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s.rodriguez12

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 28, 2016
1
0
I'm looking to watch the Super Bowl on my Apple TV this year, does anyone know if this is possible?
 

geesus

macrumors 6502
Jul 3, 2015
372
129
If in the UK it is on the BBC so iPlayer. If outside the UK, you could sign up for a free trial of one of the geo-unlocking services and access iPlayer that way.
 

oneMadRssn

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
6,089
14,195
For those in the US, wouldn't it be way easier to just get it over the air on CBS? No chance of buffering issues or lag, and it will be the highest quality image.
 

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,742
6,111
For those in the US, wouldn't it be way easier to just get it over the air on CBS? No chance of buffering issues or lag, and it will be the highest quality image.

You really have to live close to towers to use indoor antennas, and not many people have outdoor ones. For this reason, streaming is always the better option for a lot of people.
 
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oneMadRssn

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
6,089
14,195
You really have to live close to towers to use indoor antennas, and not many people have outdoor ones. For this reason, streaming is always the better option for a lot of people.

It's true that for many people in the US streaming is the better option, but for the vast majority of the population, OTA is the better option. Upwards of 80% of the US population, according to the latest census, live in urban areas. OTA covers all urban areas pretty well, stretching into the surrounding suburbs even in many areas.
 

off_piste

macrumors 6502a
Oct 25, 2015
762
479
It's true that for many people in the US streaming is the better option, but for the vast majority of the population, OTA is the better option. Upwards of 80% of the US population, according to the latest census, live in urban areas. OTA covers all urban areas pretty well, stretching into the surrounding suburbs even in many areas.
I'm one of those people where an antenna should work but it doesn't. I get about half the channels I should and there's no rhyme or reason to the ones I get. They're all in the same direction and some of the lower power signals come in while a couple of the supposedly stronger signals do not.
 

oneMadRssn

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
6,089
14,195
I'm one of those people where an antenna should work but it doesn't. I get about half the channels I should and there's no rhyme or reason to the ones I get. They're all in the same direction and some of the lower power signals come in while a couple of the supposedly stronger signals do not.

A lot of factors influence antenna signals, but the fact you get some means you should be able to get all of them with some finagling. I live about 25 miles from some towers, give or take depending on which ones, and in a relatively newish building. For me, moving the antenna literally one or two inches left or right, up or down makes a significant difference.

I spent one afternoon moving the antenna inch by inch along the wall, taking note of the signal meter on the TV, and I found the best spot on the wall near my TV, and a few more good enough spots on the wall. Oddly, the best spots were away from the windows (I suspect the bug screen blocks some signal) and lower down near the middle of the wall in terms of height (I suspect power wires running near the bottom and HVAC running near the top blocked some signal) worked best. Then I added a small amplifier to the antenna, and now I get nearly perfect reception on all channels rain or shine.

My point was it took some work to get there though.

Streaming is also a very good and very easy option - but for a huge huge event like the super bowl, I always expect some appreciable chance of buffering issues, drops in quality, or maybe even disconnects in the event that CBS's servers get hammered and run into bandwidth issues.

Let's put it this way, I would never host a super bowl party or even invite NFL fans over to watch the big game and rely on streaming, that is a recipe for some very pissed off friends!
 

MAvery

macrumors member
Dec 6, 2012
31
2
I should get better picture quality than watching it through Comcast, right? I prefer using my Apple TV and remote to the Comcast box anyway.

Don't quote me on this, but I think that generally depends on where you live? I have a stellar internet connection so streaming is often actually a better option for me.
 

off_piste

macrumors 6502a
Oct 25, 2015
762
479
Don't quote me on this, but I think that generally depends on where you live? I have a stellar internet connection so streaming is often actually a better option for me.
The reason I was asking that is that I get a better picture quality streaming ESPN through the app then I do through Comcast.
 

off_piste

macrumors 6502a
Oct 25, 2015
762
479
A lot of factors influence antenna signals, but the fact you get some means you should be able to get all of them with some finagling. I live about 25 miles from some towers, give or take depending on which ones, and in a relatively newish building. For me, moving the antenna literally one or two inches left or right, up or down makes a significant difference.

