wallybarthman Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 The goal of this FAQ is to answer some commonly asked questions about Sabres broadcasts. Current Questions Why can't I watch the Sabres on Dish Network? As of October 1st, the carriage agreement between MSG and Dish Network expired. Until a new agreement is in place MSG and therefore the Sabres will not be available on Dish Network. I have NHL Center Ice on Dish Network. Will the dispute between MSG and Dish Network effect me? No it won't. The Sabres games will be available on Dish Network for out-of-market subscribers. General Questions What’s a Versus exclusive window? As part of it’s deal with the NHL, Versus gets to declare a certain number of nights as “Versus exclusive” windows. This means that no other game may be broadcast in the United States except the game being broadcast by Versus. This is a NHL/Versus deal – there is nothing the Sabres or MSG can do about it. What is NBC’s flex schedule? In the spring, NBC gets to pick which game they want to air on a Sunday as the date gets closer. The idea is that NBC will pick the most compelling match up. Regardless, if NBC doesn’t chose to air the Sabres game it will be broadcast on MSG. In-market questions (relating to those living in the Sabres home broadcast area – typically Western and Central New York). Can I watch Sabres’ broadcasts in HD? Maybe – it depends both on where you live and what provider you have. Here are some simple cases: If you have DirecTV and live in the Sabres territory then you can watch every game that is available in HD in HD on channel 638-1. If you have Time Warner Cable and are in the Buffalo, Rochester, or Syracuse you can watch the Sabres in HD on the Time Warner Cable HD channel (Ch. 700 in Buffalo, Ch. 1092 in Rochester, Channel 1050 in Syracuse). If you have Time Warner Cable in other parts of New York (Albany area) you will not receive the Sabres broadcast in HD If you have Dish Network or Verizon FiOS the answer is no – regardless of where you live. Do I need to have Time Warner Digital Cable to watch the Sabres in HD? The general answer is yes. But in the past (at least in Buffalo) the Sabres broadcasts have been broadcast "in the clear" on QAM. If you have a HDTV with a QAM tuner you can try plugging your coax cable from the wall directly into your TV and then scanning your digital channels. You'll need to try this during a game. Why can’t I watch the Sabres in HD on FiOS or Dish? MSG has not allowed Dish or FiOS to carry MSG HD. You can call and yell at FiOS or DISH as much as you want but the general feeling is that this is MSG’s decision and not Dish or FiOS’. There is currently a federal law known as the “terrestrial loophole” that allows broadcasts that are transmitted in a certain way to be withheld from other providers. In this case, MSG distributes MSG HD via Fibre Optic cable and they are therefore not required to make MSG HD available to all providers. They have, for whatever reason, given DirecTV access to MSG HD but have not done so for FiOS and Dish. There is some hope however. Last Spring the FCC’s board voted to close this loophole. MSG and other companies that have exploited this loophole have refused to comply with the FCC’s order. In short, legal challenges are ahead and don’t expect it anytime soon. Why aren't the Sabres on the regular MSG HD channel like they are in SD? Great question. I believe it has to do with how the Sabres games are telecast and distributed. As noted above, MSG HD is distributed by Fibre Optic while MSG SD is distributed via Satellite. The Sabres telecasts originate from HSBC arena rather than MSG's broadcast headquarters so the feed comes in separate from the regular MSG HD feed. At one time in the Rochester market MSG HD did carry the Sabres in HD on the MSG HD channel, but that ended around the middle of last season. Why can’t I watch some Sabres games when they’re on the NHL Network? When the Sabres are broadcast on the NHL Network (preseason excluded) they’re also available on MSG. In this case, all local viewers will be blacked out of the NHL Network’s telecast so to protect the local broadcast. Why can't I watch Sabres pre-seasons games that are on the NHL Network? The local broadcast rights to all Sabres games, pre-season included, are owned by MSG Network. Whether or not MSG actually broadcasts a game locally, that doesn't change the fact that the NHL Network does not have the rights to broadcast these games in the local area. Why can't I use NHL Game Center to watch the Sabres? GameCenter is an out-of-market solution similar to NHL Center Ice. Because the game is available locally it will be blacked out on NHL Game Center if you're within the Sabres home territory. Out of Market Questions What does it mean that I’m in a secondary market? Some areas of the country are shared territory for two teams. For example in northern PA (near Erie) if you have DirecTV you’ll receive both Sabres and Penguins games on DirecTV without subscribing to NHL Center Ice. However, when the Sabres and the Penguins play, you’ll