Sunday Night Football Online — Not Available to Mac Users?

We’re still trying to contact NBC Sports for an explanation, but for some reason we aren’t able to watch Sunday Night Football online using either one of the two Macs we have here at MSR headquarters. It may very well be that we haven’t downloaded the appropriate crappy extra plugins needed, since NBC online stuff is terrible for asking you to add junk to your computer that you don’t want.

And though the NBC Sunday Night football online site says Mac users can use any browser they want, when I use Chrome to try to log in I get a message that tells me I need to use Safari instead.

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When I switch to Safari, all I get is a blank screen (other than the banner ads, which display fine) and a message that says “For additional features and the enriched Sunday Night Football experience please use your Windows-enabled PC browser and launch the video player from NBCSports.com/liveextra” — which isn’t much help and really surprising in an era when more Mac PCs and laptops are being sold.

Anyone at NBC who can explain what’s going on? Maybe we can get it figured out before the weather clears in Seattle, where play is delayed?

QUICK UPDATE, 9/17: Just spoke with an NBC representative (more info coming in separate post) who said that streaming IS available to Mac users, but only with Safari browsers. Check back for a longer post with some technical guidelines — not sure yet but guessing my inability to see live video even in Safari (which some other readers also experienced) is probably due to my using an older version of Mac OS or Safari. So: Macs aren’t shut out for SNF, but they are definitely second-class citizens now, in part no doubt due to the deal signed earlier this year between the league and Microsoft. NBC, for example, can now only offer its extended features (multiple camera angles, social media stuff) to Microsoft client devices; wonder what other restrictions the shield agreed to for Microsoft cash?

Friday Grab Bag: NBA STATS, Pac-12 & U-verse

The NBA has expanded a limited partnership with STATS to full time and will be installing motion tracking cameras in every arena this season. This will enable teams to amass a huge amount of data that can be used for in-game decisions as well as for other uses.

First used in 2009 for the NBA Finals, and now used by 15 teams, it allows for the analysis of player movement and a team can see how well or poorly its players fare in head to head matchups, among other uses.

Lenovo Enters the Phablet Phase
Lenovo has taken the wraps off of its 5-inch Vibe X Phablet. The smartphone features a 5-inch display that has 1920 x 1080 resolution and is powered by a 1,5GHz quad core processor. It has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. However it is not clear how wide of a distribution the device will have.

Panasonic teases with 20-inch tablet presentation
It looks like Panasonic is preparing a 20-inch tablet that could be for the mainstream market that is being touted as the thinnest and lightest. The company showed it a in a presentation at a pre-IFA event last week in Berlin.

The Panasonic 4K tablet is expected to have 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution and was shown as a concept offering, but the company has shown in the past that it is building a 20-inch device. Slash Gear reported that it could simply be a scaled down version of a previously shown model.

Pac-12 Networks inks deal with AT&T U-Verse
The Pac-12 now has an official wireless provider for all of its athletic venues in the form of AT&T and its U-Verse service. The deal, signed last week has already resulted in the broadcast of five football games last Saturday.

Going forward AT&T will deliver web and app access to the games but the timing for those was not announced. It will rebroadcast a number of Pac-12 Network broadcasts for the time being in both HD and SD.

NFL Teams with Sporting News for video
If you are always looking for NFL videos and highlights during the offseason then there is good news for you as the NFL has signed a deal with Sporting News Media to just that by bringing the 2013 NFL regular and postseason to the SN ePlayer platform.

Sporting News will have video on demand highlights from the NFL games as well as additional content and will make it available to fans year round so that they can relieve the highlights or lowlghts of the season over and over again.

Microsoft has big event Sept. 23
Press invites are making their way to the appropriate people inviting them to a major event that Microsoft will be hosting on Sept. 23 that will be held in New York City. The event, listed as a Surface event, is expected to bring the company’s second generation tablets to the public.

Intel to develop low cost chip for tablets
The annual Intel Developers Conference was in full swing last week with a huge outpouring of press releases and talking points, and one that is of particular interest is its pledge for a new processor targeted directly at Android tablet makers.

Intel said that it is making an as yet unnamed processor in the Atom family that will enable Android developers to offer tablets at sub-$100 rates. Of course since Apple makes its own processors don’t expect an iPad in this space anytime soon.

Wi-Fi News: Chiefs Announce New Wi-Fi Stadium Network and Mobile App; Enterasys Sold for $180M

Can they get another one? The Chiefs' trophy from Super Bowl IV is on display at Arrowhead Stadium. Credit: Paul Kapustka, MSR

Can they get another one? The Chiefs’ trophy from Super Bowl IV is on display at Arrowhead Stadium. Credit: Paul Kapustka, MSR

For the attendees of the SEAT Conference in Kansas City last month one of the highlights was an evening tour of Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL Chiefs. The Chiefs have a very cool history/museum area in one part of the stadium, with lots of gear, programs and assorted memorabilia from the old AFL days.

