Getting (all) the Rugby in 2011

[MrMouse]

I'm having a look at how to get the rugby at home in 2011 without dubious and unreliable streaming or going to the pub.

To my knowledge, that means Foxtel.

Having a look at the Foxtel site, it looks like with "build you own [limited and superfluous] package" you can get Fox Sports for $60/month ($44 + $16). I gather this doesn't provide HD, which is an additional $10/month. Alternatively, the iQ Sports pack is $90/month.

Are these the best/cheapest ways to get all the S14, tests and maybe the occasional NH game? What do GAGR readers have?

 

[Bowside]

I have HD foxtel, but i hardly ever watch anything on fox sports hd channel. It shows the same programing as the SD channel and most of the time I just forget I even have it.

In terms of rugby, fox sports will get you all super rugby, tests, itm cup, currie cup as well as a weekly rugby show. Espn shows the 6 nations, and eurosport shows the french top 14. If you want to pay even more you can get setanta which shows most of the other european rugby, including internationals.

 

[MrTimms]

It only shows a couple of itm and currie cup games.

It sounds like I have much the same package. I haven't added setanta, nearly did for the 6 nations, but now they are on espn, no biggie. Oh, and the main benefit of hd over just sd is the 6 nations are live on espnhd, but delayed on the sd channel.

Sent from my Android using Tapatalk

 

[Moses]

Oh, and the main benefit of hd over just sd is the 6 nations are live on espnhd, but delayed on the sd channel.

For me the biggest benefit of HD is that it is HD. Looks a heap better on a bigger telly (mine is only 42", though the difference is well worth it)

 

[Jets]

I have Foxtel iQ sports package + setanta. The good thing about Setanta is that you just pay by the month so I organised it for the EOYT so I could watch England play and have kept it as it has Heineken Cup matches. I will cancel it after the final. IQ is handy as you don't have to stay up all night and can watch the games the following morning.

 

[cheezel]

I have the IQ sports package. IQ is very handy for games in South Africa. There's nothing like waking up on a Sunday morning and having a game or two ready to go. You can also record two games at once, which does happen every now and then. I had Sentanta for a month on a trial but didn't keep it.

ESPN also has the 6 nations for the first time which will be awesome.

 

[Lee Grant]

I like Setanta because you get the Avira Premiership, Magners League and Heineken Cup. The only problem is that if you get that and Eurosports (Top14) you get rugby coming out of your ears all summer. Now there's EPSN and the 6N - thank the Lord that American Football is about to end before Super Rugby starts.

Will give up Setanta in May and take it up again later in the year.

And IQ2 would have to be the ants pants - don't know why I didn't get it earlier. Then my latest splurge was to get an HD TV in the after Xmas sales. Ditto - should have cut down on luxuries such as food and drink and done it earlier. It was like seeing colour TV for the first time in America in the 1960s - you'd watch a show just to watch the colour.

But I digress.

 

[Moses]

you'd watch a show just to watch the colour.

I'm a sucker for Discovery HD and Nat Geo Wild for this very reason. Awesome stuff.

But it is the sport where HD really comes into it's own. They crap on about blades of grass, but for me it's the facial expressions on the players, and the clarity with which you can see the crowd that is awesome. I'll often pick something up in back play and rewind to be sure.

I know a guy who is about to put a bigger hard disk in Foxtel's IQ2 box. Has anyone does this and have some advice that I could pass along to this guy?

 

[Lee Grant]

Sounds illegal but good luck to him. Maybe that USB slot can be used to add on an external hard drive and it's something that the Foxtel people will be looking at later. There's also a slot for an ethernet cable - I wonder what that is for?

PS - On HD: one disappointment is that there aren't a lot of channels you get it on and some of the HD channels have most of their shows that weren't recorded in the HD format so there's not a lot of difference in the quality. I guess this will change over time.

 

[Rob42]

Are all the Super rugby games on Fox in actual HD?

 

[fatprop]

I just upgraded to a new TV & HD. The best thing as others have said is IQ, recording all those games makes makes week days fun

 

[Lee Grant]

Are all the Super rugby games on Fox in actual HD?

Maybe folks who had HD last year could advise.

 

[fatprop]

I understand all S15 & Tests are on the HD channels which seem to be the same as Foxsports regulars 1, 2 & 3

 

[MrMouse]

I understand all S15 & Tests are on the HD channels which seem to be the same as Foxsports regulars 1, 2 & 3

So is it replicating the SD broadcast, or vice versa? Because obviously, if it's not really HD it's not really worth it.

Like Lee, I got a sparkly new HD tv post-xmas, a 50", and I'd love to put it to good use.

Most people seem to have the iQ Sports package +- setanta. Is this because it's the easiest to set up, or because it's genuinely better than any alternative?

Most importantly, is everyone agreed it's worth not eating or drinking in order to watch more rugby?

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I'd go and get Foxtel (+HQ +iQ) tomorrow if I could get the channels a la carte. As it stands, I'd have to spend at least $75/mth to get any rugby at all, let alone all of it.

 

[Jets]

So is it replicating the SD broadcast, or vice versa? Because obviously, if it's not really HD it's not really worth it.

Like Lee, I got a sparkly new HD tv post-xmas, a 50", and I'd love to put it to good use.

Most people seem to have the iQ Sports package +- setanta. Is this because it's the easiest to set up, or because it's genuinely better than any alternative?

Most importantly, is everyone agreed it's worth not eating or drinking in order to watch more rugby?

Agree. I can afford to skip a couple of meals as I haven't missed one in a long time.

 

[Moses]

Pretty sure I spend close to $100 a month on Fox, but then, I watch a lot of rugby and like to see it live. I also like to go to a game and have it available to watch again when I get home.

Being able to series link the entire super rugby season is a good thing, saves messing around in the menus trying to decide what to record - just record it all!

I believe all the games last year were in HD. SupersportSA sell have as good an incentive as FoxAU and SkyNZ to get HD rugby out to the fans.

My understanding is they film in HD and broadcast that signal on channel 20x. Simultaneously they downscale the feed to SD and broadcast on channel 50x for viewers who have SD TVs or SD subscription packs.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I used to subscribe to RugbyZone, but unfortunately they're bust. That was bloody good value for USD100 per year I thought.

 

[MrMouse]

I'd go and get Foxtel (+HQ +iQ) tomorrow if I could get the channels a la carte. As it stands, I'd have to spend at least $75/mth to get any rugby at all, let alone all of it.

Yeah, you see that's what shits me. I'd be happy enough to pay a bit over the odds to just get the channels I want, but I don't want about a million of these

channels.From time to time, BBC, CNN or the music channels might come in handy but really, that's so much bull to get 5 SD and 4 HD channels.

Agree. I can afford to skip a couple of meals as I haven't missed one in a long time.

I hadn't thought of it quite that way, but that's a fair point. Perhaps sitting on my arse watching rugby could help me get back closer to my playing weight...hmm...a unique training strategy!

 

[OLDDOG]

I used to subscribe to RugbyZone, but unfortunately they're bust. That was bloody good value for USD100 per year I thought.

mee too BH, stil looking around for someone who's gonna stream the S15. if anyone has any pointers that wud be appreciated