Watching Spark Sport (including launch and pricing)

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Mad Scientist
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#2282160 23-Jul-2019 13:04

Varkk:
frednz:
The issue is that my Samsung TV is 4 years old and Spark have told me that they cannot produce an app for Spark Sport and that I need a TV that's less than 2 years old.

I have know seen a few advertisements for new Samsung TVs which say in effect that nows a good time to buy a new TV because the Spark Sport App is present.

Isn't this potentially a CGA issue? You could argue that a smartTV should be fit for purpose for more than 4 years. Not supporting new services after two years is not what many would consider fit for purpose.

Puts more credence to the argument that the TV should just be the best quality image etc, and put the smarts in a set-top box or similar to allow that part to be upgraded more easily and cheaper.

Heh I'd love to return my 2016 Samsung tv Coz it can't play the rugby World Cup!

Can we start a group action lobby group?

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frednz

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#2282174 23-Jul-2019 13:37

Batman:
Varkk:

frednz:
The issue is that my Samsung TV is 4 years old and Spark have told me that they cannot produce an app for Spark Sport and that I need a TV that's less than 2 years old.

I have know seen a few advertisements for new Samsung TVs which say in effect that nows a good time to buy a new TV because the Spark Sport App is present.

Isn't this potentially a CGA issue? You could argue that a smartTV should be fit for purpose for more than 4 years. Not supporting new services after two years is not what many would consider fit for purpose.

Puts more credence to the argument that the TV should just be the best quality image etc, and put the smarts in a set-top box or similar to allow that part to be upgraded more easily and cheaper.

Heh I'd love to return my 2016 Samsung tv Coz it can't play the rugby World Cup!

Can we start a group action lobby group?

There's nothing wrong with my 4-year old smart Samsung TV, it has dozens of apps that work perfectly and new ones appear quite often. The problem is that the Spark app isn't compatible with the TV, a fact that Spark acknowledges is correct for TVs which are more than 2 years old.

For people who have a TV that does have the Spark Sport app, can you tell me please whether the broadcasts are in high definition?

Jase2985

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#2282176 23-Jul-2019 13:41

@frednz the picture is Full HD, its just going to depend on your internet connection on whether it will allow it to scale up to that.

also the processors on those older devices may not support wildvine DRM

so while they could make an app for your TV, your TV may not be able to handle the content and your user experience may suffer or be non existent.

frednz

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#2282179 23-Jul-2019 13:50

Jase2985:

@frednz the picture is Full HD, its just going to depend on your internet connection on whether it will allow it to scale up to that.

also the processors on those older devices may not support wildvine DRM

so while they could make an app for your TV, your TV may not be able to handle the content and your user experience may suffer or be non existent.

Thanks Jase, but my TV can handle other apps perfectly well, and in high definition, such as Netflix etc.

Oh well, perhaps it is time to buy that new TV in time for the rugby world cup as I have fibre broadband and fast download speeds, so I may as well get my money's worth from the $100 per month that I pay for broadband.

But, if the All Blacks play like they did last weekend against Argentina, they'll be out long before the finals!

Hemi88

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#2282181 23-Jul-2019 13:56

frednz:
Jase2985:

@frednz the picture is Full HD, its just going to depend on your internet connection on whether it will allow it to scale up to that.

also the processors on those older devices may not support wildvine DRM

so while they could make an app for your TV, your TV may not be able to handle the content and your user experience may suffer or be non existent.

Thanks Jase, but my TV can handle other apps perfectly well, and in high definition, such as Netflix etc.

Oh well, perhaps it is time to buy that new TV in time for the rugby world cup as I have fibre broadband and fast download speeds, so I may as well get my money's worth from the $100 per month that I pay for broadband.

But, if the All Blacks play like they did last weekend against Argentina, they'll be out long before the finals!

you don’t need to get a new tv just get a chromecast or Apple tv4 much cheaper then a tv

D.W

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#2282182 23-Jul-2019 14:00

Honestly as has been mentioned, just get a chromecast (or similar) and its a non-issue. There are a number of reasons why either the TV manufacturer or an app developer may not develop an app in the future for your service/device, and a Chromecast alleviates these issues in a cheap and simple manner.

networkn

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#2282184 23-Jul-2019 14:03

If you are prepared to spend what it costs for a new TV, I'd just go and get a Apple TV or something similar. Chromecast in my opinion is a second choice budget option. For some/many it works well but I'd be exceptionally reluctant to accept the issues I have experienced, where for $300 I could do away with them and never worry about it again.

