Spark Sport
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so what sort of speeds are required for decent sports streaming?
I can often locate a good stream, watching on Laptop, looks good enough for HD, putting it on TV via HDMI not quite...but is always some buffering or streaming issues (dont even get me started on SkyGo) throughout the game
I am semi-rural, def not fibre, although I think my internet speeds are quicker than when I was in town (where I had fibre run past my house but didnt have it) just ran a test and came up at 16.61mbps d/l and 1.47 up/l.
BUt I know the place I rented while building (same distance from Whangarei City as where I am now) had no broadband, and while that was 4.5 years ago, when I was renting I was told they were due to get Broadband in 2021 if I wanted on the waiting list.
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@taniwharugby those speeds aren't too bad. A year ago I had 0.99mbs d/l and 0.89mbps u/l when on ADSL in central Auckland, that was unusuable for streaming most things.
On fibre now and get around 50 d/l and 20 u/l and it never freezes.
A problem you may have on ADSL or VDSL (phonelines) is that if everyone on your street is streaming at the same time it may slow down. Though sounds like you don't have many people on your street.
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@no-quarter my road is 40km long, so there are a fair few, just spread out a little..
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@taniwharugby said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
Yealden is a great radio commentator, but not sure his 'style' would go down well on TV comms...?
Yalden does do some 1st XV rugby commentary.
But if you want to know Read's favourite aunties cat's name then Quinn is your man.
As the saying goes, "better the devil you know than the devil you don't". FTA coverage does not mean live, and can't include every AB game (4 pool games and QF at a minimum). So if you want to watch all those AB games live plus other key pool/playoff games then streaming via Spark is your only option.
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@bovidae said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
@taniwharugby said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
So if you want to watch all those AB games live plus other key pool/playoff games then streaming via Spark is your only option.For those who don't trust our internet - going to a pub that's streaming via Spark is probably an option.
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@chris-b said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
For those who don't trust our internet - going to a pub that's streaming via Spark is probably an option.
We will have to wait and see if pubs are provided with an option to stream games, and importantly, the cost. For most it would mean some investment in a smart TV or ATV/chromecast I would think. An HD picture is a must too.
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@chris-b said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
@bovidae Hard to believe they won't be - unless Simon Moutter is aspiring to be burned at the stake!
Something like Chromecast shouldn't be beyond most pubs!
Stick with a smart TV with an app or a computer plugged into the TV - chromecast is great for some things, but it's not as reliable as a cable.
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@godder I shall be taking expert advice from the Fern on how to maximize the chances of viewing this event satisfactorily as we draw closer, though perhaps some barbed emails to Chorus and Moutter will yield better results.
Moutter did eventually seem to fix the endless hacks of Sparks email by abandoning Yahoo, so perhaps he won't be a total bust....!
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@chris-b said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
@godder I shall be taking expert advice from the Fern on how to maximize the chances of viewing this event satisfactorily as we draw closer, though perhaps some barbed emails to Chorus and Moutter will yield better results.
Moutter did eventually seem to fix the endless hacks of Sparks email by abandoning Yahoo, so perhaps he won't be a total bust....!
To be fair to Spark, they are mostly reliant on Chorus for Fibre, but that's rolling out quite well, and there are things being done for more rural areas as well. No doubt that we Ferners will make sure everyone on the Fern who has the internet capability, gets to watch it!
@bovidae said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
Access to reliable highspeed broadband could be the first issue, particularly for pubs in rural areas.
Agree, although Spark is in the best position to do something about that with satellites and mobile broadband.
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@godder said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
To be fair to Spark, they are mostly reliant on Chorus for Fibre, but that's rolling out quite well, and there are things being done for more rural areas as well.
Spark has got a fucking sight more influence on Chorus than pretty much anyone else, so they need to get their arse into gear to press for enhanced fibre rollout and whatever else to ensure as many people as possible are satisfactorily connected.
