ITVN: Ongoing Reviews

I just ordered Setanta through ITVN....

Hi all,

I just ordered the Setanta channel through ITVN from their website. The box will be here the middle of next week. They are showing the Newcastle United vs Fulham game at 3:30 pm on Saturday the 9th. I will give everyone an update on the quality etc... when I get it up and running.


COYW!!!

 

RE: I just ordered Setanta through ITVN....

Thanks in advance for any updates on this service, I was looking into purchasing this service but I am a bit hesitant to do so.

 

I have ordered and received this box, in order to watch Setanta Sports for the soccer. (They have now added Starz on demand!) I am using a DSL connection and I am based on the east coast. (FYI, ITVN farms located in San Jose)

At first, I was experiencing buffering at their highest quality stream 1000 kbps so I had to watch at 700kbps (lesser quality). Was thinking of returning before the 30 day trial ran out.

At present, I am no longer experiencing buffering, since the last s/w upgrade by ITVN. I rate the picture quality on 1000kbps stream as fair to good. Not for those with big LCD screens expecting hdtv quality! I'm more than pleased with my 27" sony tube TV and I am keeping the box for the length of the contract.

if you want free shipping, please use my promotional code and pass it on:
#######

Happy viewing
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Moderator Note:
I just had the pleasure of deleting two subsequent posts by this spammer $%@%##@. I sent him a PM advising him of this and asking him for a reason why I shouldnt have.
Since he had a grand total of three posts, all of which included his 'promo code, I dont expect him to even see that I sent him a PM, let alone reply to it.
- Pettyfog

PS: I also previously complained to Matchnight's Crew Forum mod about a similar poster and his entire posting history was removed.. which I should have done here.

 

Yeah Soccer89 I have to agree with you. The picture quality is pretty good considering. I would compare it to watching a game from a VCR tape. The only problem I have encountered so far is every once in a while I get a "pop" sound that comes through, but it doesn't happen enough to get on my nerves. I have a cable modem and did not experience any buffering on the 1000k stream. I have read where people get some buffering that occurs, but as Soccer89 stated they improved that through an update. It was nice being able to see the Fulham game even though it was broadcast after it was played. Overall I would say that I am pleased with ITVN/Setanta and I will keep it.

 

Hmmmmmmmmm. This is interesting. Do you have to live near a seller? When I looked it up, the nearest supplier was over 100 miles away.

Also, not totally unrelated, but I see you can stream Champions League matches online now, for $9.99 I think.

 

FFCinPCB, I didn't order from a supplier, I ordered from www.itvn.com If you use the promo code that Soccer89 posted you can get free shipping.
I think I paid $30 out of pocket up front. $15 for the first month and $15 for the last month of service. They have a 30 day money back guarantee if you don't like it.

Last night I watched Arsenal V Hamburg Champions League. Worth every penny. You can see what's on at www.setanta.com

 

anyone get this yet? Comments on quality? How many channels do you get?

 

You get as many channels as you want to pay for. I do not have this as I have DirecTV, but you can get as many channels as you want, but you have to pay for each one. In other words, ITVN is ala carte.

 

I received by ITVN box yesterday, about 1 week after placing the order. It was pretty simple to set up: just a power cord and an ethernet cable from my router to the ITVN box. One minor glitch, they had me signed up for the Starz movie package instead of Setanta. That was fixed with a quick call to tech support.

The picture was pretty good. I have a non-HDTV tube TV that is 3 or 4 years old and the ITVN picture was comparable to cable tv. There is occasionally a little pixelation and ghosting of fast-moving images, but it is not bad. There are two Setanta feeds to choose from (play 1 and play 2). As I understand it, they are just two separate servers showing the same programming. Play 2 seems to provide a better feed. On play 1, I couldn't watch at the highest bitrate without having a lot of buffering. But play 2 was fine. You can adjust the bitrate up or down using the remote if you have buffering problems. On anything less than the highest bitrate, the picture quality was pretty poor. FYI, I have standard DSL from Bellsouth and my line usually tests at 1.1 - 1.3 Mbps.

The programming yesterday was all repeats. There was last week's notloB-Liverpool match and rugby from South Africa or somewhere. The true test will be a live match. I hope to watch some of the Euro 2008 qualifiers live over the weekend.

My initial experience with ITVN is very positive. It was easy to set up and the picture quality is pretty good. My one call to tech support got me through to a live, helpful person quickly. I will report back on my experience with live programming later.

Cheers,
Martin

 

And isn't that the way it should be!

 

But wont be until cable can go all-digital.

Not that that is really a good reason, it's just an excuse.

 

FSC obviously makes SOME up with the Infomercials. And all shopping sites wouldbe free...

Same with the cable version of Superstations... cant imagine WHY Cable companies or their customers should pay ANYTHING for them, given the commercials are incessant.

I defy you to find a cable channel that's inundated with PSA's! And that is the indicator of poor sslot sales.

 

I'd like continual updates by those of you who've bought into ITVN.

Please specify whether you use Cable or DSL broadband and what download bitrate you have.
- Some cable operators are offering 768 kbps 'Economy' packages.

 

Okay, Need some info. If I get the box and hook it up to my router will I be able to watch it on my PC? If so Can I hook it up to my wireless router and watch from my laptop?

 

Ummm as I understand it, it hooks to your tv, via Ethernet cable from your router.

Strange they dont have a streaming to PC for EPL... but you cant have everything I suppose.. and
Setanta Broadband doesnt do EPL for some reason

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