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September 8, 2007 9:00 AM Subscribe
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This was on the front page of Digg last November, so I don't feel I'm allowing any cats out of any bags here.
This was on the front page of Digg last November, so I don't feel I'm allowing any cats out of any bags here.
So what's this SopCast thing? Google seems to suggest it's on the level, but I'm always a little afraid of free-as-in-beer but not as-in-speech software that offers something for nothing.
This may cause me to watch football again.
posted by Ickster at 9:22 AM on September 8, 2007
This may cause me to watch football again.
posted by Ickster at 9:22 AM on September 8, 2007
*tweet-tweet*
Incomplete play...2006 Digg thread penalty...Ars Technica not within bounds of FPP. DIRECT TV's SuperFan additionally not called to the blue.
*runs off field*
*air horn*
posted by Smart Dalek at 9:23 AM on September 8, 2007
Incomplete play...2006 Digg thread penalty...Ars Technica not within bounds of FPP. DIRECT TV's SuperFan additionally not called to the blue.
*runs off field*
*air horn*
posted by Smart Dalek at 9:23 AM on September 8, 2007
wfc123 do you know if sopcast carried the Gold Cup this year?
posted by oddman at 10:25 AM on September 8, 2007
posted by oddman at 10:25 AM on September 8, 2007
Hmmm... reviews about SopCast 1.1.2 from Download.com seem to indicate that it's a bad deal. Trojans. A sample review:
Pros: Pros: Nothing
Cons: Cons:It is trojan horse infested, please remove it.
btw, what do i do if i already extracted the files?
Which is a damn shame, since the Spousal Equivalent would have really enjoyed watching The Steelers.
I wonder... is there any way to use this program WITHOUT the danger?
posted by Corky at 10:33 AM on September 8, 2007
Pros: Pros: Nothing
Cons: Cons:It is trojan horse infested, please remove it.
btw, what do i do if i already extracted the files?
Which is a damn shame, since the Spousal Equivalent would have really enjoyed watching The Steelers.
I wonder... is there any way to use this program WITHOUT the danger?
posted by Corky at 10:33 AM on September 8, 2007
According to this, an overzealous version of AVG antivirus was identifying SopCast as a virus. The updated version of AVG no longer does so. SopCast has been around for years, and it's great.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:52 AM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:52 AM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]
I have no idea, oddman.
SopCast is fantastic if you like soccer, live in the U.S. and can't stand MLS.
I've used it for months and it's fine. I don't have a dish so I can't get Setanta. With this thing, I will never need a dish.
posted by wfc123 at 11:11 AM on September 8, 2007
SopCast is fantastic if you like soccer, live in the U.S. and can't stand MLS.
I've used it for months and it's fine. I don't have a dish so I can't get Setanta. With this thing, I will never need a dish.
posted by wfc123 at 11:11 AM on September 8, 2007
hmmm
posted by puke & cry at 11:30 AM on September 8, 2007
posted by puke & cry at 11:30 AM on September 8, 2007
Copyright infringement is fun.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 1:07 PM on September 8, 2007
posted by furiousxgeorge at 1:07 PM on September 8, 2007
And free!
posted by smackfu at 1:29 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by smackfu at 1:29 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]
Being a curious sort, I downloaded sopcast.
While it may, itself, not be malware, it is a vector for an array of programs which are. Within moments of installing and trying to view a channel or two my PC had downloaded no fewer than 5 malware apps:
- one of which claimed to be antispyware and more or less demanded ransom to remove some of the *other* stuff that had downloaded along with it
- one of which would not be removed by windows add/remove programs and forced the download of a separate uninstaller (which, while it appears to have done exactly what it said it did, could have done most anything at all)
If I had actually done all this on a Windows PC I might be freaking out right about now, but I did all this in a Parallels window on a Mac, and will now delete and reinstall my Windows image so that I don't have anything persistent hangin' around.
Oh... and despite all that, and having had to open my firewall to allow sopcast to do its thing, I didn't see a single working channel.
