A company based in Washington state, i1 Biometrics, is taking a different approach to using sensor tech to detect concussions in football players. Other companies that work in this space, like The Shockbox, rely on sensors placed in the helmet. As Information Week reports, i1 Biometrics is cutting out the middle man, so to speak, and looking to gather data right from the source. They are working on a device that will track collisions from the head itself by using another piece of already-used equipment — the mouthguard.
The reasoning behind this is fairly straightforward. According to CEO Jesse Harper (via Information Week):
“We’re not the first sensor company to enter the space,” […] “One of our main differences is accuracy.” Because the mouthguard is in contact with the skull, “everywhere your upper jaw goes, the mouthpiece goes.”
By comparison, he said, sensors attached to helmets measure the impact to the helmet, not the head.
It’s certainly an interesting idea, and their reasoning for using a different approach not only differentiates them from competitors, but has the potential to do more accurate tracking. i1’s product also utilizes a different communication method to relay the information to the devices that collect the data. i1 doesn’t trust SMS or Bluetooth to be 100% reliable in a stadium full of fans with their own mobile devices. To avoid coverage outages or missed communications, the mouthguard leverages a proprietary radio signal. If the signal is lost, the mouthguard stores the data locally until the link can be restored.
With the increased scrutiny sports like football and hockey are under to ensure player’s safety, technology that captures head trauma data is big business these days. i1 isn’t the only company looking to make players safer while making a profit at the same time. While taking any steps to studying and preventing brain injuries is a good thing, the entire market could come down to which product is most accurate. By getting as close to the brain as possible (without sci-fi implants at least), i1 is trying to get data right from the source.
Modern spreadsheet programs are powerful. Compared to what our ancestors had to deal with — pen and paper spreadsheets — Excel, Google Spreadsheets, and LibreOffice / Open Office type programs are basically alien. And I mean that both in the utility and the intuitiveness of these programs. While they are incredibly useful in combing data for information, they are also full of hidden treasures — and a productivity program should never have hidden anythings.
Each of these programs has a little gem called “vlookup.” The vlookup function stands for “vertical lookup.” As we might expect, there is also a “horizontal lookup,” which is basically the same thing, but it scans columns instead of rows. The vlookup function is especially useful for when we want to combine information from across two tables. But first we need a question. Playing with data for the sake of playing with data is not super helpful — usually.
So here’s our question: Who is the most important hitter to any given team?
There are a lot of ways to approach this question, but since we want to use vlookups, let’s further this inquiry by asking: Which player has the highest wRC+ relative to the rest of his team? The weighted runs created plus (wRC+) statistic is great because it measures a players total offensive output, but it also controls for era, stadium, and league.
In order to answer this second question, we will need to know our data. We can get each individual player’s wRC+ from the FanGraphs leaderboard here. Using the Export Data button, we can get a CSV of each leaderboard page in an instant.
Here’s the button that makes FanGraphs leaderboards so nifty for outside data analysis programs like Excel or Tableau.
Then, we want the team data. Navigate over to the Teams tab and choose the “NP” or non-pitchers button. This gives the team-level offensive numbers without those nasty pitchers gumming up the data with their strike outs and pop outs and trickle outs.
After we’ve exported both data, we can open them either by navigating to the Downloads folder and opening them with Excel, or just clicking the download icon in Chrome or Firefox or Internet Explorer if you’re stuck at work and it’s 1997. I oftentimes have multiple instances of Excel open (for my multi-monitor madness) and so I like to drag the download icon into the Excel window.
I’m a dragger. I like to drag the downloaded files. And if you have multiple Excel windows running (which isn’t necessary for this, but — what the hay? — we all need to look busy at work, right?), then dragging should be a preferred method.
Now we have all the data we want; we just need to combine it. Enter vlookups.
To keep things neat, let’s combine our two separate workbooks. This isn’t a necessary step, but it will help our formula bars be more readable. Right click the tab of one of the worksheets (it doesn’t matter which) and choose Move or Copy…. This will open a dialogue asking where you want to move the worksheet. Using the drop down menu, choose the other workbook and click okay. This should combine the two disparate worksheets into a single workbook. (I’d also go ahead and rename them too, just for whatever’s sake.)
Combining the two worksheets is not a necessary step, but it can simplify the formulas later. Also: It keeps all your data in one place, which is good for later when you reopen the stuff.
