FAQ for NFL streaming and viewing

[Tokar]

A FAQ for NFL streaming:

Before continuing, please make sure you are using the most recent versions of streaming software. Newer versions provide better capabilities and are recommended for use.
SopCast - 3.0.3
TVUplayer - 2.3.7.1
TVants - 1.0.0.59 Build 0834

Main useful info
Using Windows Vista? Can't click on a link and load it?

• Right-click on the link and select "Copy".
• Go to the SopCast address bar and paste the link.
• OR, hover the mouse on the link, and the SopCast channel URL will appear in the browser status bar at the bottom of the URL.
• Type that URL into the SopCast address bar.

Using VLC for SopCast streams:

• All SopCast streams can be viewed with VLC, but for some streams it is mandatory.
• VLC can also be a "quick fix" option worth trying if a stream buffers but won't load correctly.

To use VLC...

• Download VLC at VideoLAN - Free Software and Open Source video streaming solution for every OS! and install it.
• Start the SopCast stream and let it buffer.
• VLC, go to Open Network Stream, select "HTTP" option, and type in 127.0.0.1:8902 (If port 8902 doesn't work, try 8912).
• You MUST leave SopCast running; closing SopCast closes the stream.
• You may need to mute the sound on SopCast so it doesn't bleed with the sound in VLC.
• To make VLC a default external player on SopCast 2.0.4, visit this thread.

How to Record with VLC:

• Open VLC and go to File and Open Network Stream, type 127.0.0.1:8902 in the http section.
• Next, click on Stream/Save and settings next to it (this should open a new window).
• Click on Play Locally, File then select a file on your computer to save it.
• Finally, select dump raw input and go to OK at the bottom and click OK on the other screen.

Having issues viewing a TVAnts stream? Use VLC!

• Download VLC at VideoLAN.org and install it.
• Turn on TVAnts. Right click on the streaming picture window, go to "Properties" and copy the .asf link you find.
• In VLC, go to "File" and open a network stream.
• In the HTTP/HTTPS/FTP/MMS box, paste in the asf link.
• Click on "OK" and sit back and watch in VLC. Close the TVAnts picture window, but DO NOT close out of the TVAnts application, for this closes the stream.
• (Side note: The asf link will change for each stream. Usually the last number is what changes.)

Still can't get TVAnts to work?

• Make sure you installed the connections patch, especially for Windows XP users, at: MyP2P.eu Software Overview
• Search at the TVAnts forum on MyP2P Forums
• Still can't find an answer? Start a thread in the TVAnts forum and ask for help.

1) Where can I find a schedule for the NFL?
MyP2P.eu :: NFL schedules, watch live NFL on your pc.
This forum will keep things up to date as well.

2) Can I request a stream for a game that is not being streamed?
No. If it is streamed, then it is streamed. If it is not, its not. Believe me, if someone can stream the game, they will step up to the plate.

3) I'm watching a stream and the quality is not great, is there anyway to improve it?
No, there is nothing you, as a viewer can do. Everything related to the quality of the stream is controlled by the streamer - the resolution, the bitrate and the quality control.

4) Is there anything I can do to improve my viewing experience (meaning improving your end of the stream)?
There are several things you can do to improve your experience:
-Turn off all other forms of Peer-2-Peer filesharing (Limewire, Cabos, BitTorrent, DirectConnect, etc.) This is a must
-Try to avoid all forms of downloading and uploading, even if it is just HTTP transfers.
-Avoid watching two games simultaneously on SopCast/TVUPlayer/TVants unless you have more than 1mbps of upstream bandwidth or more.
-Close as many unnecessary programs on your machine to reduce CPU/memory use.
-Windows XP users can expand their connections from 10 to 50 by following the instructions at: http://www.myp2p.eu/Programs/Overview.htm

5) Can I create two instances of SopCast to watch two games at once?
Yes. Click the "Option" button in Sopcast and under "General" uncheck the box beside "Allow only one instance of SopCast." Now you can open two instances of SopCast and watch two streams.

6) Can I watch two games on two instances of SopCast, OR one game on SopCast and one game on TVUPlayer or TVants?
Yes, but it is not recommended unless you have at least 1mbps of upstream bandwidth.

