OT: Hockeystreams vs Gamecenter

[PoutineSp00nZ]

So I think that i might bite the bullet and subscribe to one of these services. I have read that gamecenter has lots of blackouts, but a virtual network may be a potential workaround for that issue.

Im tempted to go with hockeystreams, but i've also read that the quality isn't as high.

Does anyone have any insight on this matter?

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[HavlatMach9]

you can go short term with hockeystreams, i'd recommend that because if you're in Ottawa, expect every game to be blacked out.

 

[Caeldan]

If you are in market, technically you aren't the target audience for GCL and therefore yes, have to deal with blackouts and how to work around them.

Out of market, I'm perfectly happy with GCL.

Hockeystreams is very grey area legally, they operate basically because they're based in the Netherlands. Can't comment on their quality though.

 

[Sun God Nika]

Hockeystreams WAY WAY better im gonna use it next season, when it is PS4 compatible.



Cheaper, No Blackouts, No Proxy needed. SAME quality.

why not?

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Ok, I've been in your shoes a couple of times so I'll offer some insight.

I had gamecenterlive last year cause it was 50 bucks and it was best investment I've ever made. The XBOX feature allows me to hook it up to the TV and watch HD with all the beautiful elements of my big hd tv. On the laptop, it rarely lagged like once ever 5 games. On Xbox sometimes it gave me the fits when it did lag.

This year I was more skeptical being a uni student and it was 150 vs hockeystreams for 100.

I ended up biting the bullet and taking GCL cause of XBOX option(mind you, you can use HS through XBOX too but too complicated for me to bother and not as fast and high end)

This year, GCL is even better on xbox, no lag issues. ****ing love it. I ended up offering a friend my password in exchange for 50 bucks so I cashed in and got the better service.

Blackouts have been an issue until I discovered VLC streams which I hookup to my tv at 4500kps(better than GCL) so noooo problems anywhere.

Only thing HS really offers is ability to view other leagues. I may think about which one to go after next year but if it ain't broke...

 

[Back in Black]

At least for Tonight you can get it over the air in HD!

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Hockeystreams WAY WAY better im gonna use it next season, when it is PS4 compatible.



Cheaper, No Blackouts, No Proxy needed. SAME quality.

why not?

Are you speaking from personal experience? Cause HS looks more flash game based while GCL has that fluid TV 3d dimension which makes it seem like you're watching it on cable.

Btw, OP, if you are in Ottawa, don't even bother with GCL. You'll be blacked out for 90% of the games.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Are you speaking from personal experience? Cause HS looks more flash game based while GCL has that fluid TV 3d dimension which makes it seem like you're watching it on cable.

Btw, OP, if you are in Ottawa, don't even bother with GCL. You'll be blacked out for 90% of the games.

Yeah I live in Ottawa which is a huge problem with GCL. I have read that u can use a VPN to fool it into thinking that you live in Germany or something, but im not sure how reliable those can be, and the ones I've found on google have subscription fees.

Im leaning towards hockeystreams, but Im skeptical on the quality. I would like true HD, just bought a new TV so i'd like to utilize it if I could.

Thanks for all the help by the way everyone

 

[HavlatMach9]

well there's a preview stream on hockeystreams, try that (actually nvm it's not there anymore),

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Yeah I live in Ottawa which is a huge problem with GCL. I have read that u can use a VPN to fool it into thinking that you live in Germany or something, but im not sure how reliable those can be, and the ones I've found on google have subscription fees.

Im leaning towards hockeystreams, but Im skeptical on the quality. I would like true HD, just bought a new TV so i'd like to utilize it if I could.

Thanks for all the help by the way everyone

I tried everytime of VPN that is free.

It won't work. There is a brilliant VPN that worked for me perfectly but it costs money. un-block.us 5.60 a month.

Therefore you'll be paying around 60 bucks extra. 200 bucks a year. That's twice as much as HS. Not worth it.

HS has HD but it isn't as fluid. Although I tried it last year and it could have gotten better this year, I Unno.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

Game Center Live the quality is slightly better. 4000kbps vs 3200kbps at hockey streams.

