DaneykoIsGod Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 As much as I appreciated the efforts of people like Microwavepizza to stream all the Devils' games last season, I feel the need to cave in and get either GameCenter or Center Ice. The question is: Which one? So who's had what? What are some pros and cons? I have a PS3, and apparently GameCenter can stream through that. Are all their games in HD? Any issues with the stream lagging? I also have Comcast, and had Center Ice 6 years ago through them and remember their HD selection being extremely limited. Has that changed? Also, is anyone else in the same boat as me, looking for help deciding between the two? Any and all input is greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrthemike Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 (edited) I had a similar dilemma...ok, maybe only slightly related. Regardless, check out my post w/ responses here. Might give you a little insight. http://hfboards.com/...ad.php?t=971097 I opted for Center Ice but I switched to DirecTV because I hear they have the best HD selection. Edited August 31, 2011 by mrthemike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaneykoIsGod Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 I had a similar dilemma...ok, maybe only slightly related. Regardless, check out my post w/ responses here. Might give you a little insight. http://hfboards.com/...ad.php?t=971097 I opted for Center Ice but I switched to DirecTV because I hear they have the best HD selection. Awesome! Thanks for linking to that thread. Lots of good info there. I'm kinda leaning toward GameCenter right now. Comcast seems like they don't have much in HD, and if I'm paying that much I'd definitely want HD. I also travel a lot for work, so streaming from the hotel room sounds good too. My only worry is that my internet is just DSL. It works fine for streaming Netflix stuff in HD. I wonder if it'd have any problems steaming live games in HD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrthemike Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 In your case I would probably go with gamecenter also. I can't comment on the potential lagginess. I would think if you can stream HD netflix you should be able to stream HD games...i would think... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmajeski06 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Going to be facing the same question soon. May be facing a move to Columbus. I survived college in Ohio by relying on free streams, but it gets old after awhile. May go the center ice route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHLeBeau44 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Going to be facing the same question soon. May be facing a move to Columbus. I survived college in Ohio by relying on free streams, but it gets old after awhile. May go the center ice route. If you are coming to Columbus, welcome to the city. Unfortunately, the Devils don't come here often but crossing my fingers the Jackets go to the east...Anyways, I just caved in and will purchase the Center Ice package for the first time. I did the free streams for a while and it got really old trying to find one with the least amount of lag possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devs4LIFE Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I had Center ice and loved it, mind you the HD selections still are slim. It's still worth the money to watch all of the teams play as you'll always have something to watch on TV after a long day at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaneykoIsGod Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 Wow, no votes for GameCenter. Has anyone actually had it? Had bad experiences with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Wow, no votes for GameCenter. Has anyone actually had it? Had bad experiences with it? I've had both GameCenter and Center Ice. If you have a PS3, I would go for GameCenter; more games in HD, plus you can watch replays of games if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammyk Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I dumped DirecTV and got me a Roku as I rarely watch TV these days and found myself DVRing everything. So this season I'm going to be trying out GameCenter for the first time. Hope it's worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aylbert Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I have Center Ice with Fios... but the standard feeds are so bad, and Verizon by me for the most part only airs the home feed unlessits a really slow night. I'd switch to GameCenter in a second if I could get it through my Xbox... I'm debating if I want to set up my computer to stream to my tv through HDMI, and bring my audio over as well... but I really just want it to work hassle free.... arg arg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmajeski06 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 If you are coming to Columbus, welcome to the city. Unfortunately, the Devils don't come here often but crossing my fingers the Jackets go to the east...Anyways, I just caved in and will purchase the Center Ice package for the first time. I did the free streams for a while and it got really old trying to find one with the least amount of lag possible. Thanks! While it would be nice for the Jackets to move to the East, I kinda like them in the west. They are my Western Conference team afterall. And since they rarely face the Devils, very little conflict of interest. I've had both GameCenter and Center Ice. If you have a PS3, I would go for GameCenter; more games in HD, plus you can watch replays of games if you want. How is the PS3 reception? Have rarely used the PS3 internet browser. But since I do have a PS3, gamecenter may be the better choice for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie2Hottie Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Microwavepizza FOREVER! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-Man Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 If you have DirecTV (and from what I hear, Dish Network as well), they broadcast all available HD games, with both home and away feeds. If you have Comcast, go with GameCenter. Comcast still doesn't have many games in HD (if any at all). