Watching Spark Sport (including launch and pricing)

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#2269462 3-Jul-2019 18:55

I felt that the frame rate was so. Noticeable judder, even slow panning was jerky. Not ideal when watching a ball whistle through the air.

tdgeek

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#2269473 3-Jul-2019 19:16

Still not great, it can't be 25p

cyril7

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#2269477 3-Jul-2019 19:26

These are all framerates we have had for 60yrs or more, no one complained then. If you go to the movies at the theatre it was captured in 24p this has always had, and I dont see any major push to change will have, noticable judder, but do the punters complain........................................... no, not the great unwashed,

Of recent times with modern codec and digital implications we have seen more things like 24sfp, which infact is typically played out as 25sfp, which gives us 24/25p across a 50i infrastucture, which is a great thing as now we have film capture replicated on our screens rather than the old interlace related issues.

So I guess what I am saying is, what exactly are you complaining about.

Cyril (aka grumpy old git)

richms

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#2269479 3-Jul-2019 19:31

tdgeek:

I felt that the frame rate was so. Noticeable judder, even slow panning was jerky. Not ideal when watching a ball whistle through the air.

I believe the word you are looking for are "cinematic"

Richard rich.ms

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#2269480 3-Jul-2019 19:32

cyril7:

These are all framerates we have had for 60yrs or more, no one complained then. If you go to the movies at the theatre it was captured in 24p this has always had, and I dont see any major push to change will have, noticable judder, but do the punters complain........................................... no, not the great unwashed,

Of recent times with modern codec and digital implications we have seen more things like 24sfp, which infact is typically played out as 25sfp, which gives us 24/25p across a 50i infrastucture, which is a great thing as now we have film capture replicated on our screens rather than the old interlace related issues.

So I guess what I am saying is, what exactly are you complaining about.

Cyril (aka grumpy old git)

:-) Like I said, it looks like 20fps. Sky is fine, F1 rocks, U20 rugger on Spark Sport is fine, the tennis has a lower frame rate. Pun not intended. Looks like no OD on TVNZ to check.

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#2269484 3-Jul-2019 19:37

tdgeek:

:-) Like I said, it looks like 20fps. Sky is fine, F1 rocks, U20 rugger on Spark Sport is fine, the tennis has a lower frame rate. Pun not intended. Looks like no OD on TVNZ to check.

Problem is that things don't switch their outputs to match the source, so the 25FPS is being put on a 60Hz HDMI link with many frames doubled and some trippled up, and then the processing in the TV has no clue what is moving and what is not and things get even worse. You will ususally find if you put it in game mode to remove all the processing that it looks a lot more acceptable than with the TV processing the messed up frame cadence.

Then there is all the crap processing that their re-encoders do to the stream, possibly somewhere along the way its being converted to 60Hz and then back to 50Hz again, and sports is one of the worst things for optical flow conversion to work on because of all the same plain colours. The sooner these legacy "pal" framerates die the better since the world of computers is built around 60.

Richard rich.ms

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#2269522 3-Jul-2019 20:31

progressive is better for sport as it produces a smoother motion, where as interlaced can often appear juddery. 50i only updates one half of the screen at a time, its like flashing top to bottom quickly twice a second... this is why it can be nasty and flickery. Modern TVs are good at dealing with interlacing but at low refresh rates it can give you eye strain...

Easiest way is to look at ESPN HD and Sky Sports HD and compare the two. Sky HD on sports is generally 1440 x 1080i where as ESPN HD is 720p; lower res and less detail but much smoother

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tdgeek

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#2269565 3-Jul-2019 23:04

Benoire:

progressive is better for sport as it produces a smoother motion, where as interlaced can often appear juddery. 50i only updates one half of the screen at a time, its like flashing top to bottom quickly twice a second... this is why it can be nasty and flickery. Modern TVs are good at dealing with interlacing but at low refresh rates it can give you eye strain...

Easiest way is to look at ESPN HD and Sky Sports HD and compare the two. Sky HD on sports is generally 1440 x 1080i where as ESPN HD is 720p; lower res and less detail but much smoother

Im already comparing. Take Sky as a baseline. Its good, its fine. F1 on Spark Sport is very good. U20 rugby was fine. Wimbledon isn't fine. This is all on the same platform and devices.