I’ve renamed my two worksheets (or tabs) as “Players” for the first set of data and “Teams” for the data we took from the teams leaderboard. On the players tab, we’ll want to add a column called “Team wRC+”. So in cell W1, I write just that, and then in cell W2 I begin to type the vlookup formula by writing =vlookup(.
lookup_value: What do I want Excel to use to find something? What is the key to unlock the information door? In this case, I want Excel to find the team wRC+ by using a player’s listed wRC+, so the lookup_value needs to be B1, which is where the column “Team” is in this particular spreadsheet. (Now press comma.)
table_array: Where is the data? Or where is the doorway for the aforementioned key? The answer to this question is the data that is in my “Teams” tab — the team totals data from our second CSV download. I’ll navigate to the Team tab, click in cell A:1 and drag until you’ve selected the whole table. Now, we don’t want this selection to move later on (because this table is not moving; it’s dead), so press F4 to add cashmoney symbols in front of your cell references. (Now press comma.)
col_index_num: In which column will Excel find the desired data? Or where in the room is the prize? For this, we need to find which column the team wRC+ is listed in. That’s column P, which is the 16th column in our table_array (because we count every column, including the first). So here, we’ll write 16. (Now press comma.)
range_lookup: Do we want Excel to find an exact match for the lookup_value? OF COURSE. DON’T BE SO FREAKIN’ LAZY, EXCEL. YOU’RE A ROBOT, YOU DON’T GET TIRED. Type a 0 (zero) or FALSE in here. (Now close the parenthesis and hit enter.)
Look at that! If all has gone according to plan, you should have a number populating that W2 cell (probably a “111” if Mike Trout is at the top of your list and you’re using the 2014 season data). If there is a problem and we’re getting an error message, we can always find out where that particular error is occurring by using the Evaluate Formula function (Formulas > Evaluate Formula).
Your formula, en totale, should look something like this:
This is what your formula and result should ultimately look like. Make sure to have the dollar signs in their, which will make it an absolute reference rather than a relative reference.
Now we need to apply that formula to all the cells in the column. We can drag that bottom right corner of that “111” cell, or copy and then paste on the empty cells, or whatever the hell we want.
If all goes well, you should get a few #N/As. These mean that something went wrong in the formula. Let’s use the Evaluate Formula button (Formulas > Evaluate Formula) to find out what went wrong. If you’re using the same data as me, go to the first #N/A, which should be Chase Headley at W34.
The Evaluate Formula pop up window will then walk us through the steps of the formula and we can see the point at which it all goes terribly wrong. Clicking “Evaluate” one time shows us this:
Unless we add a “- – -” value to the Teams page, this will always return an “#N/A” result.
The problem here is that the formula is looking for a team named “- – -” in the Teams tab. That’s because the Padres traded Headly to the Yankees in 2014, so he has two teams on record. There’s a variety of ways to work around this (the most easy method being: check the box marked “Split Teams” on the FanGraphs leaderboard), but I just wanted to should have Evaluate Formula can be useful.
Anyway, to finish out our question (“Which hitters meant the most to their teams?”), we need some more calculations. For the ease of viewing, let’s add another column to this data. (Normally, I’d just thrust these additional calculations into the formula I’ve already got going, but that has the downside of looking complex and hiding additional errors.)
In order to get a Team+ stat (that’s the name we’ll use for our wRC+ applied to the team level), we’ll need to find the players’ differences from their team’s wRC+ and index them, the way wRC+ does. The formula for that would be something like:
Applying that Mike Trout’s 167 wRC+ and the Angels’ 111 wRC+, the formula would look like:
Putting that into Excel, we’ll get something along the lines of this:
If all goes well, it will output a number. I like to take away the decimal places because science.
Where Q2 is the wRC+ column (Q) and Mike Trout Row (2), and W2 is the Team wRC+ column (W) and the Mike Trout row (2). For the 2014 data, this should result in Mike Trout having a 150 Team+ or thereabouts.
After applying the formula to the remaining players, we get a top five Team Most Valuable Hitters of:
Well done, Mr. Rookie! Jose Abreu may not have had as strong a season as Andrew McCutchen — the league’s top hitter — but nobody meant more to his lineup than Abreu, according to the measures we’re using here.
I hope this instruction was helpful. Let me know if you have additional questions.
At Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the Arizona Fall League’s Salt River Rafters play their home games with NBA-style shot clocks installed on the field: one in the outfield, two on the backstop, and one in each dugout. All of this is part of MLB’s pace of game initiative intended to shorten the total time of a game.