be blacked out of the Sabres broadcast because your primary team is the Penguins. What do I need to purchase to watch the Sabres if I’m outside of the local viewing area? Your only (legal) option is to purchase NHL Center Ice through your Cable, Telco, or Satellite provider. What if I want to watch every Sabres game in HD? If you want to watch the Sabres in HD your only option is to get DirecTV plus NHL Center Ice. If you get NHL Center Ice through your Cable or Telco provider you may receive some games in HD but you will not get them all. NHL Center Ice on cable/telco have (in the past) only broadcast one or at most two games in HD at the same time. The rest have all been in SD. It is very unlikely that this will change dramatically this year. There’s a Sabres game on tonight, but I can’t watch it on MSG/It’s not listed as part of NHL Center Ice. Why? There’s a couple reasons. The first and most likely is that the Sabres are playing whatever team is your home market team, so you have to watch your home telecast. In my case, being near Pittsburgh, when the Sabres play the Penguins I have to watch the FSN Pittsburgh broadcast – no way around it. The other reason is that the game may be available on Versus or NHL Network as a national broadcast, which means you have to watch the national telecast. This will happen when the Sabres are on Hockey Night in Canada which is simulcast on the NHL Network or if Versus picks up some non-exclusive games in the spring (like they did last year). I really don’t want to spend the money for NHL Center Ice/I don’t have Cable/Telco/Satellite, what are my other options? The NHL does have NHL Game Center, an online version of NHL Center Ice that you can purchase and watch games via the Internet. Another legal option is to find a friend who gets the Sabres games and give them a slingbox. This handy little device will then stream the game from your friend’s house to your house via the Internet. Be warned though, the quality will depend a great deal on your friend’s upstream internet connection. Slingbox over a 512k or even 1 Mbps connection is pretty grainy at best. If your friend has something faster, like FiOS (which is 5 Mbps) you can expect a pretty good looking pictures. How's the picture quality on NHL Game Center? All in all, the quality is somewhere between SD quality and HD quality. It's not as good as the HD picture you'd get from Center Ice but it's better than an SD picture for sure. You'll need an internet connection that can support 3 Mbps downloads at the very least (I'd suggest a 5 Mbps connection at minimum) There are other online options, but the legality of these is debatable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallybarthman Posted September 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 If there are other questions reply to the original post and I'll try and answer them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASabreFan Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Looks outstanding! Thanks for the work you put into it. Mods, can we get this pinned? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderbread Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Looks outstanding! Thanks for the work you put into it. Mods, can we get this pinned? WOW. I'm printing this up. Can I take credit for this with my friends? :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Who are you, that is so wise in the ways of science? Thanks for posting this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallybarthman Posted September 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Who are you, that is so wise in the ways of science? Thanks for posting this. I'm actually just an ordinary Sabres fan who happens to be a HD geek. Here's the brief story: I grew up in Western NY and loved watching (and going to) Sabres games. My family went to at least 10 games a year and my dad has had season tickets since 71-72. In fact, the Sabres had the perfect chance to give me the best High School graduation present ever in 1999 before the infamous no-goal (which I was there for). After seminary (yup, I'm a pastor who's a fanatic sports fan - for me it's Jesus then the Sabres) I settled north of Pittsburgh. I went the Slingbox route I described from my parents house while I waited for my local cable company to carry NHL Center Ice. I finally got fed up waiting and switched to DirecTV in January of 2008 after getting to watch a few Sabres games in HD at my parents house during Christmas. This, as some of you know, was the month the dispute between MSG and the NHL came up and the HD feeds got pulled from DirecTV. Because of that I did a lot of reading and research on blackouts, in-market vs. out-of-market, and just kind of gained the knowledge over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercury Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 If you have Dish Network or Verizon FiOS the answer is no – regardless of where you live. I hate everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASabreFan Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Wally, I'm