Hockey Streams low end option is only 800kbps, where as judging by the VLC links that leak, Game Center has multiple different tiers such as 1600kbps, 3200kbps, 4000, etc. Meaning, if you have a sketchy connection, and intend to watch live, Game Center seems like the way to go.

You can watch Hockey Streams using VLC, so Flash isn't as much of an issue.

There's a legal grey area with both, because you'll need to use a VPN or some sort of spoof for Game Center, and Hockey Streams is not a licensed NHL service. So it's up to you to decide whether you're comfortable with circumventing blackouts, or supporting Hockey Streams service.

Hockey Streams gives you a lot more content. They stream every North American league. Olympics. Often they stream non-hockey sporting events if they are big deals.

If you are technically illiterate, but can handle setting up a VPN, I'd go with Game Center, only because there are a lot of times I've had to trouble shoot with hockey streams. Simple things like browser compatibility, or on demand streams randomly restarting when I try to skip forward. Not big deals, but it does end up being less plug and play.

Another thing is, Game Center seems to have an APP For everything. Apple TV, PS3, etc. So if you don't have a HTPC, or don't like using your laptops HDMI output, Game Center is more universal.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

Yeah I live in Ottawa which is a huge problem with GCL. I have read that u can use a VPN to fool it into thinking that you live in Germany or something, but im not sure how reliable those can be, and the ones I've found on google have subscription fees.

Im leaning towards hockeystreams, but Im skeptical on the quality. I would like true HD, just bought a new TV so i'd like to utilize it if I could.

Thanks for all the help by the way everyone

How big is your TV, and what is the viewing distance?

I would assume Game Center has a trial, and with Hockey Streams I think they offer a refund minus the cost of a 1 day subscription f you cancel.

I might be wrong, but I think the frame rates for both services are the same. Game Center's 4000kbps streams are going to look better than Hockey Streams 3200kbps, but on certain TVs, the difference will not be noticeable. If you have a large TV or a projector, it will be very noticeable.

Ultimately, I'd suggest attempting to get a trial of each, and deciding what suits you best.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

How big is your TV, and what is the viewing distance?

I would assume Game Center has a trial, and with Hockey Streams I think they offer a refund minus the cost of a 1 day subscription f you cancel.

I might be wrong, but I think the frame rates for both services are the same. Game Center's 4000kbps streams are going to look better than Hockey Streams 3200kbps, but on certain TVs, the difference will not be noticeable. If you have a large TV or a projector, it will be very noticeable.

Ultimately, I'd suggest attempting to get a trial of each, and deciding what suits you best.

Thanks for all the info! Im pretty good with computers, so im not worried about the technical aspect of either. I've never gone with a VPN before, and the reviews of how those services act with gamecenter are mixed. That's why im hesitant.

TV is 55 inches 1080p and 120hz so a high end stream would be very nice.

 

[HavlatMach9]

highest end stream will be GCL at 4500kbps, but it can only be accessed by certain devices I believe. It can't be accessed through the web browser. Again you'll still run into blackouts.

i'll pm u what it looks like (later)

 

[danielpalfredsson]

Thanks for all the info! Im pretty good with computers, so im not worried about the technical aspect of either. I've never gone with a VPN before, and the reviews of how those services act with gamecenter are mixed. That's why im hesitant.

TV is 55 inches 1080p and 120hz so a high end stream would be very nice.

Hockey Streams is the best overall value with all the content you get (AHL, CHL, World Juniors, Olympics, etc), but if cost is not an issue, and your priority is best possible video quality, game center gets an edge.

If unblock-us works with it as the previous poster says, it's not hard to set up.

 

[Lehner]

Half the time Hockeystreams isnt HD, if theyre are a lot of games on in one night. They only have so many HD feeds, and the most popular teams come first.

I will never go back to hockeystreams after seeing this. Keep in mind this was 2 yrs ago, might of changed now.

 

[yakfish]

Hockeystreams is better in every way including stream quality. I had GameCenterLive for 3 seasons and switched to hockeystream this year. I'm not switching back.

 

[SilverSeven]

GCL is the same price if you sign up with a VPN. Just log into a euro IP and its $100. You can use your Canadian CC and billing address no problem.