The rules are simple enough. According to the AFL media guide, pitchers have 20 seconds to throw a pitch. If a pitcher holds the ball for more than 20 seconds without throwing it, a ball will be called. A batter must stay in the box during those 20 seconds, prepared for the pitch; if the batter steps out of the box during that period without calling time, the pitcher may throw the ball and an umpire can call it a strike. The 20 second rule begins once the pitcher is in possession of the ball.
In addition to the 20 second rule, there is a maximum inning break of two minutes and five seconds. The batter must enter the box by the 1:45 mark, otherwise, umpires will call an automatic strike. If the pitcher doesn’t throw the ball by the time the 2:05 is up, the umpire will call an automatic ball.
For pitching changes, there is a 2:30 clock that starts once the new pitcher steps onto the warning track or crosses the foul line. An automatic ball may be called if the new pitcher does not throw before the 2:30 is up.
There is also a maximum of three time outs allowed in a game, called by either player, coach, or manager (such as a visit to the mound). This excludes coaching visits due to an injury or an emergency.
Tyler Heineman, a catcher in the Houston Astros organization, said that players still have to get used to the rules being enforced. As of publish date, there have only been two games played with the clocks in use.
“I thought the pace of game was alright,” Heineman said. “A couple times, we got messed up with a couple of ball ones starting off the inning. Other than that, it was fine.”
Arizona Diamondbacks outfield prospect Evan Marzilli said that the rules change everything.
“It’s not something you’re used to,” Marzilli said. “I mean, I guess if we’re gonna have to implement them, we’re gonna have to go through them.”
Both Heineman and Salt River manager Andy Haines noted that the clocks may force pitchers to rush their routine a bit to get warmup pitches in before the 2:30 concludes.
“It might take away from their first couple of pitches because they’re out of gas,” Heineman said.
Haines added, “I know you see guys kinda jog or walk from the pen. That’s definitely different. There is no jogging or walking or else you won’t be able to throw any warmups. It’s definitely a sense of urgency to get out there.”
A lot of the changes being made are more of a mental challenge for players than anything. Heineman said that he thinks pitchers are trying to zone it out as much as possible.
“In the beginning of the innings, it might speed up their routine a little bit, but in between pitches, the 20 seconds really has no effect on them,” Heineman said.
Marzilli agreed that the 20 second rule doesn’t affect him.
“The between pitches [clock] doesn’t really bother me too much,” Marzilli said. “But definitely being in the outfield, coming in, having to run, and kinda rush, it’s something you’re not used to.”
Pitchers throwing within the 2:05 and 2:30 periods is something that they noted they needed to work on, with the Rafters’ starting pitcher Mark Appel being caught going past the time mark and starting off the count at 1-0.
“We saw [the differences] tonight, with a bunch of balls being called that guys weren’t even throwing them,” Marzilli said. “It is different, but we’ll see how it works out.”
Prior to the beginning of the AFL season, Haines said that the Salt River club ran simulated games where they would time the pitchers from the bullpen.
“Just to give them a heads up of where they were, that you were on schedule, you’re a little slow,” Haines said, “so they weren’t totally thrown off guard when they got out here, so they got a little bit of a heads up.”
Testing the initiative in the Fall League is something that makes the most sense, according to Haines.
“I don’t think any of us want them to try to experiment at the major league stadium,” Haines said. “They need to experiment; this is certainly the place to do it. I don’t think that’s even debatable.”
Haines respects Major League Baseball for the initiative itself, calling it something that they’re doing that is best for the game, even if it is a short period of time to test it in the Fall League. Haines also does not think that it will affect players negatively — in fact, it would only help them in the long run.
“If they do want to implement this, these players here will have an advantage because they’ll be conditioned a little bit,” Haines said. “I think that’s the way to look at it. I don’t see it being a disadvantage besides the fact that they’re just gonna have to run out there instead of walk or whatever their routine is, and just be aware of it. It’s a short window. They’re not asking us to do this for six months. It’s a six-week season. And it’s limited exposure for the players as far as this goes. And we’re getting good feedback. If they make a mistake, it’s ball one, it’s not the end of the world. We’ll learn from it.”