7) I see that a channel is listed for the game I want to see, but it is not working. What is wrong?
It is possible that the stream has not started yet. A lot of streams will not start until the game starts, so you may be connecting too early.
If it is well past the start of the game and it still isn't working it is possible the streamer is having problems or simply forgot to start the stream.
If you do see the stream is available (as reported by the streaming program) but you are unable to connect it may be that the streamer did not use proper settings with his stream to make it work properly.

8) I turned on the right channel at 4:15 PM Eastern US time, but I don't think it's the right game. It looks like another game is finishing. I am missing the start of my game. What is wrong?
A streamer may be streaming an affiliate of the national network (CBS or FOX) that has the doubleheader that week. Sometimes, when the first game finishes, the network may transfer viewers to the finishes of other early games, before going to the second game of the scheduled doubleheader on that station. The streamers have no control over this. Be patient, and when the early games are finished, you will get to the late game.

9) Is there a 24/7 stream of NFL Network?
No, and there probably will not be one.

10) Is there a 24/7 stream of ESPN?
No. There is channel 10912 on SopCast, which streams ESPN Hong Kong 24/7, however that is not the same as ESPN US.

11) Where can I find torrents of the previously aired NFL Games?
Check TenYardTorrents.com.

12) Is there any value to recording the streams I am watching?
Probably not. Considering that all the games are recorded in very high quality (sometimes HD) and put onto bittorrent by the website TenYardTorrents.com, there is really no value at all to recording the games off SopCast or TVU.
However, recording does have one simple benefit. If you are very impatient and do not want to wait for the torrents for the games to show up, or the stream is buffering a lot, recording has its benefits. A) you can record the stream, as it is live (delayed by a couple minutes, though) and watch a recording immediately after the game is over, B) recording makes a poor-buffering channel seem like it never buffered at all - see question 13.

13) The channel I am watching does buffer but it never gets high enough so that I can watch. What can I do?
In terms of watching it live - nothing. Either the streamer has to drop his quality down, which requires restarting the stream, or or something with the streamer's upstream is problematic and will be resolved with time.
If you are one who does NOT mind watching a game immediately after it is complete, and you dont want to wait until a torrent appears, you can record the stream. See, even though SopCast is buffering with a low buffer, the stream is still being downloaded (which is the key). If it is being downloaded, it can be recorded. All you have to do is get a copy of the free FlashGet (Best Download Manager - FlashGet) and tell it to download http://127.0.0.1:8902 while SopCast is buffering. You will NOT be able to watch the stream as it is recording, however when you stop recording and watch the recorded video, it will seem like you never had buffering problems at all. Again, though, you wont be watching it live if you dont mind that.

14) How do I record a stream I am watching on SopCast?
One of two ways:
A) there is a button above the sopcast window, it is two concentric circles (v2 has a white circle inside of a blue circle, v3 has a red circle inside a blue circle). It is to the right of the zoom button (v2), or to the right of the Add to Favorites button (v3). Just click this and SopCast will ask you to Open File, which is just asking you to specify a name and location for the file. Click OK and recording will start.
B) While watching the stream use FlashGet (free) to download the stream. In FlashGet, click NEW, and use the address http://127.0.0.1:8902 as the URL, then click OK. The default download location is c:\downloads. To stop recording in FlashGet, highlight the entry in the upper right box which is the recording, click pause, and then click delete (this just deletes the job, not the recorded file). Then locate the recorded file, by default it will be in C:\Downloads. Remove the .jc! file extension. Now play the video in your favorite video player.

15) How do I record a stream I am watching on TVUPlayer? TVants?
For TVUplayer, the directions are the same as in 14B, except the address is http://127.0.0.1:8901.
For TVants, the directions are also the same as in 14B, except the address is http://127.0.0.1:16900.

16) Someone posts a last-minute stream, and says it's on SopCast channel XXXXX. Typing in the channel number by itself doesn't work. What do I do?
If you are using SopCast v2, please update to the most recent SopCast v3.0.3. SopCast 3.0.3 supports entering in the channel number to the bar at the top of the window.
If updating to SopCast 3.0.3 does not fix things, just use the universal URL for a SopCast channel: sop://broker.sopcast.com:3912/XXXXX
Replace the Xs with the channel number you are given, and copy/paste it into the address bar at the top of the SopCast window.