I love GCL. Streams never lag, and I watch it on my phone all the time. Quality is great, even on my 100" 1080p projector.

Never had any issues with watching Ottawa games in Ottawa. Just log into my VPN, load the stream, log out of my VPN. On my phone I use a GPS spoofer. GCL thinks Im out of market, and I am in.

You can also go to that site that rhymes with "edit" and go in their game threads. They always have links to free streams, often just the GCL stream as their security is laughable.

 

[ErikNorrisson]

Price: HockeyStreams
Quality: Slight edge to GCL
Blackouts: HockeyStreams
Other leagues, world juniors, Olympics, 24/7, NHL Revealed, etc: HockeyStreams

Trying out HockeyStreams for the first time this year. It's had it's hiccups but it beats the blackouts on GCL. I love the fact that they have other hockey related shows and other levels of competition as well.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

GCL is the same price if you sign up with a VPN. Just log into a euro IP and its $100. You can use your Canadian CC and billing address no problem.

I love GCL. Streams never lag, and I watch it on my phone all the time. Quality is great, even on my 100" 1080p projector.

Never had any issues with watching Ottawa games in Ottawa. Just log into my VPN, load the stream, log out of my VPN. On my phone I use a GPS spoofer. GCL thinks Im out of market, and I am in.

You can also go to that site that rhymes with "edit" and go in their game threads. They always have links to free streams, often just the GCL stream as their security is laughable.

Get the **** out. WHY DID I NOT HEAR ABOUT THIS.

Btw, what VPN you talking about? Cause I try the free VPN's and they are RIDICULOUSLY slow if I try to watch games on em.

 

[ErikNorrisson]

GCL is the same price if you sign up with a VPN. Just log into a euro IP and its $100. You can use your Canadian CC and billing address no problem.

I love GCL. Streams never lag, and I watch it on my phone all the time. Quality is great, even on my 100" 1080p projector.

Never had any issues with watching Ottawa games in Ottawa. Just log into my VPN, load the stream, log out of my VPN. On my phone I use a GPS spoofer. GCL thinks Im out of market, and I am in.

You can also go to that site that rhymes with "edit" and go in their game threads. They always have links to free streams, often just the GCL stream as their security is laughable.

That means it would cost around $140 (unblock us at $5 a month). Hockeystreams is $110 for a calendar year. They also allow you to freeze your account so you don't need to waste membership time during the summer months. Basically you get a season (including preseason games) and then up to around December of another season.
Price was a big factor in my decision.

 

[BonkTastic]

I'm out of market, and I prefer GameCenter - AINEC.

In market, I have no real opinion, as I've never had to worry about blackout issues.

 

[EssendonBombers]

I generally have nothing against file sharing, but I think its well in ******* territory to profit by selling someone else's product. Can't believe hockeystreams is still running.

 

[Six Assets]

I tried everytime of VPN that is free.

It won't work. There is a brilliant VPN that worked for me perfectly but it costs money. un-block.us 5.60 a month.

Therefore you'll be paying around 60 bucks extra. 200 bucks a year. That's twice as much as HS. Not worth it.

HS has HD but it isn't as fluid. Although I tried it last year and it could have gotten better this year, I Unno.

Hockeystreams is great, it runs at 60fps so it look real nice on tv. and all the Sens games are in HD. Also TSN streams are stunning, really excited for next season.

I know quite a few people who used Tunnelbear VPN (its free) for GCL last year and it was perfect.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

I generally have nothing against file sharing, but I think its well in ******* territory to profit by selling someone else's product. Can't believe hockeystreams is still running.

They exhaust millions out of us for nothing, I'm glad there's such a thing as HS. If it wasn't for HS, I can guarantee you GCL is more expensive than it is.

Hockeystreams is great, it runs at 60fps so it look real nice on tv. and all the Sens games are in HD. Also TSN streams are stunning, really excited for next season.

I know quite a few people who used Tunnelbear VPN (its free) for GCL last year and it was perfect.

Really? That's excellent to hear and how do you watch on your tv? Just hook-up through HDMI cord? Or an app through console?

Ahhhh thank you very much for Tunnelbear recommendation!