Streaming quality - how was it by the end of 2014?

caitsith01

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 21, 2007
7,798
9,577
Earth
AFL Club
Geelong
Interested in comments on how the online streaming quality via the official streaming services, WatchAFL and AFL live, was by the end of 2014?

On the WatchAFL site they report the following quality:

1280 x 720
3000 kbit/s; 25.000 fps;

640 x 360
800 kbit/s; 25.000 fps;

512 x 288
400 kbit/s; 25.000 fps;
The first of those is moderately respectable and should be more than watchable - it's pushing up into the territory of being close to SD broadcast TV, depending on the codec etc they use.

However when I tried the WatchAFL service earlier in the year it was nowhere near this quality - it was a blurry, low resolution mess.

Did it improve during 2014? Was it good enough to watch on a big screen by the end of the year? Is AFL Live different quality to WatchAFL?
 
Last edited:
May 20, 2014
20,822
26,444
AFL Club
Geelong
I have AFL Live on the iPad. It just depends on the game. I mostly watched foxtel games on it so 90% of the time the quality is passable. You get a big game with more users, or a tight finish where everyone that's out and about and following the scores switches to video, and it turns to shite.
 
Jun 2, 2001
30,663
18,503
Melbourne
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
GWS
or a tight finish where everyone that's out and about and following the scores switches to video, and it turns to shite.

Yeah, this was an issue from time to time. Capacity of the servers to deal with demand spikes for things like a big comeback could definitely be improved.
 
Aug 28, 2014
614
684
Singapore
AFL Club
St Kilda
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Green Bay Packers, Chelsea
WatchAFL stream on the computer plugged into the TV was good. Sometimes the quality would drop for a bit. They didn't have a HD stream until abit later into the season. The foxtel games were much better to watch than C7.The stream on the WatchAFL app on the iPad ran reasonably smoothly. The WatchAFL website really needs a makeover so it is easier to navigate through games.
 

getgaff

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 30, 2010
7,376
4,789
WA
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
Liverpool, Miami Heat, Old Easts
Hey all

Sorry to bump but I'm wanting to sign on to a streaming site for season 2015. Being in Sydney we don't get great AFL coverage especially of West Coast matches. My cousin's family used a free streaming website in 2014 which is now shut down.

Can anyone recommend good sites? WatchAFL seems like a quality site but I'm unsure whether a monthly/ yearly pass is worth it
 
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