NFL fans, boxing fans and sports fans in general, rejoice! The official HBO PR twitter account tweeted out fantastic news: next year HBO will offer a streaming HBO service, but this time without a currently required cable/satellite connection. In a matter of weeks, you will — at least if you live in the United States — be able to see the award winning Hard Knocks, fights and of course other shows and films.
Given the success of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus, it really was only a matter of time until HBO joined the ranks of standalone online streaming companies. The announcement was made at a Time Warner Inc. Investor Meeting where HBO Chairman and CEO Richard Plepler stated
“That [10 million broadband only homes] is a large and growing opportunity that should no longer be left untapped. It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO.”
Presuming it will be the existing HBO Go, the service will give subscribers full access to all shows, sports and movies available on the TV version of HBO. Between the shows such as Last Week Tonight and The Newsroom plus the currently unavailable HBO exclusive sports coverage, in particular Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, this is an overdue but nonetheless welcome announcement.
The latest major version of Apple’s mobile software, iOS 8, gained the ability to add widgets to one’s phone or tablet. While the counterparts in the Android world have enjoyed widgets since April 2009, Apple has finally sought fit to allow widgets on their devices. As a user of both major operating systems, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see them on my iPhone. Rather than requiring manually authorization to display information, e.g. opening an app, widgets constantly update information. In particular stock, Bitcoin and sports widgets are all incredibly convenient. The first major sports widget launched on iOS8 is the free Forza Football Widget, and it is everything I could want from a soccer info center.
After the initial download, you’re greeted to a lovely welcome screen and quick start guide.
As you progress throughout the setup, you’re given the choice of which country to pick. You’re able to choose multiple countries to pick and I decided to go with the United States and add South Korea later on.
Once you’ve picked out which nation — and you can add Under-21, womens, etc. — the next set of choices becomes how many leagues would you like to follow. Unsurprisingly the main leagues are auto selected, but you can add or remove as you wish.
Now that everything is picked out, you’ll want to utilize Forza Football as the widget, not just the app. In order to add real time score updates, you’ll have to swipe down on the notification bar of your phone and select “new widget available.”
At this point you can add Forza to any current widgets you may have running.
I’m able to partake in pre-game polls on who will win, a fun feature I didn’t even realize I was missing.
Additionally the push alerts that go off when a team I’m following is great for people like me who tend to be a bit forgetful.
Forza offers a superior football experience. I’ve previously touched on and even praised other soccer apps such as MLS Matchday and Fox Soccer 2Go, however I can’t see myself using those apps with Forza on my phone. For a brand new widget I can’t imagine anything else I’d really want.
Engadget has uncovered an FCC filing outlining what appears to be the newest product from fitness-tracking company FitBit. FitBit offers devices that can go either on the wrist or clip onto a pocket or waistline, and the newest offering, called the Charge, stays within that mold. However, the Charge strays away slightly from the simplistic design and features offered in current FitBit products.
Current FitBit models only do a few basic things. They track your steps throughout the day as well as your dedicated exercise, and converts that info into an estimated calories burned metric. You can pair the device to a smartphone or computer to track your progress, and use FitBit’s app to even log meals to get a good sense of your calories in and calories out. The more adventurous/inquisitive user can even plug into FitBit’s API to log large sets of data for a more macro look at their fitness and activities. Some models also offer sleep tracking, which can also be logged to FitBit’s app.
FitBit’s only wrist-wearable option as of now is the Flex, which is really a small device hidden inside a silicon wristband. The only display is a set of five LEDs that let you know your daily progress compared to your step goals. It’s design is intentionally simplistic, as it’s meant to be worn and ignored throughout the day — to be unobtrusive. According to the US Patent Office filings, however, FitBit is adding some new features to the Charge to help bring it to the level of other wearables offered by other companies.
The Charge will come in two versions, one of which has a heart rate monitor. This data, which can be of interest to more serious exercisers, will most likely also be logged in within FitBit’s ecosystem. The Charge also dabbles in a bit of smartwatch technology, offering navigation information, music controls, and call notifications. These features come as a convenience for people on the streets, trails, or treadmills, as it allows them more interaction with their smartphone while it’s tucked away somewhere. Though the USPTO paperwork doesn’t mention it, photos of some Charge advertising by Twitter user @etownsendwx show a display on the device that could also be capable of displaying the time.
With smartwatches making a push into the mainstream, FitBit seems to be dipping their toes in the shallow end of that pool. By offering a product still focused exclusively on fitness tracking, but with a few smartwatch features thrown in for convenience, it’s clear they are not quite ready to rest on their laurels. For the runners and walkers out there looking for a high-quality performance tracker with just a few necessary bells and whistles thrown in, the Charge might be just what they seek.
