Emerging Media in Sports
 
Earlier in the semester, I blogged about ESPN3 coming to Time Warner Cable. This transition has occurred, and Milwaukee residents can now enjoy a wealth of sports programming right on their computer screen. I mentioned that a subsequent update of the XBox Live interface would also bring ESPN3 access to XBox 360 game console owners. This has come as well, and after a month or so of tinkering with it, I'm blown away.


The picture the 360 delivers for ESPN3 content is great. I would say better than the picture on my computer monitor (a 22" HD screen), but not quite as good as the HD cable picture from ESPN. Still, far better than passable. In addition, I have yet to experience any lag or picture freezing.


All of the content that ESPN makes available online can be found on the XBox, and the interface has been customized to better match the standard XBox one. In addition, users can quickly, with the flick of the controller, bring up an up-to-the minute score ticker, that can even be used to channel surf from game to game.


Online television is clearly changing the way we view our programming, and ESPN3 has transitioned this into sports. Now that the XBox allows for a user to access the online programming from their big-screen TV, programming options are limitless, and sports viewing might never be the same.
 
Internet television is rapidly growing, and the number of players in the field are as well.


Apple's new $99 latest-generation Apple TV, a box that fits in the palm of your hand, offers easy, full high definition access to Netflix movies, as well as streaming content on your computer's hard drive and rented or purchased content from the iTunes store. Roku, which pioneered the streaming Netflix concept, now offers television boxes as low as $59 that can stream a variety of content. Media Center developer Boxee, partnering with D-Link, is releasing the Boxee Box next month, which will deliver a wealth of Full-HD content through Boxee's widely successful front end. All three major video game consoles now stream various content, including Netflix, in high definition, and recent contracts between Sony and Major League Baseball and Microsoft and ESPN will deliver sports content through these forums. Even Google has thrown their hat into the ring, with Google TV, to be released in the coming months.


In all of this, Boxee intrigues me the most. The slick, easy-to-navigate front end actually spawned from an open source media center application that was first created for the original XBox. Free to download, the Boxee front-end can be run on Windows, Mac, Linux, and original-generation Apple TVs. The Boxee Box will give users a piece of hardware specifically designed and optimized for Boxee, offering a full 1080p high definition picture.


More importantly, Boxee appears to be tailor made for the sports fan. Account holders for the MLB.tv baseball package and NHL GameCenter hockey package can use these online streaming services to access live games through their television, in full high definition glory. In addition, users can view archived games on demand through both of these services. Having all the games in HD and access to archived games are features that one can't get from subscribing to the MLB and NHL's respective TV packages. Furthermore, the TV versions of the packages are far more expensive (I paid over $150 last season for MLB Extra Innings, which only offered 2-3 games a night in HD). As of right now, NBA's GameTime application is not yet available on Boxee, however this app only delivers score updates and highlights, rather than live games. As for the NFL, access to live games through Boxee, or any other Internet TV platform for that matter, is a pipe dream, given the exclusivity the league has with DirecTV.


As far as other sports content, Boxee sets itself apart from the pack with a built in browser designed to find, pull out, and play video from any site it visits. This feature, along with other free apps the connect to popular video streaming services, ensures that if it can be played online, it can be played through Boxee (a big plus for someone who finds themselves streaming EPL soccer games on Saturday mornings).


So does all of this actually work? Does the browser reliably stream web video, and does the MLB.tv app consistently deliver live HD content? I'll get back to you on that. This week, I found a deal on a previous-generation Apple TV on eBay, that is due to arrive any day now. I'll be installing Boxee on it, and attempting to stream various sports content.


Between the wealth of available content on Boxee, and ESPN3 access coming to my XBox next month, I'll have access to virtually any sporting event imaginable, in glorious HD, on my 40" flat screen. Now that's paradise.