrates for Kodi.

The one thing that SportsDevil has over Kodi is the ability to search the various streaming sites, to see what events they were showing. You can't do that with Zem - or maybe I just haven't figured out how to do it.

You probably won't get every game streamed internationally, other than using WatchAFL. For example, BT Sports were only showing the Melbourne/Carlton game today, not the Port/Freo and North/Geelong games. I didn't check the other sites, but I suspect you'd get the same result.

 

[tiggsy]

I know about the bitrates for WatchAFL, because you can specify them in the settings. QUOTE]

Have you found the available bitrates change over the last week? I had options up to 5mb last week and now the maximum is 1.5 mb. I get constant buffering on a 50mb connection either way so have to keep the stream at 1.5mb maximum anyway

 

[Vader]

Have you found the available bitrates change over the last week? I had options up to 5mb last week and now the maximum is 1.5 mb. I get constant buffering on a 50mb connection either way so have to keep the stream at 1.5mb maximum anyway

Live games have different options to replays. Live games have options for up to 5Mbps, though the WatchAFL servers don't appear capable of delivering more than 2.5Mbps. Replays only go up to 2Mbps.

Live games are constantly buffering. The 2 Mbps setting works ok if there is only one game in progress, but 3 Mbps buffers. With multiple games in progress it doesn't even work at 2 Mbps.

I don't have any buffering problems with the replays.

 

[tiggsy]

Live games have different options to replays. Live games have options for up to 5Mbps, though the WatchAFL servers don't appear capable of delivering more than 2.5Mbps. Replays only go up to 2Mbps.

Live games are constantly buffering. The 2 Mbps setting works ok if there is only one game in progress, but 3 Mbps buffers. With multiple games in progress it doesn't even work at 2 Mbps.

I don't have any buffering problems with the replays.

Thanks for that, I didn't realise that there were different settings for replays. I also hadn't noticed that the buffering was owrse when there are multiple games but I haven't tried to watch much live footy.

 

[Vader]

Thanks for that, I didn't realise that there were different settings for replays. I also hadn't noticed that the buffering was owrse when there are multiple games but I haven't tried to watch much live footy.

The multiple game slow down is my theory, based on my own observations. It may or may not be correct.

Live vs Replay is accurate.

 

[jo172]

Foxtel Play through Telstra Tv delivering nicely

 

[xchadders]

total crap how the afl app wont allow streaming to apple tv anymore.
may have to revert to foxtel... not that i want to

 

[Wozzza]

Does anyone know where replays of games are reliably available? Normally I watch live via the Crownbet app to my tv via chromecast and wi-fi, but I can't do that today.