IceNetwork Query

Layback11 · Jul 17, 2015

I have a 2014-15 subscription to IceNetwork and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely want to renew it next year, but I don't know when it expires. Anyone know? I got my current one the day it came out in August, so I'd guess late summer, but I'm not sure...

karne · Jul 17, 2015

Layback11 said:
I have a 2014-15 subscription to IceNetwork and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely want to renew it next year, but I don't know when it expires. Anyone know? I got my current one the day it came out in August, so I'd guess late summer, but I'm not sure...

It's usually around August.

sabinfire · Jul 17, 2015

http://ww2.icenetwork.com/subscribe/

"All 2014-15 Season Pass subscriptions are valid until Aug. 30, 2015."

Why August 30th, though? Is there some event happening on August 31st?

Layback11 · Jul 17, 2015

sabinfire said:
http://ww2.icenetwork.com/subscribe/

"All 2014-15 Season Pass subscriptions are valid until Aug. 30, 2015."

Why August 30th, though? Is there some event happening on August 31st?

Thanks! IDK, but some of the 2015-16 events (Glacier Falls, etc.) that they stream are before August 30th. I guess that's when the first JGP starts.

karne · Jul 18, 2015

sabinfire said:
http://ww2.icenetwork.com/subscribe/

"All 2014-15 Season Pass subscriptions are valid until Aug. 30, 2015."

Why August 30th, though? Is there some event happening on August 31st?

The first JGP? Or perhaps the SLC Senior B is early this year?

sabinfire · Jul 18, 2015

np

I was just reading over their Terms of Service and came across this:

http://ww2.icenetwork.com/help/terms

"E. Billing, Automatic Renewal and Refund Policies for Certain Services
For Services billed on a yearly basis (e.g., the Icenetwork.com Season Pass), the term begins when you purchase your subscription and ends on or about August 30 of the next year, with one-time billing immediately following your purchase. Full-price subscriptions will automatically renew annually approximately on or after August 18 each year at the previous year's regular full yearly price, unless (1) you signified otherwise in accordance with the applicable instructions; or (2) Ice Network discontinues or significantly alters the Service prior to the start of the applicable subscription Service renewal period."

For anyone who isn't planning to renew for 2015-2016, you will need to cancel your subscription prior to August 18th, otherwise they will charge you $50 for another Season Pass.

ice coverage · Jul 18, 2015

Layback11 said:
Thanks! IDK, but some of the 2015-16 events (Glacier Falls, etc.) that they stream are before August 30th. I guess that's when the first JGP starts.

Long story short, all the comps included in the 2014-15 Season Pass already have taken place.

I already have been a broken record re Glacier Falls in its own thread, but again:

An IN subscription was NOT needed to view last year's Glacier Falls on-demand video.
This year, IN once again will provide on-demand video of GF. Not live streaming. Source: Sylvia's post in the GF thread on behalf of crzesk8dad.

The events belonging to the 2015-16 season that IN covers with live streaming do not start until after Aug 30.

IN's only 2015 JGP live streaming will be for JGP Colorado Springs -- which begins on September 2.

(Presumably JGP Colorado Springs is being treated as a special case b/c it is in the U.S.)
Last year, the ISU channel provided free live streaming of all JGPs (as well as archived video).
(iirc, IN usually has no live streaming of any JGPs. Again, Colorado Springs is an exception to the rule.)

The 2015 SLC Classic begins on September 16.

(The 2015 U.S. Collegiate Championships, which are in August, are included in the 2014-15 Season Pass. But if you read the fine print on IN, it does not provide video coverage anyway -- although Collegiates are on the IN calendar.)

ice coverage · Jul 18, 2015

BTW, if anyone is wondering about Windows 10 vis-a-vis IN:

As of Jul 15, Windows 10 compatibility is/was TBD:

https://twitter.com/AnikoTevvit/status/621376271209992192

In that Twitter conversation, IN also refers to its Systems Requirements page:

http://ww2.icenetwork.com/help/requirements

sabinfire · Jul 18, 2015

Adobe Flash is outdated, insecure, and on its deathbed -- most websites have discontinued using it, I wish IN would follow suit...