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jin4576 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I have gamecenter for the PS3 and the kool thing is that you can subscribe to the NHL Vault for $5 a month and still see all the games (minus the random blackout games) live on the PS3, but not on PC if that matters. I mean I don't know if they fixed it for this season so it might not be true still. The HD stream is hit or miss depending on your connection really. If its bad it'll drop it down a couple of notches like Netflix does, but when its running smooth it looks amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaneykoIsGod Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 Yeah, satellite is kinda out of the question for me. Stuck with Comcast, unfortunately. GameCenter is looking more and more promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 How is the PS3 reception? Have rarely used the PS3 internet browser. But since I do have a PS3, gamecenter may be the better choice for me. Oops - I should've realized that sounded ambiguous. I don't have a PS3. My point was that if you could easily get the games on a TV, GameCenter is more than worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrthemike Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 (edited) Dish Network does not stream MSG games in HD due to contract disputes. I had to watch the majority of Devs games in SD last season. Switched to DirecTV this year. Edited September 2, 2011 by mrthemike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge18 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 The PS3 Gamecenter App has some stability problems. It wont always boot up for me, and takes a reinstall to fix. When it works its great, but it can be a pain in the ass. But having replay ability, and the ability to go back and watch games/watch multiple games at once is really awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaneykoIsGod Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 The PS3 Gamecenter App has some stability problems. It wont always boot up for me, and takes a reinstall to fix. When it works its great, but it can be a pain in the ass. But having replay ability, and the ability to go back and watch games/watch multiple games at once is really awesome. By "replay ability", do you mean replaying entire games? Or does it allow you to go back, mid-game, and watch replays sorta like a DVR? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge18 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 By "replay ability", do you mean replaying entire games? Or does it allow you to go back, mid-game, and watch replays sorta like a DVR? Both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilinLA Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I have Center Ice , and my girlfriend got me Game Center so that I wouldn't have to miss games at her place. As far as my experience here are the difficulties I've encountered: 1. They haven't worked out all the bugs w/ROKU. We experienced MANY freezes and lags - and she has the fastest internet connection for her home IT work. She called them like 10 times and they say they don't fully support ROKU just yet and are having difficulties streamlining it. It made the game almost unwatchable on the TV. 2. The actual screen has a tracker at the bottom (for recorded games in the archives) that shows you where goals or scored and what time and by who. I don't if there's a way to turn it off, but we had to cover the bottom of the monitor to preserve the element of spontaneity when watching a previous broadcast game. 3. I don't know how quickly the dump games into the archive. Being on the WC, most NJ games take place at our 4pm Pac Time. I'm usually in work at this time and like to watch my games when I get home at 7/8 or so. Not sure they have them loaded up until the next day or so. This is a drag for me because I don;t want to wait. Its my 1st priority when I enter the house. 4. CUSTOMER SERVICE: My GF is very persistent when it comes to an issue or problem with something she's purchased. She got this for me as a Valentine's gift and with the issues we had with the ROKU lag it was a bummer for he that I didn't totally dig it (although I appreciated the gift immensely). She called close to 10 times and spoke to 3 different supervisors before she got with someone who finally gave her like a $20 credit for the fact that the salesman told her it would work fine with the ROKU. Considering the $$$ of the service they could do much better at supporting their product. Especially since the competition of cable provider is still what most folk are comfortable with. They are still pushing that the service is mainly for the computer - but in this day and age with NETFLIX , ROKU and such it is fast becoming the preferred method of service. 5. The plus is choosing home feed vs. away. Its a big issue for those of us who are out of market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaneykoIsGod Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 Wow, sorry to hear about all the customer service issues and unresolved kinks. The fact that there is now an NHL GameCenter app on PS3, much like Netflix, that it's be a better streaming experience than what you had with ROKU. But I guess there's no way to know for sure. I guess it's a matter of weighing pros and cons. In my case, I feel like with GameCenter I'll have a better chance of watching the games in HD than with Center Ice through Comcast. I also feel like GameCenter has a better chance of causing me to miss games because of lagging/streaming issues, whereas Center Ice will pretty much guarantee me every game ... though most likely in SD. The DVR- and OnDemand-like replay capabilities for GameCenter are nice too, as is the fact that I could watch on my laptop while on travel for work. Another big factor will be when prices are announced for the season. That can't be too far off now with the season starting in about a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaneykoIsGod Posted September 23, 2011 Author Share Posted September 23, 2011 Went ahead and ordered GameCenter. Already love it. Re-watched 552 and Game 4 against Detroit in '95 yesterday. My only issue is that, on my PS3, it's still acting as if it's last season. I can watch live preseason games from my computer, but no such luck on PS3. Anyone else here subscribe/have this issue? It's so early on that I assume it'll be cleared up by the regular season's start, but still, it'd be nice to get preseason games on my TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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