17) What is this "VLC" thing people mention. Does it help clear any issues up?
VLC originally was short for Video Lan Client, but the name of the program has since become just "VLC". It is a media player similar to Windows Media Player.

All streams on Sopcast can be viewed with VLC, though for a select few streams this is mandatory. Additionally, sometimes VLC can stream a few seconds or more ahead of what shows up in Sopcast itself, which can help reduce your lag between the stream's source and when you watch it.

To use VLC, download VLC at VideoLAN - Free and Open Source software and video streaming solutions for every OS! and install it , then start the Sopcast stream and let it buffer. Then open VLC, go to Open Network Stream, select HTTP option, and type in 127.0.0.1:8902 (if not working, try port 8912). You MUST leave Sopcast running; closing Sopcast closes the stream. If the stream gives sound in both VLC and Sopcast, mute the sound on Sopcast, or try to hit the refresh button so the Sopcast screen goes blank, but the VLC screen stays intact.

18) How do I make SopCast open streams into VLC (or other media player) by default?
New versions of SopCast now let you choose what external media player to open streams with. Just go into the SopCast options, and you should see the text "Choose the external player". Below that you can either select the default option, which will use the system default, which is most cases is Windows Media Player, or you can select "Use my own media player". After you select that option, click the "Select" button and locate the EXE file for the media player which you want to use. VLC is usually located at "C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe". SopCast streams work perfectly fine with VLC, MediaPlayer Classic, KMPlayer, WinAMP, and many others.

[aerialthunder]

Good FAQ, Tokar!

I added No. 8, since that one may come up from time to time.

I also edited Nos. 4 and 5.

[aerialthunder]

How does it all work? Do the streamers watch what they're streaming on the computer and then broadcast it on their channel for others to do the same? I know that's barely even a bare bones question about the process, but feel free to get as in depth as possible.

Thanks Tok.

From a viewer's standpoint...

Let's say you want to watch a stream that is 400K. You download the stream (which usually isn't a problem for even the slightly-below typical broadband connection.) The catch is, you also need to have the upload to upload it back and share it with others.

So, if you don't have 400K upload, you're going to kill the p2p process, maybe not for you, but for others down the road.

That is also why it's important not to do 50,000 things while watching a stream. Consume all of your upload, and it bogs everything down.

[aerialthunder]

How about from a streamer's standpoint?

Basically the rule of thumb is to stream at about 1/3rd of your total upload (assuming that you do nothing else on your Internet connection.) You can tweak it a bit higher, but not too much.

[aerialthunder]

-- Decide what you're streaming off of (straight cable hookup, cable box, etc.) and make sure it's hooked up.
-- Double-check all the settings in the encoder, including making sure the right device/channel is selected.
-- Turn on the encoder for streaming.
-- Load up the p2p player being used and double-check all its settings.
-- Begin streaming with the p2p player.

[fyi]

What I meant was what PROCESS do the streamers go through in order to broadcast a game?

You need Windows Media Encoder also known as WME. Do you have WME? If not go to download .com and download WME 9.The first step when you start up WME (Windows Media Encoder) is to click 'Broadcast A Live Event' and then click 'OK'.

Next step is 'Device Options'. Place a check in each box next to "Video" and "Audio". Click where it says "default video device" and a drop-down menu will appear. Choose the video device you want to broadcast with and click it. Then click "default audio device" and choose from the drop-down menu. Click 'Next'.

Step 3 is 'Broadcast Method'. Choose "Pull from the encoder" and click 'Next'.

Step 4 is 'Broadcast Connection'. This is where you get your 'URL for Internet connection' number. Write down the http number and save it for later. It will look something like this:

http//:12.34.5.67:8910

Later on you will replace the "http" with "mms" so that your URL looks like this:

mms//:12.34.5.67:8910

More about that later. Click 'Next'.

Step 5 is 'Encoding Options'. This is the section where your bandwidth upload speed will determine how high of a quality you can encode and broadcast at.