Windows 10 is a free upgrade that Microsoft is pushing to users (release date is only days away)... I am astounded that IN's position on their compatibility with the next major Windows release this month is "TBD"?? I imagine this is just business-speak for, 'We haven't bothered to test functionality on Windows 10 so we are just hoping it works when the full release is rolled out.'

Does IN have a single person working in development on-staff there? Or did they just hire a third-party group 5 years ago to do the back-end design of their streaming platform and are just running on archaic software until most of their subscribers can't even use the site anymore without running an ancient OS/browser?

dorispulaski · Jul 18, 2015

IN is run by Major League Baseball, and not well.

They were on Microsoft Silverlight, and had reasonable to use, but kind of clunky, old school looking pages.

They did a redesign that was not compatible with their old content, and which was based on Adobe (expletive deleted) Flash, and had and still has, an inexcusably bad search function. How they staffed for that redesign is anyone's guess. It feels like they outsourced the job to Elbonians from the Dilbert comics.

Layback11 · Jul 18, 2015

dorispulaski said:
IN is run by Major League Baseball, and not well.

They were on Microsoft Silverlight, and had reasonable to use, but kind of clunky, old school looking pages.

They did a redesign that was not compatible with their old content, and which was based on Adobe (expletive deleted) Flash, and had and still has, an inexcusably bad search function. How they staffed for that redesign is anyone's guess. It feels like they outsourced the job to Elbonians from the Dilbert comics.

Um...I thought IN was run by the USFSA...

dorispulaski · Jul 18, 2015

Nope. USFSA owns it, but they outsourced the running of it to MLB.

Layback11 · Jul 18, 2015

dorispulaski said:
Nope. USFSA owns it, but they outsourced the running of it to MLB.

Whoa...

My existence is a lie

I am so shocked that I am neglecting to use punctuation

sabinfire · Jul 29, 2015

Microsoft officially rolled out Windows 10 to all users today, July 29th. I am currently running the new OS.

Since IceNetwork was being coy about their support for Windows 10, I did some quick functionality testing of their website while on the new operating system (loaded multiple pages, navigated around the site, accessed subscriber-only on-demand videos, maximized them full-screen and back to small window, jumped forward & backward in the video, etc.) Here are my observations:

(all web browsers are updated to the most current version as of today, and I'm running a high-end desktop PC)

Google Chrome: I was able to navigate the website and play videos as fluidly as before upgrading. I did not encounter any noticeable changes to the way IN functions due to the upgrade.

Internet Explorer: Ran a bit more sluggish than Chrome, but did not encounter any major issues.

Microsoft Edge (new web browser for Windows 10, replacement for IE): Ran the website very sluggishly, took several seconds to load pages at times, but overall no roadblocks with IN functionality.

Mozilla Firefox: Similar to above... ran sluggishly, pages took a little longer to load than I'm used to, but did not encounter any functionality issues with IN.

Btw, IN runs non-skippable 30-second pre-roll ads for subscriber-only content?!! (I normally use Chrome with an adblocker tool, so I never see them...)

I was not able to test live-streaming content yet... but since IN utilizes the same video player technology as the rest of the site, I would assume live events will continue to work just the same.

FYI: For users of Windows 7 and Windows 8, the upgrade to Windows 10 is free for the time being (but will eventually come with a price-tag to those that haven't upgraded early).

You can upgrade using this link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

This link also allows you to burn the OS installation files to a DVD or USB drive, for installing later.