I spent one afternoon moving the antenna inch by inch along the wall, taking note of the signal meter on the TV, and I found the best spot on the wall near my TV, and a few more good enough spots on the wall. Oddly, the best spots were away from the windows (I suspect the bug screen blocks some signal) and lower down near the middle of the wall in terms of height (I suspect power wires running near the bottom and HVAC running near the top blocked some signal) worked best. Then I added a small amplifier to the antenna, and now I get nearly perfect reception on all channels rain or shine.

My point was it took some work to get there though.

Streaming is also a very good and very easy option - but for a huge huge event like the super bowl, I always expect some appreciable chance of buffering issues, drops in quality, or maybe even disconnects in the event that CBS's servers get hammered and run into bandwidth issues.

Let's put it this way, I would never host a super bowl party or even invite NFL fans over to watch the big game and rely on streaming, that is a recipe for some very pissed off friends!
I get the base 10 to 15 channels as part of my Internet anyway so I'm not overly worried. I just figured that I might get a better picture streaming similar to how I do with ESPN.


As for the antenna, I tried an amplified antenna and moved around a decent number of areas. I was confined to hiding it in areas behind my TV so it may have worked up higher but I was not willing to deal with the unsightliness.
 

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,742
6,111
I'm one of those people where an antenna should work but it doesn't. I get about half the channels I should and there's no rhyme or reason to the ones I get. They're all in the same direction and some of the lower power signals come in while a couple of the supposedly stronger signals do not.

That is my experience with antennas in both personal use and setting it up for friends. You may get ABC and NBC in one location, but then have to move it somewhere else to get CBS and FOX.
 

hcole623

macrumors regular
Oct 4, 2013
112
27
My wife wants to know if the CBS stream will include the standard commercials that the over-the-air broadcast is known for?
 

nburwell

macrumors 603
May 6, 2008
5,566
2,465
DE
My wife wants to know if the CBS stream will include the standard commercials that the over-the-air broadcast is known for?

That's a good question. This is one event where I won't mind the commercials. I'm not sure how good the stream will be, so I'm tempted to buy a digital antenae in the event the steam is sluggish/struggling.
 

hcole623

macrumors regular
Oct 4, 2013
112
27
That's a good question. This is one event where I won't mind the commercials. I'm not sure how good the stream will be, so I'm tempted to buy a digital antenae in the event the steam is sluggish/struggling.

Yeah I'm not sure since most streams have alternate commercials than the broadcast
 

Cnasty

macrumors 68040
Jul 2, 2008
3,336
2,106
I am hoping this is stable as I am having a party and have cut the cord a while ago and will be utilizing this.
Backup plan is finding a live stream on Kodi but that isn't ideal.
 

0970373

Suspended
Mar 15, 2008
2,727
1,412
I am hoping this is stable as I am having a party and have cut the cord a while ago and will be utilizing this.
Backup plan is finding a live stream on Kodi but that isn't ideal.

Best of luck to you if you're having people over for this. You should be aware of the delay between the broadcast and streaming is often 10-30 seconds...which could be huge if something big happens or if anyone checks social media. I watched a lot of games online during the regular season trying various methods and it was a huge pain (my team is outside my market). I'm really hoping all the networks get better at this but so far, it has been suboptimal.

For something like the SB esp if people are coming over, I'd get this to be safe. You can always return it after.
 

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,742
6,111
Best of luck to you if you're having people over for this. You should be aware of the delay between the broadcast and streaming is often 10-30 seconds...which could be huge if something big happens or if anyone checks social media. I watched a lot of games online during the regular season trying various methods and it was a huge pain (my team is outside my market). I'm really hoping all the networks get better at this but so far, it has been suboptimal.

For something like the SB esp if people are coming over, I'd get this to be safe. You can always return it after.

10-30 seconds is very generous. It is closer to 1.5 - 2 minutes in my experience.
 

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,742
6,111
LOl. Well, it depends on the day. I've had serious lags as well. Perhaps to be clear, I should say 10-30 seconds on the clock...which could be 1-2 min in real time. haha.

My GF lives in a different state right now, with cable, and I will be damned if I ever facetime her during a steelers game again!
 
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0970373

Suspended
Mar 15, 2008
2,727
1,412
My GF lives in a different state right now, with cable, and I will be damned if I ever facetime her during a steelers game again!

Why are you wasting precious bandwidth on this! lol

In all seriousness, If I was going to a Super Bowl party, I'd want to know in advance that my host was going to be streaming the game....so I could make other plans.
 
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