************************************************** *

Suggestions for bitrates:
If you have 512Kbps upload, you should encode @ 100-150Kbps bitrate

If you have 1Mbps upload, you should encode @ 150-256Kbps bitrate

If you have 2Mbps upload and above, you should encode @ 256-400Kbps bitrate

************************************************** **

In the "Video" section, the drop-down menu will show many options but it's easier when you're just getting started to leave it at the default video setting which is "Multiple bit rates video", but you need to un-check the default bit rate which is 1128 kbps and also un-check any other boxes that might be pre-checked.. Scroll down in the "Bit rate" section and un-check all boxes. Then check the box next to 148 kbps. That should be the only box checked. You can always change your kbps later on. In the "Audio" section, leave the "Multiple bit rates audio" as it is. Click "Next".


Step 6 is the 'Archive File' option. Un-check the "Archive a copy" box and click 'Next'.

Step 7 is 'Include Video Files' section. Choose "No I want to encode from my selected devices only" and click 'Next'.

Step 8 is "Display Information" option. Leave it blank and click 'Next'.

Step 9 is "Review Settings". Check the "Begin broadcasting when I click Finish" box and click "Finish.

You are now encoding with WME.


Now start up Sopcast and type in your Account Name and Password. After you Log-In, click the "MyServer" tab and enter your mms number, type in your Channel ID and Program Name and then click "Start" at the bottom.

Now you're broadcasting.

[airmcnair1217]

what does VLC mean?

[Johoo]

http://85.92.128.155/~myp2p/forum/vi...105839#p105839

Token from ducksfan! ;)

[fyi]

what does VLC mean?

It's a free media player that's used in conjunction with sopcast to watch games. Here's the link:
http://www.videolan.org/

[Zack_of_Steel]

UH, this may be a stupid question, but how do you convert the recorded files to WMVs or whatever so you can watch them? I can't seem to figure this out for the life of me. >_>'

[chiefs8923]

I am new to all of this but I had a chance to watch some games over the weekend and I was wondering if the reason I kept having some pause/break issues during some of the games on sunday had something to do with my connection or the stream....I watched the Monday night game and it was pretty much smooth sailing the whole way through. i have dsl and i believe it's up to 768 kbps which isn't that great but like i said i had no trouble watching the Monday night game on sopcast channel 23459

I'd also like to say thanks to all the streamers who make this possible.....Don't let those treacherous bastards intimidate you!

[ADRIAN_dk]

Not too press on!!!!!!!, just exciting to know witch teams are covered in the upcomming week 6

P.s. Again thx to all the streamers out there........ it cant be said enough!!!!!!

[airsoftking]

I am new to all of this but I had a chance to watch some games over the weekend and I was wondering if the reason I kept having some pause/break issues during some of the games on sunday had something to do with my connection or the stream....I watched the Monday night game and it was pretty much smooth sailing the whole way through. i have dsl and i believe it's up to 768 kbps which isn't that great but like i said i had no trouble watching the Monday night game on sopcast channel 23459

I'd also like to say thanks to all the streamers who make this possible.....Don't let those treacherous bastards intimidate you!

I had some problem too last sunday, the picture kept freezing every 10 seconds. I supposed it was a stream issue, because I never had such a problem before.

[Becky10]

Hi NFL Fans,

I signed up for Direct TV & I am getting the NFL Sunday Ticket. I am curious how do I stream for other fans to watch a football game? Do I need special equipment?

Oh & by the way Direct TV is running a special and it ends tomorrow. Check it out on Direct TV.com.

[luckyone]

http://85.92.128.155/~myp2p/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4465
It should have all you need to know, if you're streaming from your tv.

[Becky10]

Hi Luckyone,

The link you provided does not work. How do I stream for others to view? I am getting Sunday NFL Ticket & Direct TV this Saturday.

[khris]

that page doesnt have the nfl games

[parrish]

i have sopcast and i have tvants yet when i click the tv icon i get nothing...what am i doing wrong?

[martyrochon]

how can i get the mediaplayer links to work?

[xmandalayx]

i like too stream

bears vs washington week 14 on TVU player but i need to goo work :( (tomorrow)

but

Week 15

denver vs houston (NFL networkUSA)

will be on TVU on my channel, i was totaly fix my sound problem :D