Layback11 · Jul 29, 2015

Thanks for the update! I'm using a MacBook for IN and sometimes my iPad (running a flash-enabled web browser app called Photon), so this doesn't affect my computer, but it's good to know.

crzesk8dad · Jul 31, 2015

Subscription is not needed for Glacier Falls on demand on IN.

ice coverage · Nov 30, 2015

USFS tweeted an IceNetwork "CyberMonday" special offer (thru Dec 4):

$25 off a season pass for IN figure skating coverage. The discount code is at these links:

https://twitter.com/USFigureSkating/status/671349823589642240

https://www.facebook.com/usfiguresk...09118026341/10153292403381342/?type=3&theater

Disclaimer: This post is not an endorsement of the special offer or of IN.

Manitou · Nov 30, 2015

It's the second year I have and it works good. I am not sure when it automatically renewed. Good it had the right credit card number, otherwise it would fail. I have to make sure the number is correct for the next year.
Some constructive points regarding playing videos:

1. It works only on PC, which makes it hard to watch it on TV. The only solution to watch it on TV is to run HDMI cable from laptop to the TV. The video quality appears to be something between 720p and 1080p. Not fully HD, but definitely better than old 720p. The sound quality is poor, though.

2. I was hoping it would run on iPad, because then I would use AirDrop to wirelessly connect to TV. Unfortunately the streaming is completely freaking out on iPad. It tries to play it, but it's simply freaking out. Maybe newer iPad would work better, as it appears to be performance related. My iPad is three years old and is slow. Can anybody run those videos on newer iPads?

3. It is not a full replacement for TV coverage. It's basically runs in live mode with no commentary at all, as if you were sitting there on the audience. Complete silence. It has good points because you can hear the skaters talking to the coaches, however, the deafening silence can be boring, as it lacks drama and emotions. I like combining the two: first watch it live on IceNetwork as it goes, then watch it again on regular networks with Tara and Johny.

4. UniversalHD by NBC is a great improvement from last year's Universal Sports. Not only figure skating has better coverage now, but also alpine skiing. More Russian ladies, more Hanyu, more Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin.

karne · Nov 30, 2015

Manitou said:
1. It works only on PC, which makes it hard to watch it on TV. The only solution to watch it on TV is to run HDMI cable from laptop to the TV. The video quality appears to be something between 720p and 1080p. Not fully HD, but definitely better than old 720p. The sound quality is poor, though.

I recently got my hands on a Google Chromecast, which I had heard would not work with my unblocky friend, but when I set it all up, I was pleasantly surprised - proper full-screen, ran reasonably well, good sound. It was occasionally laggy, but that happens from time to time. Tested it with both archived videos and live streaming and it worked quite well, with my unblocky friend happily making IN work for me.

Manitou said:
2. I was hoping it would run on iPad, because then I would use AirDrop to wirelessly connect to TV. Unfortunately the streaming is completely freaking out on iPad. It tries to play it, but it's simply freaking out. Maybe newer iPad would work better, as it appears to be performance related. My iPad is three years old and is slow. Can anybody run those videos on newer iPads?

I'm no Apple expert but I'm pretty sure this has been a long-running issue? Something to do with the player that IN uses not being compatible or something.

Manitou said:
3. It is not a full replacement for TV coverage. It's basically runs in live mode with no commentary at all, as if you were sitting there on the audience. Complete silence. It has good points because you can hear the skaters talking to the coaches, however, the deafening silence can be boring, as it lacks drama and emotions. I like combining the two: first watch it live on IceNetwork as it goes, then watch it again on regular networks with Tara and Johny.

They do have commentary on some events, like they had Ryan Bradley at Skate America, and they had Michael Weiss at Nationals earlier this year. Otherwise it's silence and I love it!

Manitou · Nov 30, 2015

karne said:
I recently got my hands on a Google Chromecast, which I had heard would not work with my unblocky friend, but when I set it all up, I was pleasantly surprised - proper full-screen, ran reasonably well, good sound. It was occasionally laggy, but that happens from time to time. Tested it with both archived videos and live streaming and it worked quite well, with my unblocky friend happily making IN work for me.

How do you set it up? I have no Chromecast, but I can have it if I want to. I mean do you run IN on a computer and then use Chromecast to somehow connect to TV? How do you exactly do it?

IceNetwork Query

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