[tjboyd]

Here in LA I started watching the ANA. DUCKS - NAS PREDATORS game in HD on Ch. 95 and after a couple of Min's. I got the "727" screen. If it's listed in the guide on "95" I've always been able to view the game in HD. Anybody else in LA have this happen?

 

[bonscott87]

The game on 95 is only available to you if it's showing the feed from *your* local RSN OR if you have Center Ice.

 

[HockeyKat]

I had something similar happen last week when the Caps game was on 95. I assume it's similar to the Center Ice rules, where if there is a local broadcast available, the CI channel for your game will be blacked out in favor of that local broadcast. I guess whatever is put onto 95 is streamed from the sports package channels or something? Sucks, because I don't get CSN in HD yet.

 

[tjboyd]

Thanks for the replies!

 

[bwaldron]

The game on 95 is only available to you if it's showing the feed from *your* local RSN OR if you have Center Ice.

You can also be blacked out if you are in the market of the "opposite" team (i.e., you're in the market of one of the participating teams, and it is the other team's broadcast that is being used). This may be what happened to the O.P. -- since it was Nashville's broadcast that was being shown, people in the Ducks territory would have been blacked out. (It seems that for NHL games, not all teams enforce this restriction, but most do).

 

[HockeyKat]

You can also be blacked out if you are in the market of the "opposite" team (i.e., you're in the market of one of the participating teams, and it is the other team's broadcast that is being used). This may be what happened to the O.P. -- since it was Nashville's broadcast that was being shown, people in the Ducks territory would have been blacked out. (It seems that for NHL games, not all teams enforce this restriction, but most do).

The way I understand it, there is a league rule about how blackouts are handled. If there is a local broadcast available for your game (even if you don't get that particular channel), the Center Ice feed for your game is required to be blacked out. BUT not every team televises every game. So let's say the Ducks were televising the game for their local viewers, but the Predators weren't. In that case the Center Ice feed should be blacked out to the Anaheim area, but not the Nashville area.

It's a big point of contention for Caps fans that don't get this stupid little obscure new station that's on one or two cable systems in the area. The broadcast isn't available to THEM, but they still can't get the Center Ice feed because technically, there is a local broadcast available. We're lucky enough with DTV to get those games on an alternate RSN, but not every non Comcast system has that option available for the fans.

 

[bwaldron]

The way I understand it, there is a league rule about how blackouts are handled. If there is a local broadcast available for your game (even if you don't get that particular channel), the Center Ice feed for your game is required to be blacked out. BUT not every team televises every game. So let's say the Ducks were televising the game for their local viewers, but the Predators weren't. In that case the Center Ice feed should be blacked out to the Anaheim area, but not the Nashville area.

In the past, the NHL left that up to each team; i.e., there were times when a team wasn't broadcasting but Center Ice folks in that team's market were not allowed to see the game. If the league has made it a policy to open up the other team's broadcast in these cases, props to them!