Injuries are an unfortunate byproduct of sports. Be it the growing concern of concussions, Tommy John surgery or the more normal strains and pulls, every professional and collegiate — and most high school — sporting event has medical staff on the sidelines. Even routine issues such as sore throats, flu-like symptoms or general knee pain diagnoses could be changed as Google is looking to expand its reach by video chatting with doctors.
Credit to reddit user jasonahoule for posting this (via imgur) of a simple “knee pain” screenshot on Friday afternoon:
Tech website Engadget independently verified Google is in fact exploring a “Helpouts-style” option to video chat from any location with doctors. Google Helpouts currently offers a video connection with experts in a wide range of fields from culinary help to computer setup, though medical assistance could be on the way.
Unfortunately a search done around 5:30 pm eastern yesterday afternoon, Google has seemingly pulled back their live chat trial. The exact same search of “knee pain” in the mobile versions of Chrome and Safari as well as Silk failed to yield any “Talk with a doctor now” options.
Chatting with a medical professional will have certain limits, as things such as MRIs, CAT scans etc. are all things that currently cannot be done with a mouse or a touch screen. That being said, there could be a day — perhaps sooner rather than later — where on-field diagnosis for pains, strains and sprains become a part of our everyday lives.
That’s right. A scholarship for video game players. How both delightful and terrifying. And I don’t really know why either emotion strikes me, much less both simultaneously. Perhaps I’m terrified because — much in the way my grandfather, born in 1901, became dismayed at the increasing popularity of the NFL in the 1970s — I am witnessing an irrevocable change in the universe of sports. Esports — or electronic sports — are going mainstream. They’re going NCAA.
Well, not necessarily NCAA, but they’re getting legit like crazy. Actually, the video game tournaments themselves are already legit. Consider pro gamer Nadeshot’s discussion about the team roster around the 2:50 mark in this interview. He makes it very clear how the players inside the industry already see themselves as brethren to the pro athletes of traditional sports. Students of the history of pro sporting leagues (or perhaps just anyone who’s seen the first two episodes of Ken Burn’s Baseball documentary) will no doubt suffer from deja vu at this juncture: Players rapidly jumping from one team to the next; the league lacking clear regulation; the popularity outpacing the structure.
I doubt the world of esports and gaming will ever have a business model identical to the NFL, Premier League, or any other stadium-based sports league, but at the same time, the models of these leagues are changing rapidly, too. The proliferation and growing demand for services like MLB.tv, NFL Rewind, and similar streaming services suggests that an online broadcast would not only be successful, but well-positioned for the next decade of broadcasting trends.
Video games tourneys are not getting legit. They are legit. Past tense. Stuff’s for real now. (Image by Milton Jung.)
So esports happens to be an activity that people care about. It makes sense, then, that good esports players could make a living doing this popular thing makes sense — that’s how all our current pro sports leagues came into existence. Jim Creighton got paid (under the table) to play baseball, and he got paid with the money from the ticket booth. And when radio coverage started making the sport more money, tickets, hot dogs, and toothpaste commercials lined Babe Ruth’s wallet.
Now, Peyton Manning makes the heft of his income from television. Gate receipts for an NFL game represent only a fraction of the NFL’s revenue. But a guy like Manning also makes a great deal of money in non-NFL advertisements. And this is another piece of the economic puzzle that is pro game.
SK Gaming, one of Germany’s premier gaming teams, has sponsorship deals with Intel, Medion AG, and previously Adidas. As recently as 2008, the 85% of the team’s funding came from sponsorships.
The other side of this inquiry is the question: Is this a sport? Should gaming be considered athletic? Are the Robert Morris gamers student-athletes? I think the answer is probably yes. Maybe it has to be yes. If NASCAR, with it’s heavy reliance on mechanical and electronic components, is a sport, then so is gaming. Like racing sports, gamers cannot survive on intellect alone — so it is unlike a chess or board game tournament. Esports have a very specific, very real physical component to their execution — the rapid maneuvering and manipulating of the hands and fingers; the ability to communicate reflexively and across multiple mediums (with the headset and, say, on-screen flares).
Of course, if we don’t consider pro racing athletic (and I think there’s semantical room to argue that), then we can easily paste that same conclusion on the Robert Morris students. But I’ve digressed.
