DirecTV and NHL games

[Q]The sports pack gets you everything on the sports channels... except professional games.
Right, but MLB out-of-region games were still blacked out in the 600s on Sports Pack channels, and only shown in the 700s on MLB Extra Innings channels.

The NHL games, despite being shown in the 700s on NHL Center Ice channels, are ALSO showing up on the Sports Pack channels. This is not the way it's supposed to work, as I understand, although I suppose the NHL may be different.[/q]
It has been my experience in the past two years that games you have access to are available on both channels. Before that, I think they were available only on the 700's channels... but I think this is an issue they addressed sometime about two years ago.
[q]Is there anyone on here with DirecTV without NHL CI?[/q]
Me! Me! Tell me what to watch and when, and I'll set it up to record and tell you whether I get it or not.

Kyle

Kyle,

If you wouldn't mind tuning in to any "NHL hockey" game on any 600 numbered channel tonight, other than your local team(s), and letting me know if it shows the game, I'd appreciate it. Thanks! (Same goes for anyone else with DTV but no NHL CI).

I can speak from experience that this is not how MLB EI works, so I was taken back. It's a nice bonus though, lets the viewer pick who's feed to watch. I hated always have to watch the YES broadcast of Yankees games

I can confirm that I don't get CI, and I don't get any NHL games on the RSNs -- you'll get the pre and post game shows, but no game.

What I can't stand (feel free to tell me how to do it), is that I can't seem to find a way to tell the DirecTiVo to record college (ice) hockey games but not (blank for me) NHL hockey without me manually telling it not to record the NHL games (197 records for sports/hockey last time I went through the season pass).

LGR!

Yeah, I don't even get the rangers games on msg in ithaca for some reason.

When you buy the package (Center Ice or any other pro sports package), they then let the broadcast come through to you on the RSN that Center Ice is picking up. So, if the Bruins are playing the Rangers, and CenterIce is picking up the Rangers feed that night, then the game will be MSG, but blacked out on NESN.
If you don't have the package, it's blacked out on both.
This does make it a little easier to find games you're interested in. For instance, I'll check 644 first for the Coyotes game (to see Lenny) and then, if if not on there, I'll check the station of their opponent if I know it - rather than scanning all the CenterIce stations.

[Q]DeltaOne81 Wrote:

I can speak from experience that this is not how MLB EI works, so I was taken back. It's a nice bonus though, lets the viewer pick who's feed to watch. I hated always have to watch the YES broadcast of Yankees games [/q]

In my experience what's described is exactly the same as extra innings. Whatever feed EI was using would also be available through the regular RSN channel. When I had EI but not the RSN package, it didn't work except for local markets.

Living in central CT has complicated my DTV sports. EI or not, I could't see the Mets unless they were on an exclusive national broadcast. They are blacked out as a local team and I don't get MSG or FSNY because they are not local channels. I get both Yanks and Sox because both YES and NESN are local (along with FSNE). During the CI preview, I could watch Bruins but not Islanders, Rangers, or Devils even though I don't get the channels that show those games I am somehow in their market. I get YES, but not the Nets. The tv markets vs. team markets don't make sense.

It was at least logical in Philly why I couldn't watch the Phillies, or sixers, or flyers. They were blacked out on EI because they were local, and the channel they were on locally (CSN-Phil) wasn't carried on the dish because of Comcast proprietary garbage. Because Comcast owns Philly sports and the cable market in Philly, they are happy to force local sports fans to get cable and preclude them from seeing their teams on DTV.

[Q]Jacob '06 Wrote:

Yeah, I don't even get the rangers games on msg in ithaca for some reason.[/q]
Really? I know some of them have been blacked out, but I've been able to get at least some games on MSG.

[Q]RabidSewerRat Wrote:

Jacob '06 Wrote:

Yeah, I don't even get the rangers games on msg in ithaca for some reason.[/Q]
Really? I know some of them have been blacked out, but I've been able to get at least some games on MSG.[/q]

The last 2 or 3 I've tried have been blacked out, but I noticed the last time that buffalo and the devils were both on, so there may have been some rules to disallow all 3 teams showing at once.