The CBS sucks thread, 2009 edition

[dukerev]

I'm not a huge fan of CBS Sports, but I have to say that getting any game I want for free online is pretty good. Furthermore, since CBS sent Packer packing, we didn't have to hear him fixated on Binghamton picking up all those early fouls throughout the whole matchup. Lastly, at least CBS doesn't go "FSN" on us and try and show half the game from some weird angle (from a crack in the bleachers, from space, peering around a support post, etc.). They just show the game. If they show the game that they think is most appealing to the most people in an area and then switch to a game that seems more compelling - so be it. Even the mmod.ncaa feed had four different levels of video quality so if you have too much buffering, you can try and adjust. All in all, I think they're doing pretty well by us.

[cruxer]

They just show the game. If they show the game that they think is most appealing to the most people in an area and then switch to a game that seems more compelling - so be it. Even the mmod.ncaa feed had four different levels of video quality so if you have too much buffering, you can try and adjust. All in all, I think they're doing pretty well by us.

I agree with this statement with the following caveat. When sitting down in the afternoon to watch games, Greenville SC was stuck with a 40-pt unc blowout when the terps were in a close game. If that's the case, why couldn't we get the Duke game at least until it wasn't competitive anymore? I would have no argument if they'd switched about 5 minutes into the 2nd half, but in the middle of the 1st half?

-c

[Smitty1911]

Lastly, at least CBS doesn't go "FSN" on us and try and show half the game from some weird angle (from a crack in the bleachers, from space, peering around a support post, etc.).

Seriously. It's like they sneak into the arena to shoot video. They must subsidize their income with bootleg DVDs.

[cspan37421]

I just went to CBS.com to see Duke-Binghamton highlights. You would have thought Binghamton won the game, the highlights were so biased in favor of them. It provided an odd juxtaposition with the score, as they were going in different directions. They seemed to have shown the same Paulus 3 twice, too (they appeared identical, same commentary too - get to hear Kellogg talk about "strategizing" twice, what a treat!). Very lame highlight reel.

[captmojo]

I'm thinking that CBS has editors, on site in the truck, that really don't have the best knowledge of the game or the game rules. I'm watching a close one last night. A 30sec timeout is called. The announcers converse for 20 seconds, after the TO is called. CBS cuts to a commercial and only gets five seconds of it on the air before having to cut back to the in-bounds play.

Commercials Be Sacred.
Always, take every chance to squeeze in a spot, even when you don't have the understanding that you don't have time for it.
ESPN, or any other multi-channel network can't get the rights away from CBS soon enough.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

I wish this was the case for me. I kept checking the blacked out channel to no avail (in NoVa). Had to watch it on the $@%$ing non-HD mix channel, which cut out the edges of the picture and was way too small, even on my 46". There were a couple of instances where I celebrated a basket, only to realize that it didn't actually go in. That's a little awkward. Oh well, hopefully that will be the last instance of getting screwed by the blackouts.

BTW, thanks to those informing of the automatic renewal of Mega Mix. Good to know!

I live in Arlington and there was a delay when CBS switched to the UCLA game, but after a few minutes the Duke game was available on 703 no problem.

[bgibbs1001]

I live in Marion, NC and the CBS affiliate out of Charlotte carried tghe UCL
A/VCU game even though the station's schedule called for the Duke/Binghamton game.

[diesel]

I live in Arlington and there was a delay when CBS switched to the UCLA game, but after a few minutes the Duke game was available on 703 no problem.

I live in Arlington Va too and after CBS switched to the UCLA game I went to my PC to get CBS' exxcellent online feed (Silver whatever).

I didn't know about channel 703. What is that? (I have Verizon FIOS service.)

On a related note, I think we could benefit from some collective discussions before the next season on solving the TV problem for Blue Devil games. This year I invested in Extreme HD to get Fox Sports and probably will do so again to get Fox and ESPN in HD. But I also bought the Full Court package to get Raycom games only to be told (correctly) by someone on these threads that I could get the Raycom games on local Channel 6. And I kept wondering why these games were blocked out on the Full Court package!

An old fool and his money are soon parted.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

I live in Arlington Va too and after CBS switched to the UCLA game I went to my PC to get CBS' exxcellent online feed (Silver whatever).

I didn't know about channel 703. What is that? (I have Verizon FIOS service.)

On a related note, I think we could benefit from some collective discussions before the next season on solving the TV problem for Blue Devil games. This year I invested in Extreme HD to get Fox Sports and probably will do so again to get Fox and ESPN in HD. But I also bought the Full Court package to get Raycom games only to be told (correctly) by someone on these threads that I could get the Raycom games on local Channel 6. And I kept wondering why these games were blocked out on the Full Court package!

An old fool and his money are soon parted.

Thanks for being a FiOS customer (I work for Verizon), PM me if you ever have any issues.