in that secondary market as you know but don't get blacked out of the Sabres broadcast when they play the Pens. In fact I'm pretty sure I get both broadcasts. I think I switched over one night to hear Steigy for a few minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderbread Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Wally, I'm in that secondary market as you know but don't get blacked out of the Sabres broadcast when they play the Pens. In fact I'm pretty sure I get both broadcasts. I think I switched over one night to hear Steigy for a few minutes. As long as it wasn't Errey. he sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpgr909 Posted September 25, 2010 Report Share Posted September 25, 2010 Good report. The only thing I'd chime in with is an oddity I noticed last year (I'm an out of market, DirecTV, NHL CI subscriber). While the MSG games weren't in HD as a rule until the end of the year IIRC, earlier in the year, and only on rare occasions, I could tune to the MSG feed (the DirecTV MSG/MSG+ channel, not the NHL CI channel) and they'd have the game in HD. It only happened a few times, maybe once or twice each with the NJD, NYR, and NYI, though not with the Sabres I don't think. After I first accidentally discovered this, I kept checking, but these games were definite exceptions. I don't normally get MSG as part of my sports package, but I'm assuming it came in because I am a NHL CI subscriber, but clearly I wasn't supposed to be getting those MSG games in HD. It was odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted September 25, 2010 Report Share Posted September 25, 2010 Good report. The only thing I'd chime in with is an oddity I noticed last year (I'm an out of market, DirecTV, NHL CI subscriber). While the MSG games weren't in HD as a rule until the end of the year IIRC, earlier in the year, and only on rare occasions, I could tune to the MSG feed (the DirecTV MSG/MSG+ channel, not the NHL CI channel) and they'd have the game in HD. It only happened a few times, maybe once or twice each with the NJD, NYR, and NYI, though not with the Sabres I don't think. After I first accidentally discovered this, I kept checking, but these games were definite exceptions. I don't normally get MSG as part of my sports package, but I'm assuming it came in because I am a NHL CI subscriber, but clearly I wasn't supposed to be getting those MSG games in HD. It was odd. I think ur talking about the away against NY teams that MSG carried. In Buffalo we got those away games in HD. It was the MSG feed but with an RJ voice over. Someone else mentioned the NHL Network not being on their cable. Last year it was on TWC but later on they started carrying it only on their sports package tier (extra $). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted September 25, 2010 Report Share Posted September 25, 2010 Can I watch Sabres’ broadcasts in HD? Maybe – it depends both on where you live and what provider you have. Here are some simple cases: If you have DirecTV and live in the Sabres territory then you can watch every game that is available in HD in HD. If you have Time Warner Cable and are in the Buffalo and Rochester you can watch the Sabres in HD on the Time Warner Cable HD channel (Ch. 700 in Buffalo, Ch. 1092 in Rochester). If you have Time Warner Cable in other parts of New York I am not sure if you will receive the HD broadcasts. I know at one point the Syracuse market did not receive the Sabres in HD but I thought I read that they had worked that out before the end of the Season) If you have Dish Network or Verizon FiOS the answer is no – regardless of where you live. Channel 1050 in Syracuse on Time Warner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallybarthman Posted September 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2010 Channel 1050 in Syracuse on Time Warner. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpgr909 Posted September 27, 2010 Report Share Posted September 27, 2010 I think ur talking about the away against NY teams that MSG carried. In Buffalo we got those away games in HD. It was the MSG feed but with an RJ voice over. Negative. I know exactly what you're talking about (I got those in HD as well), but that's not what I'm referring to. The first game I saw this, where I accidentally discovered it, was an Islander home game against a...Southeast team I think. It was the MSG channel (not the DirecTV NHL CI channel, but the channel in the 600s for those with DTV) with the MSG announcers. At the time I was following the MSG nonsense with respect to their not wanting to show HD games on DirecTV or anywhere else besides their own cable system, or whatever the particular issue was, so I knew I shouldn't have been seeing these games in HD. Maybe there is some explanation for it, but I never figured it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallybarthman Posted September 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Negative. I know exactly what you're talking about (I got those in HD as