Comments on: MLB iPhone App to Live-Stream Games Over 3G; Still No Sling

By: GigaOM’s Top 15 Mobilize Influencers 2010: Tech News «

GigaOM’s Top 15 Mobilize Influencers 2010: Tech News « — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:16:59 +0000

[...] MLB.tv broadband video service, the baseball league has made in-roads onto mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad, and is now making its video available on Roku and the PlayStation 3. Bowman’s MLB [...]

By: Of Course, Apple’s Anti-Competitive

Of Course, Apple’s Anti-Competitive — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:21:47 +0000

[...] the bandwidth argument is also bunk. Apple has no problem allowing and prominently featuring MLB video streaming over 3G, yet Skype and SlingPlayer remain crippled. The concerns aren’t totally without merit [...]

By: DOJ Wants to Probe Telcos? It Should Take a Number

DOJ Wants to Probe Telcos? It Should Take a Number — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:39:30 +0000

[...] targets for the investigation include handset exclusivity on wireless networks and net neutrality, according to the sources cited in the story. But for the Justice Department to bring a case, it [...]

By: Akamai to Make iPhone Video Streaming Smooth

Akamai to Make iPhone Video Streaming Smooth — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:29:53 +0000

[...] require a special app that AT&T, the carrier that provides service for the iPhone in the U.S., might try to block. For more details on this, check out the awesome story Liz did about HTTP video on the iPhone or [...]

By: Boxee (Officially!) Partners to Bring MLB to TV « Klickabletv: digital media news

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:27:04 +0000

[...] video, and this season added HD capabilities and DVR functionality to its service. MLB also offers an iPhone app to allow fans to watch games on the [...]

By: Boxee (Officially!) Partners to Bring MLB to TV

Boxee (Officially!) Partners to Bring MLB to TV — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:31:56 +0000

[...] video, and this season added HD capabilities and DVR functionality to its service. MLB also offers an iPhone app to allow fans to watch games on the [...]

By: Michael Wolf

Michael Wolf — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:26:20 +0000

Jesse – basic spectrum analysis would show if a hundreds of thousands (or even tens of thousands) of folks in a given market decided to all watch their team play in the world series, the network would, plain and simple, be overloaded. Multicast/broadcast is really the only way to do a live streaming event to that big an audience over the soda-straw that is a mobile network with video. If they all decided to do a major event on 3G the network just wouldn’t be able to handle it. That’s why broadcast is a better solution for live events.

By: Jesse Kopelman

Jesse Kopelman — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:08:59 +0000

This smacks too much of the argument in favor of LEO sattelite networks replacing terrestrial cellular networks — and we all know how well that worked out. Success is not all about bandwidth efficiency. I’m convinced that a single multipurpose network will always trump a bunch of single purpose networks. MediaFLO is a mistake. That spectrum would be better used for additional data networks.

By: Michael Wolf

Michael Wolf — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:30:44 +0000

The problem with video over mobile broadband is once its a mass-market application, it will kill 3G and even 4G will have trouble keeping up. While MediaFLO hasn’t taken off, mobile broadcast is still going to be the best approach for live streaming events like sports (rather than using up valuable 3G or even LTE spectrum on a unicast basis).

By: Wiseguy

Wiseguy — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:38:17 +0000

palakadan said “The same signal may goto the TV viewers, but the iPhone is just another viewing device like any other TV in the world”

You are so right! I am not going to devulge any trade secrets but there will soon be a one stop shop for viewing Live Cable TV on your i-phone, lap top or any other device with a screen. You will be able to sign on and view all your favorites wherever you are in the world. I’ll tell you more after the launch.

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:26:26 +0000

I watched a baseball game at lunch today on my iPhone while waiting 30 minutes for my Philly Dilly. I was happy.

Thanks 3G

By: palakkadan

palakkadan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:38:35 +0000

Welcome to 2009 !!!

While the rest of us had to suffer through 10 long, 8 really long long , years from 1999 you seem to have gotten a 10 year discount on this thing we call LIFE !!!!

By: palakkadan

palakkadan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:23:04 +0000

AT&T told me that the prohibition is on “the transferring, or slinging, of a TV signal to a PC or smartphone over 3G.” Is this not what the MLB app does as well?

In Sling’s case it is the user who is doing the transfer of the actual signal and hence is violating the TOS
In MLB’s case it is MLB is who is transmitting, not transferring, the signal to the user’s iPhone.

The same signal may goto the TV viewers, but the iPhone is just another viewing device like any other TV in the world.

By: Brett Glass

Brett Glass — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:27:37 +0000

Video is an inappropriate use for 3G connectivity. The bandwidth and spectrum are too limited for such a wasteful application.