The end of going to games at stadiums?

[CodeMonkey]

Please let me know how you do this. PM if you want, although I bet others would also like to know.

I use private software to watch/record satellite TV and use an open source package called ComSkip http://www.kaashoek.com/comskip/ for commercial removal.

There is an open source package for satellite/cable watching/recording as well that also has a plugin for using ComSkip that works well called MediaPortal http://www.team-mediaportal.com/ .

 

Another good and free (though not open source) application that also supports ComSkip is NextPVR http://www.nextpvr.com/

 

The pros to this are you can watch a game in a very reasonable length of time and at your convenience.

The con though is that I now tend to find it excruciating to watch a tackle football game in real time due to the commercial interruptions.

Edited May 6, 2013 by CodeMonkey

[xsoldier54]

Not sure if this is relevant, but after years of watching football on TV, with it's close ups, super slo mo, etc my first live at the stadium NFL game was disappointing. It was just some guys playing football.

The difference for me in seeing the game live is being able to watch the play develop, because you can see the whole field. Also the speed of the game. It is surprisingly fast when you see it in person. Watching on TV is OK if you can't get to the game, but definitely not the same.

[C-Man]

I concur with a previous poster. The live games are just OK for me. I take my boys because they are still young and like the excitement of thousands of people in a stadium. I feel ticket prices may be the thing that really does in attendance.

[CodeMonkey]

I concur with a previous poster. The live games are just OK for me. I take my boys because they are still young and like the excitement of thousands of people in a stadium. I feel ticket prices may be the thing that really does in attendance.

I think teams will do what the Bills did some years back and lower the seating capacity in favor of corporate and luxury boxes. Big market teams can get away with that for sure. Plus with only 8 regular season home games (7 for the Bills) people who really love the "game day experience" can generally come up with the money to go if they want to bad enough. If tackle football does lose it's place as the top American spectator sport I do not believe it will be due to lack of attendance at games.

[Chandler#81]

Not sure if this is relevant, but after years of watching football on TV, with it's close ups, super slo mo, etc my first live at the stadium NFL game was disappointing. It was just some guys playing football.

 

I had Seasons' during the Kelly era and I agree. I made sure I had my pocket radio with earplugs to at least LISTEN to Van & Murph fill me in on what else was happening -injury updates, who's getting pwned and, of course, Vans' great voice!

 

Seems obvious though, that the League and teams agree somewhat as the replay videos are great at the stadium and larger than ever.

 

Remember the early days at Rich Stadium -with the yellow & black replays on 3/4 screen? We thought it was great then..

[reddogblitz]

I remember hearing Tex talk about this. I have no links or anything (nor did the OP), but my recollection was that he felt like this was the way it was headed, but he didn't like it or want it to happen.

 

I don't want it to happen either and much prefer going to a game that watching it on TV. Go to the game and just concentrate and hone in on that game. You can watch highlights and check your fantasy stats and all that when you get home. After Bills score being in the stands singing SHOUT is way cooler than sitting through a commercial.

 

But I do agree that all the TV timeouts when you're there is annoying. Also watching commercials on the Jumbotron with the audio through the PA is annoying as well. But I still prefer going to the game when I can.

[CodeMonkey]

I remember hearing Tex talk about this. I have no links or anything (nor did the OP), but my recollection was that he felt like this was the way it was headed, but he didn't like it or want it to happen.

 

I don't want it to happen either and much prefer going to a game that watching it on TV. Go to the game and just concentrate and hone in on that game. You can watch highlights and check your fantasy stats and all that when you get home. After Bills score being in the stands singing SHOUT is way cooler than sitting through a commercial.

 

But I do agree that all the TV timeouts when you're there is annoying. Also watching commercials on the Jumbotron with the audio through the PA is annoying as well. But I still prefer going to the game when I can.

Maybe what they should do as a courtesy to the fans at the games is not have the TV timeouts at the stadium. TV can show the commercials and show the rest of the game on a delay. That way the people at the game don't have to sit through the commercials and get out of the game (and back to the post-game tailgate) that much quicker while the people watching on TV watch as long as it takes with all the commercials. Why punish the people paying the $$$ to go to the game? That also would allow TV to show as many commercials as they want without affecting the game itself.

 

Damn, I should have King Rogers job

Edited May 6, 2013 by CodeMonkey

[uncle flap]

I use private software to watch/record satellite TV and use an open source package called ComSkip http://www.kaashoek.com/comskip/ for commercial removal.

There is an open source package for satellite/cable watching/recording as well that also has a plugin for using ComSkip that works well called MediaPortal http://www.team-mediaportal.com/ .

 

Another good and free (though not open source) application that also supports ComSkip is NextPVR http://www.nextpvr.com/

 

The pros to this are you can watch a game in a very reasonable length of time and at your convenience.

The con though is that I now tend to find it excruciating to watch a tackle football game in real time due to the commercial interruptions.

 

Thanks for getting back to me! I have a Mac so I'd have to find an alternative to those.

 

But before I get that far, I'd have to find reliable feeds. Which is probably going to cost me as it seems the best bet is to buy a TV tuner for my Mac since I don't have cable.

 

I'm fairly tech savvy, but I'm also pretty lazy so I'll probably wind up just waiting for others to upload torrents.

 

Thanks again, though! At least now I know where to start!

Edited May 6, 2013 by uncle flap

[CodeMonkey]

Thanks for getting back to me! I have a Mac so I'd have to find an alternative to those.

 

But before I get that far, I'd have to find reliable feeds. Which is probably going to cost me as it seems the best bet is to buy a TV tuner for my Mac since I don't have cable.

 

I'm fairly tech savvy, but I'm also pretty lazy so I'll probably wind up just waiting for others to upload torrents.

 

Thanks again, though! At least now I know where to start!