Your mileage may vary.
posted by deCadmus at 1:55 PM on September 8, 2007
While it may, itself, not be malware, it is a vector for an array of programs which are. Within moments of installing and trying to view a channel or two my PC had downloaded no fewer than 5 malware apps:
- one of which claimed to be antispyware and more or less demanded ransom to remove some of the *other* stuff that had downloaded along with it
- one of which would not be removed by windows add/remove programs and forced the download of a separate uninstaller (which, while it appears to have done exactly what it said it did, could have done most anything at all)
If I had actually done all this on a Windows PC I might be freaking out right about now, but I did all this in a Parallels window on a Mac, and will now delete and reinstall my Windows image so that I don't have anything persistent hangin' around.
Oh... and despite all that, and having had to open my firewall to allow sopcast to do its thing, I didn't see a single working channel.
Your mileage may vary.
posted by deCadmus at 1:55 PM on September 8, 2007
Oh well, at ~$2900 for two season tickets, plus DirectTV to see the games outside of my zone which costs something like $250 this year (now with a $99 add-on to view it via the Internet!), the NFL is really fucking over the casual fan. It seems to be their mystique, that if you aren't completely dedicated to football and can pay the huge premium they charge, they don't really want you.
That said, hopefully NFL is beginning to do something right. I really, really enjoy the NFL Network and bringing on hosts who not only know the technical aspects of the game, won't go on crazy Madden color commentary rants. I remember watching a game with Bryant Gumbel and Dick Vermeil. I absolutely loved it. It eschewed the hyperbolic jock commentary that usually runs. With digital cable, and the amount that the NFL charges for games, I should at least be able to chose my commentators, which would preferably be the local radio announcers (Philadelphia and Kansas City having the most intelligent set of personalities I have run into yet).
I fear that, like any entity with a monopoly over their industry, change will come slow and at a high price to the consumer. I'd much rather see and end to this feudal reign and more control put to individual organizations. To the Patriots want to run an HD cast with local commentary on their web site? Let them.
posted by geoff. at 2:02 PM on September 8, 2007
That said, hopefully NFL is beginning to do something right. I really, really enjoy the NFL Network and bringing on hosts who not only know the technical aspects of the game, won't go on crazy Madden color commentary rants. I remember watching a game with Bryant Gumbel and Dick Vermeil. I absolutely loved it. It eschewed the hyperbolic jock commentary that usually runs. With digital cable, and the amount that the NFL charges for games, I should at least be able to chose my commentators, which would preferably be the local radio announcers (Philadelphia and Kansas City having the most intelligent set of personalities I have run into yet).
I fear that, like any entity with a monopoly over their industry, change will come slow and at a high price to the consumer. I'd much rather see and end to this feudal reign and more control put to individual organizations. To the Patriots want to run an HD cast with local commentary on their web site? Let them.
posted by geoff. at 2:02 PM on September 8, 2007
Your mileage may vary.
Huh, did that happen to anyone else? Because mine worked fine. It ran fine and didn't try to install anything else (that I'm aware of anyway). Some of the channels were offline and it's a little laggy but I found it entertaining over all. And I'll probably be watching NFL games on it.
posted by puke & cry at 2:10 PM on September 8, 2007
Huh, did that happen to anyone else? Because mine worked fine. It ran fine and didn't try to install anything else (that I'm aware of anyway). Some of the channels were offline and it's a little laggy but I found it entertaining over all. And I'll probably be watching NFL games on it.
posted by puke & cry at 2:10 PM on September 8, 2007
And the NFL lawyers will be showing up in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1
posted by fourcheesemac at 3:23 PM on September 8, 2007
posted by fourcheesemac at 3:23 PM on September 8, 2007
deCadmus, wow, none of that has happened to me. Where did you download from? I downloaded from sopcast.org / sopcast.com and have had no problems. Did you open up your firewall just for SopCast, or for all programs? If the latter, maybe something else on your system caused the problems. What were the malware programs called and how did they communicate with you? Browser pop-ups or something?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:25 PM on September 8, 2007
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:25 PM on September 8, 2007
at ~$2900 for two season tickets
Damn, geoff, who are you rooting for? My pair of Giants season tix cost about half that much. Well unless you add in the years people spend on "The List" waiting for them.
posted by JaredSeth at 3:34 PM on September 8, 2007
Damn, geoff, who are you rooting for? My pair of Giants season tix cost about half that much. Well unless you add in the years people spend on "The List" waiting for them.
posted by JaredSeth at 3:34 PM on September 8, 2007
So far as the NFL lawyers go, "Thbbbt!".