I would like to point out another similarity of the pro sports and pro esports worlds: Rapid player obsolescence. Whereas the pro tennis, basketball, football, soccer, or baseball player has finished his or her career by age 40, the 30-year-old gamer is an equally rare sight — which is especially surprising since video games have been around for nearly 40 years. But gamer fatigue appears just as real as NFL running back obsoletcence — though with far fewer life-altering concussions to worry about.
So from a collegiate perspective, I think a gaming scholarship is perfectly rational (assuming any sports scholarship is at all rational). It is a sport that could draw attention and attendance to the school; it nurtures an ability that can — though unlikely — result in a lucrative pro career; and it is a topic that is relevant to the interests of many students’ and many in the coming generations.
I say: Well done, Robert Morris. You may have broken the sports and esports barrier, and I think we can all agree that’s delightifying.
At least as far as online sports media goes, GIFs make the world go round. We use them to show bloopers and Peyton Manning faces, home runs and butt fumbles. Many writers and analysts use GIFs to help show pitching mechanics, football plays, and any other subjects that can benefit from some video evidence. It’s a useful tool, but one that’s around two decades old. Technology has better offerings now, and one of the bigger players in the GIF game is making a big change. Online hosting giant Imgur has made their intentions clear: it’s time to move on from the GIF.
The demand for higher quality and longer GIFs have surpassed the ability for the file type to keep up with us. Instead of constantly relying on the older GIF — technology has improved a bit since the 1980’s where it was first introduced — Imgur has decided to alter course and go with a much newer technology, MP4s. The media hosting site announced plans to convert all old GIFs to HTML5 compatible MP4 videos, labeling the files as the all new GIFV file type.
The new files are smaller, creating less strain on Imgur, load faster on mobile devices and are able to viewed on any platform. Another hosting site, Gfycat, has been using HTML 5 for months now and their home page even sports how much bandwidth they’ve saved using HTML 5 rather than GIFs. There is a worthy debate going on as to why Imgur decided to go with the MP4 format rather than WebM and the probable answer is compatibility. At the time of writing. WebM is not available on any iOS version without downloading a free video player, unless you choose to jailbreak your device. Rather than force a large user base to download compatibility apps, Imgur has taken a shorter and faster route to replace the GIF.
For a comparison of GIF vs HTML 5, look no further than Gfycat’s FAQ page. The length and quality — not to mention the ability to pause, rewind or view frame by frame, it’s an MP4 video, remember? — are identical and the HTLM 5 is much smaller than the GIF.
Don’t expect GIFs to disappear overnight, they’re too well established for that, but anticipate more and more websites moving to the MP4 or GIFVs. They’re superior to GIFs in every way and are compatible on all devices. If WebM becomes the new standard video type then perhaps Imgur will once again change, but for now their strides to replace the GIF are already underway.
The NHL offers a product similar to MLB.tv called NHL GameCenter LIVE. For $16o (or $20 a month for eight months), hockey fans can watch any out-of-market game on their computer or a bevy of connected devices. This includes major gaming devices, Android and iOS devices, and a choice group of connected boxes for the TV such as Apple TV and Roku. But some Roko owners are getting a rude awakening when trying to fire up NHL games through GameCenter LIVE this year.
As Timothy Burke points out on Deadspin, older Roku boxes are now (unexpectedly) not compatible with this year’s version of the app. Roku does throw a bone in the way of a $15 credit toward a new box, but the sudden new requirement can certainly leave customers blindsided. A five-day cancellation period is in play, but as Timothy notes, many people could have purchased their GameCenter LIVE subscription prior to October 3rd. This means they would not even know their Roku was not compatible until it was too late.
The Roku is a great and well-priced device, but being forced to buy a new one without warning is a pretty shady move. As noted in the comments of the Deadspin article, there are also different versions of the Roku 1 and Roku 2, which can cause further confusion among customers. I would imagine NHL would aqueous a little were a bamboozled customer to call in, but someone who doesn’t have an issue dropping $160 to watch hockey might just go out and by a new Roku for $50. Burke claims that the older-style Rokus should have no issue streaming this year’s GameCenter LIVE content. So, is the forced change really due to hardware/software constrictions, or is it just a cash grab? Either way, I can’t imagine too many people were happy when they tried to watch their favorite team on a suddenly-deemed-incompatible Roku yesterday.