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#2282307 23-Jul-2019 16:22

frednz:

Oh well, perhaps it is time to buy that new TV

For my last few "TVs" i've really just considered them a monitor/panel and made a deliberate decision to separate the 'smarts' out from the panel. While I'd love a new 4K OLED panel, my 7 year old 1080P Sony LED TV is doing perfectly fine, and has used a Raspberry Pi, then an Apple TV and now an Android TV box (Nvidia Shield) to provide the smarts. Unless you want to be upgrading your TV every 1-2 years, this is the only sensible option, plus it gives me a lot more flexibility than whatever the TV manufacturer decides to do (or not to do).

"Smart" TV's are a convenience to a degree, but quickly lose relevance (and convenience). Something like an Apple TV is a great platform that pretty much anyone can use, is cost effective and can make even a 10+ year old panel just as 'smart', or often smarter, than the latest TV released.

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#2282310 23-Jul-2019 16:37

frednz: I guess I've been spoiled over the years by enjoying HD TV pictures from Sky for all the major sporting events I watch. Now, it seems that competing companies don't worry too much if the picture isn't in HD. For example, the Wimbledon tennis wasn't broadcast in HD by TV1 and this is disappointing.

Wimbledon was HD on TVNZ Duke over terrestrial network and HD on Spark Sport. Sky choose to transmit Duke in SD.

freitasm

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#2282323 23-Jul-2019 17:15

ajobbins:

frednz:

Oh well, perhaps it is time to buy that new TV

For my last few "TVs" i've really just considered them a monitor/panel and made a deliberate decision to separate the 'smarts' out from the panel. While I'd love a new 4K OLED panel, my 7 year old 1080P Sony LED TV is doing perfectly fine, and has used a Raspberry Pi, then an Apple TV and now an Android TV box (Nvidia Shield) to provide the smarts. Unless you want to be upgrading your TV every 1-2 years, this is the only sensible option, plus it gives me a lot more flexibility than whatever the TV manufacturer decides to do (or not to do).

"Smart" TV's are a convenience to a degree, but quickly lose relevance (and convenience). Something like an Apple TV is a great platform that pretty much anyone can use, is cost effective and can make even a 10+ year old panel just as 'smart', or often smarter, than the latest TV released.

Adding smarts to a dumb TV is way cheaper than buying a smart TV that won't have timely updates...

tdgeek

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#2282335 23-Jul-2019 18:32

ajobbins:

frednz:

Oh well, perhaps it is time to buy that new TV

For my last few "TVs" i've really just considered them a monitor/panel and made a deliberate decision to separate the 'smarts' out from the panel. While I'd love a new 4K OLED panel, my 7 year old 1080P Sony LED TV is doing perfectly fine, and has used a Raspberry Pi, then an Apple TV and now an Android TV box (Nvidia Shield) to provide the smarts. Unless you want to be upgrading your TV every 1-2 years, this is the only sensible option, plus it gives me a lot more flexibility than whatever the TV manufacturer decides to do (or not to do).

"Smart" TV's are a convenience to a degree, but quickly lose relevance (and convenience). Something like an Apple TV is a great platform that pretty much anyone can use, is cost effective and can make even a 10+ year old panel just as 'smart', or often smarter, than the latest TV released.

Best post ever. This topic pops up every now and again, its always the same. Buy a TV for the visuals not the smarts. Ive seen friends and family with TV's that lose Youtube.

These days Id hate to be in retail. Sell a TV in the competitive market, then you find you need to make the margin then spend it on supporting apps for 8 years. Protocols change , cpu demand changes.

Android box/Apple box, sorted.

tdgeek

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#2282339 23-Jul-2019 18:43

networkn:

If you are prepared to spend what it costs for a new TV, I'd just go and get a Apple TV or something similar. Chromecast in my opinion is a second choice budget option. For some/many it works well but I'd be exceptionally reluctant to accept the issues I have experienced, where for $300 I could do away with them and never worry about it again.

I agree. I got a CCu just to test Spark Sport. Its very very good. Apple Airplay is the same. So one day I used CCu, no go. I was on the phone to support which was hopeless. Im a geek but not a Chromecast expert, a typical new CC user. It would not work. I asked to how to factory reset it. She didn't know, although she did, but you need to turn OFF ALL other devices otherwise it gets confused. She then told me as 2.4 works and 5 Ghz doesn't, use 2.4 as 5Ghz is rubbish. Its the ISP's fault.

I ended hanging up. Turned all other potential devices off that can or have used CCu, factory reset, all fine. But how will that go down with Joe or Joanne Average 5 minutes before RWC first game?