I was talking about the Mega March Madness package, which is only on DirecTV (much like NFL Sunday Ticket). You get extra channels that have the various CBS feeds, but one of them is generally blacked out and you have to watch your CBS affiliate (WUSA 9 in my case).

Once WUSA switched from the Duke game to the UCLA game, I had to change channels to the Mega March Madness channel. After a few minutes delay, the Duke game was un-blacked out.

[Smitty1911]

I live in Arlington and there was a delay when CBS switched to the UCLA game, but after a few minutes the Duke game was available on 703 no problem.

Hmm... my timing must've been off as I checked 703 several times. Oh well, guess I'll have to be more vigilant next time. Thanks for the heads-up.

[SharkD]

I'm thinking that CBS has editors, on site in the truck, that really don't have the best knowledge of the game or the game rules. I'm watching a close one last night. A 30sec timeout is called. The announcers converse for 20 seconds, after the TO is called. CBS cuts to a commercial and only gets five seconds of it on the air before having to cut back to the in-bounds play.

They did that on the last Binghamton TO of last night's game, too, with under a minute to go.

Thanks for being a FiOS customer (I work for Verizon), PM me if you ever have any issues.

Totally OT, but I'd love to be a FIOS customer (TWC/RR is absolutely awful), but Verizon doesn't seem to want to serve the highest concentration of PhDs in the country, and the highest concentration of tech companies this side of the Mississippi (not to mention two large segments of Verizon's three divisions) with fiber. (Interest is high enough in FIOS that it's practically front page news whenever a local Verizon job listing mentions fiber or FIOS.) If you could pass that interest along... it would be great.

[Cameron]

Anyone have a regional CBS coverage map for the Duke-Texas game tomorrow?

I live in northwest Ohio and am hoping that CBS doesn't show Western Kentucky-Gonzaga...

[gumbomoop]

Anyone have a regional CBS coverage map for the Duke-Texas game tomorrow?

I live in northwest Ohio and am hoping that CBS doesn't show Western Kentucky-Gonzaga...

According to the TV-time bracket I've just seen, Duke-Texas is lone late game; WKU-Zags are roughly same time as UNC-LSU.

If there were any way whatsoever for local NC affiliates to tell CBS to switch away from Duke when we're winning, I'd bet they'd do it. Duke-hatred is omnipresent and omnipotent in NC. So I'm gonna guess that somewhere in NC, game coverage will end at 10:30, just in time for a local news special report.

Here's link: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/...tdivision1.pdf

[arydolphin]

Kansas and North Dakota State are in a close game, and of course, Gus Johnson is doing the game. I want it to stay close so that Gus can go into crazy mode at the end of the game.

[feldspar]

According to the TV-time bracket I've just seen, Duke-Texas is lone late game; WKU-Zags are roughly same time as UNC-LSU.

If there were any way whatsoever for local NC affiliates to tell CBS to switch away from Duke when we're winning, I'd bet they'd do it. Duke-hatred is omnipresent and omnipotent in NC. So I'm gonna guess that somewhere in NC, game coverage will end at 10:30, just in time for a local news special report.

Here's link: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/...tdivision1.pdf

The times on that bracket are local, not eastern time.

That means Gonzaga/WKU tips off 5 minutes before the Duke game. (5:10 Pacific Time = 8:10 Eastern Time)

So there is a possibility of not getting the Duke game in its entirety.

[gumbomoop]

The times on that bracket are local, not eastern time.

That means Gonzaga/WKU tips off 5 minutes before the Duke game. (5:10 Pacific Time = 8:10 Eastern Time)

So there is a possibility of not getting the Duke game in its entirety.

Thank you for this correction. True enough, that TV-bracket page clearly states, "All times local." My fault.

So my special apologies to Cameron for getting up false hopes. Given my paranoia re Duke-hatred, I'm also convinced various local affiliates in NC will happily allow or encourage CBS to switch to a "close" WKU-Zags game if Duke gets up by 5 at any point.

[Cameron]

Thanks for the help, though.

I will have to continue suffering, as I can't find a regional map anywhere.

Why doesn't CBS have this? What a joke.

[camion]

Here in Greenville, SC they switched from Duke-Binghamton to UCLA-VCU so I watched 80% of the game on my computer.

Boo to CBS and Charter for tv coverage.

Hooray for http://mmod.ncaa.com for the online feed of all the games.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Thanks for the help, though.

I will have to continue suffering, as I can't find a regional map anywhere.

Why doesn't CBS have this? What a joke.

Who's your CBS affiliate? WTOL in Toledo? (that's what came up in a google search for NW Ohio CBS). They have Duke/TX on their schedule for tomorrow.

[Tjenkins]

I'm glad I got to see most of the Duke game, but I wish anyone but that sleeping pill Nantz wasn't working that region.