Spark Sport
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Did it work well for anyone? Obviously seems like there were a lot of issues based on Twitter but those enjoying at home with no issues are hardly going to complain.
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What kind of broadband does everyone have? What speeds? In Oz, realistically the most you can get is 100/50 and for a bunch of apartments 50/25 is the best - most people I know (personally) in NZ have at least 100/50. So is it app issues? Issues with it all getting to NZ?
Also, watched the game at my mates place using Kayo and we probably had three times when it dropped back to SD so it does happen elsewhere (at my place doesn't usually drop back).
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What kind of broadband does everyone have? What speeds? In Oz, realistically the most you can get is 100/50 and for a bunch of apartments 50/25 is the best - most people I know (personally) in NZ have at least 100/50. So is it app issues? Issues with it all getting to NZ?
Also, watched the game at my mates place using Kayo and we probably had three times when it dropped back to SD so it does happen elsewhere (at my place doesn't usually drop back).
@Nepia said in [Poll] Will you use Spark to watch RWC?:
What kind of broadband does everyone have? What speeds?
1000/500 here. Didn't watch on that though - had some freezes at the place we were, which was annoying. Critically, didn't lose any action - just a delay.
Other than htat, the picture was good HD for us (on a projector)
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@Nepia I'm on fibre and get around 80/20 speeds so wasn't expecting any issues, and didn't have any in the previous matches.
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From Spark Sport:
Midway through the first half we identified that the quality of the video stream was fluctuating for some customers. This meant that customers experienced brief, intermittent periods of reduced video quality such as pixilation and buffering.
We were uncomfortable at the quality of the experience our customers were getting and, as we always said we would, we moved quickly to provide them with an alternative means of watching the match. We had prior established procedures with our partner TVNZ to enable live, free-to-air coverage at short notice.
We made the call just before half time to immediately simulcast the rest of the match live on TVNZ Duke and we communicated this through our channels and the media. A banner message was also subsequently displayed on Spark Sport.
The video streaming quality issue improved shortly afterwards and from midway through the second half streaming across all devices appeared stable once again.
The majority of customers continued to watch via Spark Sport and did not experience video quality issues. The service peaked at 132,000 concurrent streams and by the end of the match had dropped to 126,000.
There were not the same video quality problems during the day’s two earlier matches. Although some customers needed help from our care teams at times during the day, for the most part these related to isolated device issues and in-home set up.
The root cause of the video streaming issue is still being investigated with our international streaming partners. However, we can confirm that the issue was not related to New Zealand broadband capacity, with the demand for this game well within our operating thresholds. It was not confined to customers of any particular broadband provider.
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@Machpants said in [Poll] Will you use Spark to watch RWC?:
Not much use to those of us that don't have TVNZ
But reasonable for them as a provider. Confident that it will get better, and pool games are where you want them to find the issues.
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I had some brief periods of low resolution in the first half (5-6 of duration 10-20 seconds) but otherwise it was ok. Not perfect for me, but I am not upset either.
On the plus side, I thought pre and post match was a step up from what we see from Sky.
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Spark is telling customers it's "too early to say" if the streaming issues which plagued Saturday night's All Blacks match will be resolved in time for Sunday's matches. "Unless we confident of this, then we will look to simulcast tonight's matches on TVNZ DUKE to ensure New Zealanders have a good viewing experience," a spokesperson for Spark said on Sunday morning. "We intend to make a decision on whether or not to simulcast by 1pm today [Sunday], to ensure our customers have adequate time to prepare for today's matches." -
I had some brief periods of low resolution in the first half (5-6 of duration 10-20 seconds) but otherwise it was ok. Not perfect for me, but I am not upset either.
On the plus side, I thought pre and post match was a step up from what we see from Sky.
@Damo I liked Donald in the comms.
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https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12269788
It will be interesting to see if the blow back from Spark's RWC failure last night will have any lasting implications. They have to get through the tourney first....
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Spark is telling customers it's "too early to say" if the streaming issues which plagued Saturday night's All Blacks match will be resolved in time for Sunday's matches. "Unless we confident of this, then we will look to simulcast tonight's matches on TVNZ DUKE to ensure New Zealanders have a good viewing experience," a spokesperson for Spark said on Sunday morning. "We intend to make a decision on whether or not to simulcast by 1pm today [Sunday], to ensure our customers have adequate time to prepare for today's matches.".
By the way, Duke TV can also be watched live online here (from NZ): https://www.tvnz.co.nz/livetv/tvnz-duke
You need to sign up for a free account first.
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Update on Spark Sport streaming issue
Following technical investigations overnight and this morning, Spark Sport is making configuration changes to the way the video stream comes into New Zealand. We believe this will resolve the video quality issues experienced by some customers intermittently during the All Blacks v South Africa match last night. These configuration changes will be implemented prior to today’s matches, which commence with Italy v Namibia from 4.45pm.
Spark will simulcast all of today’s Rugby World Cup coverage free-to-air on TVNZ DUKE so our customers can have full confidence they will be able to enjoy the matches tonight. We are confident Spark Sport will provide a good experience tonight, but if customers for any reason are unhappy with their stream, they will have the opportunity to watch on TVNZ DUKE. This is in line with the commitment we made prior to the tournament to have established procedures in place via our partner TVNZ to provide an alternative means of watching matches should there be any concerns with Spark Sport’s streaming service.
Customers who feel unhappy with their viewing experience of the All Blacks v South Africa pool match pass can receive a refund: customers who purchased an All Blacks vs South Africa Match Pass can receive a full refund; those who purchased a Tournament Pass and wish to leave the service can also receive a full refund; and those who wish to carry on with the service, can receive a partial 15% refund of their Tournament Pass price. Unhappy customers who have activated a Spark Sport subscription via a voucher code can also receive a full or partial refund.
TVNZ DUKE is available on channel 13 or DUKE on Sky channel 23. Note that tonight’s matches will not be available through the TVNZ website or TVNZ OnDemand app.
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@Nepia said in [Poll] Will you use Spark to watch RWC?:
What kind of broadband does everyone have? What speeds?
1000/500 here. Didn't watch on that though - had some freezes at the place we were, which was annoying. Critically, didn't lose any action - just a delay.
Other than htat, the picture was good HD for us (on a projector)
@nzzp said in And the winner of the RWC broadcasting rights is...:
1000/500 here.
WTF!!!!
I too was watching on a projector. We had one hiccup when it froze after one of the drop backs to SD so we restarted and it returned to half time of the France v Arg game. (But Kayo in Oz, not SS).
