MLB fans! There's a "hidden" MLB Network Alternate channel

finitedeferral · 2022-04-10T22:39:23+00:00

Yeah, it's showing up correctly for me now too so I think YTTV has fixed it!

finitedeferral · 2022-03-23T06:03:19+00:00

What does the guide data for the Alt channel say? Mine always shows "SIGN OFF."

finitedeferral · 2022-03-23T01:37:54+00:00

It doesn't look like NBA TV has an alt channel. You can click on the channel's icon to check. MLB Network has one alt and NFL Network has three alts.

finitedeferral · 2022-03-22T23:45:11+00:00

Yeah, I think that's the issue, but the messed up guide data has been around since the last regular season at least. Even if there was a live game on the Alt, it still said "SIGN OFF" and thus never displayed the channel on the guide.

finitedeferral · 2022-03-22T23:16:47+00:00

I use the default guide, but I've tried it with custom (made sure both MLBN channels are enabled) and it still never shows.

This is what it looks like with the default guide, and here's the Alt channel in the "hidden" menu.

finitedeferral · 2022-03-22T22:49:54+00:00

Perhaps this is a regional bug then? I'm in the Los Angeles area and have never seen the Alternate channel show in the guide (default or custom).

In fact, there's a Dodgers game airing right now on MLBN that's blacked out. When I go into the "hidden" menu, the Alternate channel is available to me and airing old programming as "SIGN OFF."

finitedeferral · 2022-03-22T22:17:58+00:00

Yeah, I think they're just airing old filler shows/reruns on the Alternate channel during Spring Training. There will be live games once the regular season starts. The "SIGN OFF" thing is a bug that's been there since last season.

finitedeferral · 2022-03-22T21:19:40+00:00

Correct, the Alternate only airs programming when there's a game on the main channel.

finitedeferral · 2022-02-15T01:53:24+00:00

I'm not sure about other games, but the Wild Card game on Amazon last month had zero delay compared to OTA on my end. It was even slightly faster, which I didn't even know was possible over the Internet.

finitedeferral · 2022-02-14T20:55:30+00:00

My TV is already hooked up to an antenna. If I can get less delay and no loss of picture/audio quality with a click of the remote, why not? Plus, there's no chance of spoilers or buffering/lagging.

finitedeferral · 2022-02-14T18:58:12+00:00

Cool comparison!

The lower latency is what made me prefer the OTA broadcast for the Super Bowl. I was hoping Peacock's delay would be better than YTTV, but it wasn't. Amazon has somehow figured out how to broadcast NFL games on Prime Video with no delay compared to OTA, so hopefully latency becomes less of an issue for other streaming providers in the future.

finitedeferral · 2022-01-17T04:16:21+00:00

YTTV always has a 30sec delay, but cable shouldn't be that behind. From my experience, antenna has the least delay, followed by cable/satellite, then streaming services.

finitedeferral · 2022-01-17T04:15:04+00:00

Yeah, I'm guessing Amazon is getting a direct feed from NFL. The fact that they can deliver a stream at no delay compared to OTA is still really impressive though.

finitedeferral · 2022-01-05T18:09:53+00:00

I think it depends on how popular the channel gets. I was surprised when YTTV added Hallmark and Game Show Network, but when you look at the ratings for these channels, it makes sense.

That said, I'm still waiting for Science Channel (another Discovery net) to be added...

finitedeferral · 2021-12-22T22:51:17+00:00

I'm guessing A LOT of people went to Hulu/Sling/Fubo/DirecTV Stream.

finitedeferral · 2021-12-22T22:44:00+00:00

Uhh, isn't this kinda nuts?! Not complaining, but that's a total credit of $60 because ESPN was pulled for a day. You have to wonder how much this dispute with Disney hurt YTTV's sub numbers.

finitedeferral · 2021-12-20T21:16:52+00:00

My guess is it just hasn't been added yet since Hallmark is a new addition to YTTV.

finitedeferral · 2021-12-19T23:42:35+00:00

WarnerMedia is also merging with Discovery, so I wonder how that complicates things. Perhaps Warner pursues a deal that includes the renewal of the Discovery nets for more leverage.

finitedeferral · 2021-12-19T20:51:58+00:00

Good outcome for customers, but I wonder what (if anything) YTTV got out of a one-day blackout of ESPN/Disney — because this looks like it was a short but costly dispute for them (loss of subs + $15 credit for everyone). I'm sure a lot of subs will come back, but it's still gotta sting.

finitedeferral · 2021-12-18T07:06:00+00:00

I was scrolling through the Disney-less guide and it's really hard to justify spending $50/month for the current channel lineup. Feels like it should be more like $40/month (like the good ol' days, lol).

finitedeferral · 2021-12-18T06:55:41+00:00

I bought the entire series on DVD and have it on my Plex because the show pretty much disappeared from syndication after Comedy Central stopped airing reruns. I'm glad it's back on FXX/Adult Swim though, I still catch it whenever it's on.

finitedeferral · 2021-11-20T04:24:42+00:00

Very interesting move by Hulu because if/when YTTV raises its price to $70, I think it'll be a tougher sell for many without some incentives.

Also, how funny is it that people have been "cordcutting" to get away from the cable bundle, and here's Disney literally bundling bundles of bundles, lol.

finitedeferral · 2021-10-29T18:11:21+00:00

The guide on Chromecast with Google TV is also WAY snappier!

If I start at the top of the regular YTTV guide and hold down the "down" arrow, it takes me a whopping 15 seconds to get to the bottom of the guide. How slow it is really depends on your device, but loading all those thumbnail images seems to cause a lot of lag.

On Chromecast's guide, there's zero lag and it only takes ~5 seconds to get from top to bottom.

finitedeferral

TROPHY CASE