Edit

I checked Duke OD, that is better. less jerky on panning and the moving ball

I checked Duke linear, that is better again, as you expect from broadcast TV, smoother, but the grandstand camera is soft, but closeups are sharp.

riztricted

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#2269703 4-Jul-2019 09:17

Apsattv:

Wimbledon streams are 25 fps also.

Noted. Just got this reply from SS as well:

Thanks for getting in touch.

I understand you are using a Playstation for all your streaming content. Unfortunately, Spark Sports is currently unavailable for this platform but may available in the future, I can pass feedback.

At the moment these are the current platforms it is available on:

Google Chromecast

A Google Chromecast plugs into the HDMI port of your TV and uses your home WiFi to stream sports from your device onto your TV. When watching something on the Spark Sport app, just click the Chromecast icon, at the top right hand side of the screen, to cast the sport to your TV. You can also cast from the player in a Chrome browser.

Apple TV

Spark Sport will be available on Apple TV soon. Check back here for more details soon.

In the meantime, if you have an Apple TV and an Apple device, you can AirPlay from your device to a big screen.

Laptop and Desktop

You can also catch the action from the Spark Sport website, either on your laptop or desktop computer. Spark Sport is available on Windows 7, 8 and 10 and MacOS X on the following browsers: Chrome, Firefox and Safari.

Mobile Devices

If you’re out and about, sometimes you’ll want to watch the action from your smartphone. To do this head to the App Store or Google Play Store and download the app. The Spark Sport app works on iOS 10 and above and Android 5.0 and above.

Spark Sport will use your mobile data for streaming, if you are not connected to WiFi. See here for more info on Spark Sport data usage.

Samsung Smart TVs

If you have a new 2019 Samsung Smart TV, the Spark Sport app should auto-install when you first set up the TV. If you have a compatible 2017 and 2018 Samsung TV, you can download the Spark Sport app on to your TV.

Freeview SmartVU streaming device

You can download and watch Spark Sport on your Freeview SmartVU streaming device. Check out here for more details on how to do this.
Devices and tech still to come

We’re working to have the below devices Spark Sport compatible in time for Rugby World Cup 2019™, keep checking back here to see when these become compatible.

Apple TV (Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K)

Freeview A2 recorder

Sony Smart TVs (2017+ models with Android TV operating system)

LG Smart TVs (2017+ models)

Panasonic Smart TVs (2017+ models)

Helpful Tip: To get the most out of your tech and Spark Sport, make sure your phone, tablet, TV, laptop or desktop is currently running the most recent system update. This will make sure you’re running the latest version of Spark Sport.

If you want to ask about the same question or give more information, it’ll make it heaps faster for us to help you out if you could reply back to this email.

Regards,

The team at Spark Sport

arnies

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#2269839 4-Jul-2019 12:49

Wasn't the LG support due in June? Has it been pushed back?

eracode

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#2270228 5-Jul-2019 06:50

@riztricted Quote:

“Freeview SmartVU streaming device

You can download and watch Spark Sport on your Freeview SmartVU streaming device. Check out here for more details on how to do this.”

Where?

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

ockel

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#2270246 5-Jul-2019 08:10

arnies:

Wasn't the LG support due in June? Has it been pushed back?

As was Apple TV. Now its in the "coming soon" category.

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#2270250 5-Jul-2019 08:24

eracode: @riztricted Quote:

“Freeview SmartVU streaming device

You can download and watch Spark Sport on your Freeview SmartVU streaming device. Check out here for more details on how to do this.”

Where?

Their Android TV app

https://help.sparksport.co.nz/getting-started/how-can-i-get-spark-sport-on-my-freeview-smartvu-streaming-device

Benoire

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#2270255 5-Jul-2019 08:31

Well that sucks. Its showing as not installable on my nVidia shield TV. Why can't spark just make a generic android tv app like most companies do. Need a unrestricted APK like the freeview TV one

djtOtago

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#2270260 5-Jul-2019 08:53

Double sucks. Shows as NOT installable for my Sony Android TV

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