To: Bcn(where's the rest of it)

[matthewdean]

Ok, so there's some problem with you (Bcn) not having enough bandwidth, or something. And problems with your employees not knowing whats pluged in where, I enjoyed the Tiger Woods Golf game.
Myself, and I'm asuming the rest of your customers would like a more clear definition of when the matches will be shown. I understand it's hard to tell who's playing who, I don't understand that it's hard to have an idea of when the matches will start. I also don't understand why the matches are not being archived. I got that with the U.S. open, and would expect that this time with a higher price tag. I also want to know that I'm getting more than someone who just paid $19. If you want to expect me as future customer, I want to know what i get for what i pay, when the matches will be on, and if the matches will be archived(that last one ther's a great idea. The U.S. open corverage was good, i understandebly expected more this time. That has not happened.

 

[Curt]

I Couldn't agree more. I e-mailed BCN and asked if the matches shown would be available for viewing for a few days after they were played. They never answered that. The quality is not what it has been in the past. I'm really disappointed and couldn't recommend it to anyone

 

[mthornto]

Let me give a slightly different take on the matter.

I agree with you on several points. The video quality is lower this time compared to the US Open. I also find it disappointing that all the matches are not available for viewing after the live broadcast as they were with the Open.

I can live with the lower quality broadcast - this time. I have no way of knowing for sure why the quality of the video feed has been degraded, but I can venture a wild guess. I think they sold more than they expected and they don’t have the bandwidth. The first broadcast of the DCC, the 10 ball ring game, started the stream out at 350, but by the time the match started there were clearly problems. There was a lot of buffering and the stream dropped down as low as 115. Since then, the stream has been at 273 (or was it 237? - something like that). So it seem like they sold more than expected and had to degrade the stream to meet demand. Again, I don’t know the reason, but this seems likely. If I am correct, then I see this as good news. If demand really did exceed expectations, this opens the door for more coverage such as this. Obviously, next time they will plan for the higher demand.

Not having all matches available after the live broadcast does bother me. I can not think of a good reason for this other than the possibility that my above speculation is correct and they need to keep the viewing of archived matches to a minimum so to keep the bandwidth to a minimum. If this is the case, a nice gesture would be to make all the matches available to subscribers for a few weeks once the DCC is over.

There is one point I disagree with you on. I would still recommend this service. Even with the degraded bandwidth and limited archived matches, $29.95 is a great deal. Personally, I have spent a lot more for much less in the way of boxing PPV.

The streaming video, while not nearly perfect, does allow us to see the matches live. I find this much better than buying DVDs or TV. In many ways I enjoy pool much like other sports: I enjoy the drama of the game. I like not already knowing who is going to win. I can’t remember the last time I watched a match on TV and I did not already know the outcome. I still like to see the pros play on TV and DVD and take the opportunity to study and learn from them, but the drama is lost.

As pool fans, we need to keep in mind that our sport is not a big draw for spectators (yet, IPT?). The internet streaming video has brought to us more professional pool than ever before for a very affordable price. Keep in mind, that with the DCC PPV we get several matches a day for 9 days for much less than the price of diner for two. Compare this to what fans of other sports have available and I don’t see how one has room to complain about price.

So, again, I do plan on recommending BCn broadcasts to friends. While not perfect, I do feel it is a great thing and worth our support. If the service becomes more popular, it will grow and get better over time.

 

[Perk]

I am enjoying the broadcasts, and have emailed them regarding a couple issues. They answered my emails as needed. The live component is awesome, and was worth the price. Got to see the bank pool semi's and final's live. Was worth it.

I too wish there was some sort of archiving since they dont have set broadcast times. I dont like the getting an email or having to look for a notice to find out when i can view my purchased streaming video for the day. Since I work during the day, I cant watch the mid day one if they have one. And the late matches are equally as hard to watch.

If they could just state an actual schedule that they will broadcast (even without the participants) in advance, that would help. Instead I got to keep refreshing the BCN page throughout the day trying to find out.

Archived for a short time afterwards would give everyone that purchased an equal opportunity to watch the matches regardless of their life/work schedules.

I had a couple times that the streaming video would lock up or black out, but it was very temporarily, and not an issue with me.

I also noticed that they dropped the price 10.00 down to 19.00 for anyone to purchase now. I would recommend BCN to everyone, but at this point understand that it is live viewing only and that is stated up front before purchasing.

 

[Curt]

The Open WAS archived. Nowhere did BCn say that this webcast wouldn't be. That alone would alter viewers buying decisions

 

[Timberly]

I understand it's hard to tell who's playing who, I don't understand that it's hard to have an idea of when the matches will start.

There's no tourney chart at Derby and there's no guarantee when a table will become available. It's an extremely grueling schedule that's not really scheduled. They tell you that they're going to draw at 10, 12, 1... whatever time they tell you and then something happens and they don't draw until an hour later. Then you might be first on deck for a table or you might be 3rd on deck. It is w/out a doubt, extremely difficult to pinpoint a time. Towards the end they tried to give times but it didn't work. x amount of people were told the drawing was at noon but they ended up not being able to draw until 1:30.