I know Macs can emulate windows and run Windows apps, but I'm not sure about DirectX ones like these are.

I don't do Mac so I can't be of any more help than that

[uncle flap]

I know Macs can emulate windows and run Windows apps, but I'm not sure about DirectX ones like these are.

I don't do Mac so I can't be of any more help than that

 

Since I made the switch to Mac, I've considered running a Windows emulator or even using Boot Camp, but I haven't found the need to do so... yet.

 

Maybe that'll change once I look into this TV thing some more. Thanks again!

[thewildrabbit]

I disagree. I also prefer to be at home. That way I can enjoy the game with my family. No way would I bring my young kids to a Bills game, other than the kids day preseason game when most of the drunken idiots don't go. Way to damn expensive, and also just not something I want to expose the kids to.

 

Instead I have PC software setup to record the game and afterward automatically strip out the commercials. We then watch the game in it's entirety in about an hour while we are eating dinner (works perfectly for the 1pm games) on the 55" LED TV..

 

So old and lazy, no. Older and wiser, perhaps. And watching at home "not the same", absolutely my point ... I find it to be considerably better.

That really depends where your seats are IMO. In and around season ticket holders Bills fans aren't obtuse, spilling beer or swearing every other word. However, I have seen many Bills fans like this, even at the SB's and at times I'm ashamed to be a Bills fan. Anyway, I took my kids to every home game from 88-93 and never had a problem, ever They both are now season ticket holders and have their own seats.

 

Things might have changed since the losing began, I dunno. But i never hear my children complain, and now they sometimes take their kids to games. What I do know is I'm not paying for an inferior product, and until the Bills start winning or even build a team I think has the ability to produce a winning record I refuse to attend. Although, nothing I can say will give my children pause to reconsider buying their season tickets every year. I suppose thats what keeps RW raking in the money while his team stinks.

 

 

BTW, with the Direct TV NFL Sunday ticket you get "short cuts" which shows every game from Sunday in 30 min, so you can record and watch as many NFL games as you want without the commercials and announcer BS.

 

 

P.S. The only thing getting old with me is that Buffalo Bills "shout song"

Edited May 7, 2013 by FeartheLosing

[CodeMonkey]

BTW, with the Direct TV NFL Sunday ticket you get "short cuts" which shows every game from Sunday in 30 min, so you can record and watch as many NFL games as you want without the commercials and announcer BS.

 

 

P.S. The only thing getting old with me is that Buffalo Bills "shout song"

To make it in 30 minutes they must strip out all the whitespace and just show nothing but the plays.

I'm OK with the ~70 minutes I get

[Last Guy on the Bench]

To make it in 30 minutes they must strip out all the whitespace and just show nothing but the plays.

I'm OK with the ~70 minutes I get

 

Yeah, it's the same on Game Pass, which I have, living abroad. I imagine it's the same for Rewind.

 

They just show the plays themselves, and it comes in under 30 minutes a game. You do miss some of the drama and the build-up, and if you lose your concentration for a second, you forget what down it is. But it's pretty great. I like it to quickly catch up on games that I've read about as being good. I can plow through the best games of the weekend on Tuesday and Wednesday in a couple of hours total.

 

But if it's a game I actually care about, it's still worth watching live, or at least the full-length archived version (fast forwarding through commercials).

 

I, of course, always watch the Bills live. If they play well, I'll watch the 30 minute archive a couple more times during the week and then again during the off-season. It's a drug.

[CodeMonkey]

Yeah, it's the same on Game Pass, which I have, living abroad. I imagine it's the same for Rewind.

 

They just show the plays themselves, and it comes in under 30 minutes a game. You do miss some of the drama and the build-up, and if you lose your concentration for a second, you forget what down it is. But it's pretty great. I like it to quickly catch up on games that I've read about as being good. I can plow through the best games of the weekend on Tuesday and Wednesday in a couple of hours total.

 

But if it's a game I actually care about, it's still worth watching live, or at least the full-length archived version (fast forwarding through commercials).

 

I, of course, always watch the Bills live. If they play well, I'll watch the 30 minute archive a couple more times during the week and then again during the off-season. It's a drug.

Crazy when you think about it. Almost 3 hours duration for a game that has an hours worth of clock time. And out of that hour, there is less than 30 minutes of action. But I'm like you, I love watching the Bills game sans commercials.

[K-9]

TV is great for watching the games.

 

But you have to be there to actually see it.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[aussiew]

This thread reminds me of the time when VHS movies first came out (yes, I am that old) and everyone predicted that movie theaters would all be put out of business in a few years.

 

There is still a majority that enjoy the live action and atmosphere (and Kenny's Pinto tailgate).

[CodeMonkey]

This thread reminds me of the time when VHS movies first came out (yes, I am that old) and everyone predicted that movie theaters would all be put out of business in a few years.

 

There is still a majority that enjoy the live action and atmosphere (and Kenny's Pinto tailgate).

I agree to a point. But back then TVs were small and low definition and VHS quality was even worse than that. Now you have large TVs, very clean HD broadcasts, and the online ability to view multiple cameras of your choice. Also throw in the significant expense of going to a game (magnified if you have a family) as well as the inconvenience (traffic, drunks etc.) and you can see why stadium attendance is going down. But there will always be enough of a hardcore group of fans who love the "game day experience" to fill a reasonable amount of stadium seats. I wouldn't call it anywhere near a majority though. The games that don't sell out 70,000 seats at the Ralph for example, how many people do you think are watching on TV in Buffalo?

 

And I do agree that eating wings cooked on the hood of Kenny's pinto and washing them down with a bowling ball shot is by far the best way to prepare for a Bills game!

[Canadian Bills Fan]

Dont the Bills do that when they play in Toronto?

 

CBF