And now, the Chiefs and Arrowhead have one of the newest toys, a brand-new Wi-Fi network that will officially go live this weekend along with a new Chiefs mobile app. At the SEAT Conference one of the more outspoken proponents of Wi-Fi in stadiums was Mark Donovan, president of the Chiefs. The Chiefs, he said, were moving to Wi-Fi now because they wanted to upgrade the in-stadium fan experience sooner rather than later — “We’ve got to challenge the HD experience fans get at home,” Donovan said at SEAT. “We need to make the stadium experience better.”

With a mobile app from YinzCam, the supplier to most of the NFL teams who have apps, Chiefs fans using the stadium Wi-Fi network will have access to a lot of live video, including the NFL Network’s popular RedZone channel. For Donovan this is only the beginning of what he sees as a host of possibilities to bring the game closer to fans via technology.

One idea Donovan talked about at SEAT was the idea of making the coach-to-quarterback radio conferences available to fans, much like NASCAR makes its crew-to-driver conversations public. Though NFL coaches are probably unanimous in their opposition to such moves, Donovan said “those questions need to be asked” if the NFL wants to make the stadium a special place to visit.

“Two years ago, we put the official replay videos on our [stadium] replay boards, and the positive response to that was overwhelming,” Donovan said at SEAT. Using Wi-Fi to make available features like RedZone or updated fantasy app stats are just recognition that fans in the stands are not only Chiefs fans, but “fans of the game,” Donovan said. Cheers to the Chiefs, the newest addition to the wired world of stadiums.

Enterasys Sold for $180 Million

We had no idea that stadium Wi-Fi provider Enterasys was on the block, but then in this world everything is for sale, and it makes sense that there would be some consolidation on the equipment provider market. That happened today with the news that Enterasys was being acquired by Extreme Networks. We’ll dig some more to find out what this means for Enterasys’ stadium network business but in the meantime read this post by ZK Research’s Zeus Kerravala, which nails down the whys and hows of the purchase.

Ever wonder how adept your NFL team is with social media?

The news from earlier this week that the aptly named AT&T Stadium that the Dallas Cowboys play in had a record amount of Wi-Fi traffic for the teams’ season opening game , 3x over last year, is no surprise to the people at social marketing firm W20 which has rated all of the NFL stadiums for their social media prowess and the Cowboys come in second.

Now this is not just a barometer of Wi-Fi traffic by any means and judges teams on a variety of metrics, but when it is all said and done you need the hardware and networking infrastructure to have a solid approach to social media and AT&T Stadium had 25,000 Wi-Fi connections using up 1.3 million Mbytes of data.

W20 has attempted to rate all 32 NFL teams on their ability to use social media to connect with their respective fans. It used use a proprietary algorithm that indexes social engagement scores from a wide variety of social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Even with a spanking brand new stadium it had to be upgraded during the off season to meet expected demand. The interesting thing is that the 49ers, who play in an old, dilapidated stadium, are number one. However the 49ers, being adjacent to Silicon Valley are quite aware of the importance of social media and are in a place where all of the expertise needed to support it is near at hand.

The team’s new stadium, slated to open next season, is expected to be a state of the art wonder including its wireless infrastructure that it claims will be state of the art.

The interesting thing about the poll is how quickly teams drop in the ratings. The 49ers rate a perfect 100, yet the #5 team, the Washington Redskins, has only a 66.87 rating while the last place Cincinnati Bengals have a 26.91. I think my high school would rank higher!

The NFL is only now catching on that Wi-Fi and other associated social media apps are now a basic component in fans lives. They take pictures from tailgaters to post on Facebook and Instagram, check fantasy results, trash talk friends and a host of other activities.

However they do not just create social media data, they consume it. The teams have a captive audience that is obviously receptive to looking, reading and participating. An Instagram effort to get fans pictures posted, Facebook contests at stadiums, best Twitter commentary, all help to engage fans and are functions teams could be doing, but for the most part are not.

There are a number of other rating systems that have judged the same thing for the NFL, but as we reported earlier the league badly lags in developing and delivering the hardware, networking and apps needed to be at the forefront of the convergence of sports and media.

While the NFL is king of the hill in American sports , the league has been worried about the slow erosion in attendance. New stadiums often push old time fans to poorer seats, expensive parking, seats and food and beverages add on. A big screen at a friends house and NFL Red Zone each weekend might cost a fan just a six pack as the rice of admission. By providing access to social media and the greater world outside the NFL can in some ways make the stadium experience more enjoyable for fans and so help keep them in the parks.