Maybe they can take that message back with the additional note that the NFL is missing out on the revenue they'd make if I -- and lots of people like me -- could subscribe to out-of-market games through my cable operator. I'd be willing to pay a stupid amount of money to watch all the Kansas City Chiefs games here in Vermont, and I'd likely pay an on-demand fee to see some other regional games, too.
posted by deCadmus at 3:36 PM on September 8, 2007
Maybe they can take that message back with the additional note that the NFL is missing out on the revenue they'd make if I -- and lots of people like me -- could subscribe to out-of-market games through my cable operator. I'd be willing to pay a stupid amount of money to watch all the Kansas City Chiefs games here in Vermont, and I'd likely pay an on-demand fee to see some other regional games, too.
posted by deCadmus at 3:36 PM on September 8, 2007
I've been using sopcast for a few months now to watch soccer and haven't had any problems.
And yes, oddman, you could have seen all the Gold Cup action. You'll also be able to watch USA-Brazil tomorrow. Just about every game you could care to watch is here.
posted by footballrabi at 5:56 PM on September 8, 2007
And yes, oddman, you could have seen all the Gold Cup action. You'll also be able to watch USA-Brazil tomorrow. Just about every game you could care to watch is here.
posted by footballrabi at 5:56 PM on September 8, 2007
I read something in a trade magazine about the NFL streaming games to those that buy the Direct TV Sunday Ticket package. Apparently they give you a code to use, which you can share with a friend, because they felt it wasn't any different than inviting friends over to watch the game anyway. I haven't heard anything about it since though. Is this familiar to anyone?
posted by fishmasta at 6:22 PM on September 8, 2007
posted by fishmasta at 6:22 PM on September 8, 2007
I've been using Sopcast and sites that embed the TVU player for about six months now, and I haven't had any problems at all.
There's also a version of Sopcast that acts as a movie-on-demand player. Now that my laptop hates.
posted by gummi at 8:03 PM on September 8, 2007
There's also a version of Sopcast that acts as a movie-on-demand player. Now that my laptop hates.
posted by gummi at 8:03 PM on September 8, 2007
Is there a way to open multiple windows in Sopcast?
posted by Mach3avelli at 9:59 PM on September 8, 2007
posted by Mach3avelli at 9:59 PM on September 8, 2007
Damn, geoff, who are you rooting for? My pair of Giants season tix cost about half that much. Well unless you add in the years people spend on "The List" waiting for them.
Kansas City Chiefs, Club Level (2) - $1900
Parking - $448/season
Playoffs, plus preseason, plus the one "giant" $7.50 beer a game get very close to $3000, if not over. Chiefs versus Raiders when it is so cold it doesn't even snow and you can't feel your feet? Priceless.
This season of HBO's Hard Knocks has me excited for what will surely be an otherwise mediocre rebuilding year.
posted by geoff. at 10:57 PM on September 8, 2007
Kansas City Chiefs, Club Level (2) - $1900
Parking - $448/season
Playoffs, plus preseason, plus the one "giant" $7.50 beer a game get very close to $3000, if not over. Chiefs versus Raiders when it is so cold it doesn't even snow and you can't feel your feet? Priceless.
This season of HBO's Hard Knocks has me excited for what will surely be an otherwise mediocre rebuilding year.
posted by geoff. at 10:57 PM on September 8, 2007
I don't think you have to worry about paying for the playoffs this year, geoff.
posted by ikkyu2 at 1:43 PM on September 9, 2007
posted by ikkyu2 at 1:43 PM on September 9, 2007
Yeah, that had to be the worst game they've played in at least ten seasons.
posted by geoff. at 2:29 PM on September 9, 2007
posted by geoff. at 2:29 PM on September 9, 2007
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posted by mmahaffie at 9:20 AM on September 8, 2007