A technological "fail" on RWC is entirely unacceptable. If it occurs, those responsible need to be jailed....if not executed!
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@chris-b said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
@godder said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
To be fair to Spark, they are mostly reliant on Chorus for Fibre, but that's rolling out quite well, and there are things being done for more rural areas as well.
Spark has got a fucking sight more influence on Chorus than pretty much anyone else, so they need to get their arse into gear to press for enhanced fibre rollout and whatever else to ensure as many people as possible are satisfactorily connected.
Spark do not have more influence on chorus with regard to the rollout itself.
The only influence they have on the rollout is shouting to Crown Fibre if the plan is falling behind or not enough resources are in place to do connections and they are falling behind.
The rollout is running ahead of plan to the point that the govt has approved further rollout than the original plan.
The model is that enhancing and growing the network is hugely in Chorus' interest so they are the drivers of doing things more efficiently and speedily. Chorus makes it's money from connections so again, the driver is to connect as many as possible.
Where Spark are in the driving seat is promoting their own fibre plans and offering attractive products. -
@crucial Wouldn't Spark be pretty much the biggest customer/client/user or whatever the terminology is for Chorus' fibre?
They've doubtless got a shitload more influence than me.
In any case, I don't care who is responsible...I'm going for the Henry VIII call to execute widely if I can't watch what I want to of the RWC.
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@chris-b said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
@crucial Wouldn't Spark be pretty much the biggest customer/client/user or whatever the terminology is for Chorus' fibre?
They've doubtless got a shitload more influence than me.
As far as the UFB build goes though, they don't/can't influence directly. Must go through Crown Fibre. This is, in part, due to the fact that Spark and Chorus are divorced and other competitors want to make sure there is no undue influence from an ex-partner. Lots of rules around how they interact (especially as at time of separation there were still a huge number of shared systems in place. Data separation had to be wrapped around that as Chorus built their own system infrastructure and transferred over).
Short story is that Chorus want as many h/holds on their fibre network as possible so 'influence' from Spark is irrelevant.
In fact Chorus are the ones that push the govt to change laws around easing complications in connections (such as shared title approvals) so they can get shit done. Chorus push for then apply for extensions to the roll-out and the ability to connect rural properties where they can as it is in their vested interest for those places to become their customers before someone steps in with better data coverage under things like 5G and satellite as new technologies come into the market.Edit: Take up %s are the biggest challenge. It is amazing how many people either don't take up what is on offer then complain about what they have or just think they don't need to upgrade. The ISPs are often reluctant to push the better product when their old products have a better margin (people sitting on old product contracts without realising they can upgrade). This RWC thing will have Chorus hoping for greater takeup of fibre but it will be interesting to see the line Spark take. They could tell their customers that the minimums will be sufficient if there is income risk in too many changing faster then predicted.
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@machpants said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
I'd be on fibre like a shot, my speed here is great on VDSL, amazing really since I'm out in a village on the coast - 50+ down, 10 up. But VDSL is more expensive than fibre and ADSL.
Exactly my point. Some ISPs are making more from copper plans than fibre ones so are disincentivized to promote change (not that it makes much diff in your case).
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In theory at least, Spark, Vodafone and 2Degrees have the least to gain from fibre, because selling broadband using their mobile networks (and cable for Vodafone) make them more money than fibre.
In my experience, 3G struggles but 4G is watchable. 5G is apparently going to be amazingly fast, but it won't be in place in time (especially not in the rural areas).
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@chris-b said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
@godder said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
To be fair to Spark, they are mostly reliant on Chorus for Fibre, but that's rolling out quite well, and there are things being done for more rural areas as well.
Spark has got a fucking sight more influence on Chorus than pretty much anyone else, so they need to get their arse into gear to press for enhanced fibre rollout and whatever else to ensure as many people as possible are satisfactorily connected.
A technological "fail" on RWC is entirely unacceptable. If it occurs, those responsible need to be jailed....if not executed!
The Chinese way!