Something to think about next time you are sitting at a game with 5 bars and no connection.

Apple Breaks out the new iPhone, Times Two

To the surprise of only those who have no access to the Internet Apple’s event at its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters resulted in the first multiproduct offering in the popular iPhone family, with a lower cost model to tag along with the latest high end offering.

This was of course just part of the event as Apple never allows a major event to pass by without discussing the current state of the business and discussing a host of other products either here today or on the very close horizon.

One of the key areas is the next iteration of its operating system, iOS 7. It will have better search features, a more interactive calendar, more active reminders, iTunes Radio and approximately 200 new features in the OS that the company plans to launch September 18.

The first of the two new phones introduced is the iPhone 5C, which will be available in white, red, yellow, blue and green. The phone, Apple’s first low cost offering, is powered by an internally designed A6 processor and will start at $99 with 16GB of storage and a two year contract. It will jump to $199 with a 32GB. A case will be available for $29. It appears to be basically an iPhone 5 in a lower costing case.

Before delving into the details of the new iPhones, it’s worth highlighting the importance of personalization in the world of smartphone accessories. One popular accessory that allows users to express their individuality is a customisable phone case. These cases not only provide protection for your device but also serve as a canvas for showcasing your unique style and personality. Whether you prefer sleek and minimalist designs or vibrant and eye-catching patterns, a customizable phone case offers endless possibilities to tailor your device to your liking. Now, let’s delve into the exciting features of Apple’s latest offerings.

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The second offering is the iPhone 5S, available in gold, silver and space gray and it will be the first from the company with a 64-bit A7 processor. The new iOS 7 and all existing apps should be capable of running on the 64-bit processor. A key technology is the M7 processor (different from the A7) that is being called a motion coprocessor and uses the phones sensors such as its accelerometer and should enable a new generation of sports apps.

As expected it has a fingerprint sensor as an additional level of security, and can be used with either hand or which can unlock the phone and perform a few other functions. Other new features include an improved camera and new lens and a new home button.A 16GB version will be available, with a 2 year contract, for $199. Both phones will be available September 20th.

An interesting move by the company is that it will not be lowering the price of the existing offering, the iPhone 5, as it has always done in the past when it released a new model, but instead will simply replace it with the two new models. Apple said that next month it will ship its 700 millionth iOS device with over 380 million iPhones

What was not here
While Apple pleased some and undoubtedly disappointed others with its two new phones there was a phone that was not here that received a good deal of attention as well, and that is one with an even larger screen. Earlier in the year it had been rumored that the company would join the growing phablet space offering a device that is both a phone and a small form tablet, possibly with a 6-inch screen.

New iPad and iPad mini are expected later this year so that fans wanting new tablet updates to match their new phones will probably not have too long to wait.

Wi-Fi News: Big Traffic Surge at AT&T Stadium, New Network in Philly, Cisco Video at Barclays

Jerry jonesStill think the Wi-Fi in stadiums thing is a fad that will pass with time? If so we’re not at the peak yet; according to the folks at AT&T, wireless traffic for the NFL season opener at their new namesake AT&T Stadium (aka Cowboys Stadium in Dallas) jumped considerably from last year, with three times the amount of Wi-Fi data used this year compared to last year’s opening game.

According to AT&T network statistics, fans at the Cowboys-Giants Sunday night game made more than 25,000 Wi-Fi connections, using up 1.3 million Mbytes of data in the process. Another 207,000 MBytes were used on the cellular and DAS networks in the building, 30,000 more MBytes than used during last year’s opener, according to AT&T. Good thing AT&T spent the offseason improving the networks inside the stadium, which were almost brand new. So even if your facility has Wi-Fi, it might already need an upgrade. Blame the device makers!

Enterasys Scores Network Win at Philly’s Linc

When Enterasys emerged as the network builder for the New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium last year, there were questions throughout the industry wondering whether the company was a player in the big-stadium game, or whether it got the deal because of its local presence in New England. Now Enterasys can talk about its next big win, a network for the Philadelphia Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field. Todd Weiss has a good story with all the details over at CITEWorld, one of our new favorite sites for enterprise IT information.

Cisco Video at Barclays

It’s not exactly news, but the video embedded below is a good explanation of how Barclays Center and its technology leader Chip Foley is making use of Cisco’s stadium video technology to be one of the few cutting-edge arenas that is really offering powerful applications to fans in the building. Look for an extended interview with Chip in our upcoming Fall Technology Review. We met Chip at the SEAT Conference last month, and can’t wait to share his enthusiasm and ideas for bringing a better experience to fans.