well), but that's not what I'm referring to. The first game I saw this, where I accidentally discovered it, was an Islander home game against a...Southeast team I think. It was the MSG channel (not the DirecTV NHL CI channel, but the channel in the 600s for those with DTV) with the MSG announcers. At the time I was following the MSG nonsense with respect to their not wanting to show HD games on DirecTV or anywhere else besides their own cable system, or whatever the particular issue was, so I knew I shouldn't have been seeing these games in HD. Maybe there is some explanation for it, but I never figured it out. There is - it's called "accidental transmission". On a few rare occasions DirecTV wouldn't properly apply blackouts and things would slip through the cracks like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampD Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 There is - it's called "accidental transmission". On a few rare occasions DirecTV wouldn't properly apply blackouts and things would slip through the cracks like that. I'm pretty sure that the issue wasn't with MSG, but with MSG+ (at least in regards to showing the Sabres in HD). The Devils, Rangers, and certain Isles games (some are on SNY) are always in HD on MSG, as well as the Sabres when they play those teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleven Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 There is - it's called "accidental transmission". On a few rare occasions DirecTV wouldn't properly apply blackouts and things would slip through the cracks like that. I thought "accidental transmission" is when you get the STD from riding a tractor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallybarthman Posted September 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 I'm pretty sure that the issue wasn't with MSG, but with MSG+ (at least in regards to showing the Sabres in HD). I'm not sure you're on the same page here. The issue being discussed however, was an issue relating to NHL Center Ice on DirecTV and a dispute between the NHL and MSG that prevented MSG HD feeds from being used as a part of NHL Center Ice. On DirecTV the Sabres never appear on MSG Plus - they have their own dedicated channel on DirecTV The Devils, Rangers, and certain Isles games (some are on SNY) are always in HD on MSG, as well as the Sabres when they play those teams. No MSG games appear on SNY. Last year there were six Sabres road games that were broadcast in HD using a simulcast from the MSG/MSG+ production. That will not be the case this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 I hate everyone. Extraordinarily happy I didn't switch to Dish. Nobody could give me an answer about Sabres games, so I will happily continue to get hosed and enjoy all my HD Sabres games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpgr909 Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 The issue being discussed however, was an issue relating to NHL Center Ice on DirecTV and a dispute between the NHL and MSG that prevented MSG HD feeds from being used as a part of NHL Center Ice. Correct. Bottom line is, I shouldn't have been able to see those select few "accidentally transmitted" games in HD, but they got through. They were by far the exception, not the rule, but I did check often, particularly when the MSG-related team was involved in a game of interest. Once you go HD, especially with hockey, it's almost impossible to stomach watching games in SD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 If you have time warner basic cable, and you are using a new hdtv without a cable box. Try tuning your tv to ch 76-749. you will get the game in HD without using a cable box. This will work as long as your tv has a qam tuner. Most of the new ones have one. This was posted in the GDT. Good stuff gozer. :clapping: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 I have been considering switching to FIOS tv, but based on the info posted in this thread, decided against it. So for what it's worth, I called DTV tonight and asked if they could help me out with the cost associated with my bill and CI, and they gave me 30 bucks off a month for a year and a one time $150 dollar credit so CI costed me 21 bucks! They just can't be beat... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesportsbuff Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 can someone please just explain why away games are blacked out?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallybarthman Posted September 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 can someone please just explain why away games are blacked out?? Go to the first post under "Current Question" You'll find your answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesportsbuff Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 Go to the first post under "Current Question" You'll find your answer. But then why was yesterdays game on tv despite not being shown on MSG? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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