Yes, CCu and Airplay are good but not for everyone. Ideally get an Android box with remote, or an ATV4 with remote. Then its "TV" with the requisite "remote"

When I was using CCu or Airplay it was ok, but when SS released the ATV 4 app, it was back to normal.Lets be realistic, no one wants to manage the TV by a phone or tablet on the coffee table or couch.

Benoire

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#2282351 23-Jul-2019 19:03

tdgeek:

I agree. I got a CCu just to test Spark Sport. Its very very good. Apple Airplay is the same. So one day I used CCu, no go. I was on the phone to support which was hopeless. Im a geek but not a Chromecast expert, a typical new CC user. It would not work. I asked to how to factory reset it. She didn't know, although she did, but you need to turn OFF ALL other devices otherwise it gets confused. She then told me as 2.4 works and 5 Ghz doesn't, use 2.4 as 5Ghz is rubbish. Its the ISP's fault.

I ended hanging up. Turned all other potential devices off that can or have used CCu, factory reset, all fine. But how will that go down with Joe or Joanne Average 5 minutes before RWC first game?

Yes, CCu and Airplay are good but not for everyone. Ideally get an Android box with remote, or an ATV4 with remote. Then its "TV" with the requisite "remote"

When I was using CCu or Airplay it was ok, but when SS released the ATV 4 app, it was back to normal.Lets be realistic, no one wants to manage the TV by a phone or tablet on the coffee table or couch.

Especially not a slider on a phone for an event that lasts for 3 hours; the slider increments become hard to manage and you end up skipping all over the place.

D.W

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#2282352 23-Jul-2019 19:13

tdgeek:
networkn:

If you are prepared to spend what it costs for a new TV, I'd just go and get a Apple TV or something similar. Chromecast in my opinion is a second choice budget option. For some/many it works well but I'd be exceptionally reluctant to accept the issues I have experienced, where for $300 I could do away with them and never worry about it again.

I agree. I got a CCu just to test Spark Sport. Its very very good. Apple Airplay is the same. So one day I used CCu, no go. I was on the phone to support which was hopeless. Im a geek but not a Chromecast expert, a typical new CC user. It would not work. I asked to how to factory reset it. She didn't know, although she did, but you need to turn OFF ALL other devices otherwise it gets confused. She then told me as 2.4 works and 5 Ghz doesn't, use 2.4 as 5Ghz is rubbish. Its the ISP's fault.

I ended hanging up. Turned all other potential devices off that can or have used CCu, factory reset, all fine. But how will that go down with Joe or Joanne Average 5 minutes before RWC first game?

Yes, CCu and Airplay are good but not for everyone. Ideally get an Android box with remote, or an ATV4 with remote. Then its "TV" with the requisite "remote"

When I was using CCu or Airplay it was ok, but when SS released the ATV 4 app, it was back to normal.Lets be realistic, no one wants to manage the TV by a phone or tablet on the coffee table or couch.

Smart TVs aren't immune to this either. Sometimes you may need to force close an app or clear any cached data to get it to function correctly.

tdgeek

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#2282354 23-Jul-2019 19:17

Benoire:

tdgeek:

I agree. I got a CCu just to test Spark Sport. Its very very good. Apple Airplay is the same. So one day I used CCu, no go. I was on the phone to support which was hopeless. Im a geek but not a Chromecast expert, a typical new CC user. It would not work. I asked to how to factory reset it. She didn't know, although she did, but you need to turn OFF ALL other devices otherwise it gets confused. She then told me as 2.4 works and 5 Ghz doesn't, use 2.4 as 5Ghz is rubbish. Its the ISP's fault.

I ended hanging up. Turned all other potential devices off that can or have used CCu, factory reset, all fine. But how will that go down with Joe or Joanne Average 5 minutes before RWC first game?

Yes, CCu and Airplay are good but not for everyone. Ideally get an Android box with remote, or an ATV4 with remote. Then its "TV" with the requisite "remote"

When I was using CCu or Airplay it was ok, but when SS released the ATV 4 app, it was back to normal.Lets be realistic, no one wants to manage the TV by a phone or tablet on the coffee table or couch.

Especially not a slider on a phone for an event that lasts for 3 hours; the slider increments become hard to manage and you end up skipping all over the place.

:-)

Yes I do recall your issues. Its odd, Ive been into the golf lately. and being able to skip quick has been great, rather than 30X with Sky. Can you use a tablet? I used an iPad 9.7 and that was fine slider wise. Thumbnails would help though. My current gripe is frame rate. I have Sky, Sky rocks! Its only 1080i but that's fine. SS is 1080p thats great, but the frame rate has dropped.

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