As broadcast deals start catering for
the internet, sports fans finally have something to cheer about
Sport is the golden goose for free-to-air
and Pay TV networks, which is why it’s often locked away with exclusive
broadcast rights deals. Thankfully it’s getting easier to watch live sport
online, although you might need to bend the rules to find everything you’re
after.
Some sports are locked away on Foxtel, but
thankfully Foxtel sports channels are now available online via the Xbox 360,
T-Box and Samsung Smart TV app. The frustrating thing about Foxtel - even on
these devices - is that every month you’re forced to pay for lots of channels
you don’t want, just to enjoy the few programs you’re actually interested in.
Xbox
360, T-Box and Samsung Smart TV app
Teistra mobile customers can get Foxtel on
some smartphones, but they can also subscribe to an AFL package or simply pay
to watch a single match - a luxury Foxtel customers are denied. A decision on
the next round of NRL rights is expected in August. Unfortunately legal
wrangling over sports rights has halted online PVR services such as Optus TV
Now and MyTVR, which would let you watch live free to air sport on a slight delay.
Cricket Australia continues to embrace the
internet and this summer you’ll be able to watch Big Bash, One Day and Test
cricket Live on the Vodafone Cricket Live app. You can pay to watch one match
or sign up for a season pass. The service isn’t restricted to Vodafone
customers, but they enjoy unmetered streaming. Almost every Sheffield Shield
and women’s match will also be streamed on the web.
Of course there’s more to sport than just
footy and cricket. Foxtel’s ESPN, Euro sport and FuelTV cater to a wide range
of international sports. These channels are also available via other devices
compatible with Foxtel. Meanwhile SBS simulcasts some sport online, such as
soccer and cycling. Then there’s Telstra’s BigPond TV, which offers AFL, NRL,
V8 Supercars, horse racing and other sports via a browser or lounge room
gadgets such as the T-Box. Online Pay TV provider Fetch TV also offers a sports
package which includes Setanta Sports for live soccer along with European
Football Channels.
Thanks to the internet, major sporting
leagues and clubs are starting to cut out the broadcasters and go direct to
fans. The AFL and NRL offer live games online for subscribers outside of
Australia (or at least if it appears that you’re outside Australia). If you’re
a fan of American basketball, baseball or ice hockey you can subscribe to their
international services which include live matches. Soccer fans might find a
Setanta Sports online subscription offers better value than signing up for a
full Pay TV service, although it’s worth noting that Foxtel offers pay-per-view
English Premier League matches online without the need for a Foxtel
subscription.
Full
Pay TV service
Once again, the truth is that you’ll find
almost any sporting event streamed live online for free, if you know where to
look. Sports feed aggregators on shaky legal ground include vipbox.tv, myp2p.pe
and atdhe.eu. The picture quality can be hit and miss, but the same can be said
of the paid services. Some online gambling sites also offer live sports feeds
to paying customers.
Hardware
For most people there’s no one home
entertainment device to rule them all
The search for one perfect player is a
frustrating quest, although a media centre PC or PlayStation 3 could tick all
your boxes. Other people will have more luck with a handful of gadgets with
overlapping features, all driven by a universal remote such as a Logitech
Harmony.
If you just want to hire movies, the Apple
TV, Telstra T-Box, Fetch TV or TiVo could do the trick. All except the Apple TV
are also Personal Video Recorders. You’ll find various ISPs offer unmetered
downloads for these different devices.
DLNA-compatible
If you’re also after Catch Up TV then you
might be happier with a Smart TV-enabled television or Blu-ray player. Sony
offers the best spread of Australian Catch Up TV, along with a wide range of
other video sources. You’ve also got access to Sony’s music and movie services,
plus Quickflix and Mubi. Meanwhile some Samsung and LG gear taps into Bigpond
Movies and Quickflix, but they don’t offer as many Australian Catch Up TV
services.
Most new Blu-ray players are also
DLNA-compatible, letting you stream downloaded videos across your home network
from your computer or network drive (handy if you still favour the BitTorrent
Channel). If you only want to stream local video files then the WD TV Live
could be your perfect media player (it’s also getting iView access). Keep in
mind Telstra recently added DLNA video streaming to the T-Box, but you’ll need
to hack an Apple TV to perform such tricks (see wiki.awkwardtv.org).
Early Android media players from the likes
of Kogan and Nixeus were intriguing but clunky beasts. New Android 3.0-based
devices such as Sony’s Google TV box show more promise, but for now they’re
only available when you purchase a new Sony Bravia TV. Another opt ion is to
stream video from an Apple or Android tablet to a compatible set-top box,
perhaps using DLNA or Apple’s Airplay.
D—Link’s Boxee Box is a streaming media
player with a few extra tricks. Boxee apps grant you easy access to a wide
range of online video sources including iView. The Boxee Box also features a
Flash-enabled web browser which lets you watch practically any browser-based
video source. It offers smooth and crisp playback, although dealing with
intrusive advertising and overlays is cumbersome when you’re trying to watch
quasi-legal online streams. The icing on the cake is the Boxee Box’s VPN
client, making it easy to use a VPN service such as Witopia to tap into foreign
content.
The next step up could be a jack- of -all
trades PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. The PS3 is the one to watch - featuring a
DVD/Blu-ray player, optional PVR, movie and music services, streaming media
capabilities, a built-in browser and access to several Catch Up TV services.
The Xbox 360 is far more limited, but it can act as an extender for a Windows-
based media centre.
DVD/Blu-ray
player
Which brings us to the sometimes fickle
Media Centre PC. They’re not for everyone, but lounge room PCs do offer the
widest range of options and make it easy to run a VPN. Some versions of Window
include Microsoft’s Media Centre interface, but you might also look to
third-party alternatives such as XBMC, Plex, MediaPortal or MvthTV.
If you want to stream music around your
house, consider options such as Apple’s Airplay or a Logitech Squeezebox. The
gold standard in multi-room audio is the Sonos Digital Music system, which is
compatible with most subscription music services.
