MotoGP.com Subscription -- Tech Question

[Dana in Philly]

My home has acquired a fat broadband pipe, so I'm inclined to purchase a season video pass to MotoGP.com. One question, though, for those of you who've done this: does the MotoGP.com race video stream (1) through one's web browser, or (2) through a proprietary streaming video viewing program that MotoGP.com requires one to download and install (requiring a particular operating system)?

Why do I ask? Because my fastest, quietest computer is a 64-bit Linux laptop.

Thanks.

[Dana in Philly]

I probably should add: The plan is to connect the HDTV to the HDMI output on the laptop, and actually watch the qualifying and races on the HDTV, not on the laptop. The signal will come to the laptop via ethernet cable from the router.

[wswartzwel]

you will probably need a video player like Boxee. I found it to work with all types of video on my linux devices.

[Bob Hancock]

Originally Posted by Dana in Philly

I probably should add: The plan is to connect the HDTV to the HDMI output on the laptop, and actually watch the qualifying and races on the HDTV, not on the laptop. The signal will come to the laptop via ethernet cable from the router.

Ten years ago this paragraph would have been incomprehensible.

[Dana in Philly]

Originally Posted by wswartzwel

you will probably need a video player like Boxee. I found it to work with all types of video on my linux devices.

You speaking from experience with streaming from MotoGP.com, Bill?

[wswartzwel]

I have watched the free ones from the site that way, not the paid races. With Boxee you can view most any format of video. Linux users (google search)have some really good sites for support. if no one else here chimes in.

[dlong]

Through the web browser on a PC running W7. Usually flawless although there were a few freezes during Qatar on Sunday.

[Dana in Philly]

Originally Posted by dlong

Through the web browser on a PC running W7. Usually flawless although there were a few freezes during Qatar on Sunday.

Awesome, thanks. Shouldn't be a problem for me then.

[JGard]

I play it through a browser on my HTPC, which is running Windows. IE and Chrome both seem to work fine, so maybe try Chromium on Linux

[tm1100s]

I do exactly what you are looking to do. I use a laptop to receive the broadcast (by the way, it uses Realplayer automagically), then the TV gets plugged by HDMI into the laptop HDMI output. Works perfectly. If you have an internet ready HDTV you can do it wirelessly or with a cat5 cable and use the TV's built in browser.

Low and medium res works fine with a 6Mbps connection, higher res gets a freeze now and then.

[John Lyon]

Originally Posted by tm1100s

I do exactly what you are looking to do. I use a laptop to receive the broadcast (by the way, it uses Realplayer automagically), then the TV gets plugged by HDMI into the laptop HDMI output. Works perfectly. If you have an internet ready HDTV you can do it wirelessly or with a cat5 cable and use the TV's built in browser.

Low and medium res works fine with a 6Mbps connection, higher res gets a freeze now and then.

Should also be able to wirelessly broadcast it to your TV from an ipad if you own an AppleTV box.

[wswartzwel]

my macbook air does that too on my apple TV.

[Dana in Philly]

Heh. You guys ....

The idea is not to buy more boxes (Roku, AppleTV, whatever), but to use the boxes we've already got (System76 64-bit Ubuntu Linux laptop).

The HDTV's pretty new. I'll see if it has an integrated browser and wireless or ethernet port. If so, I can take the laptop out of the equation altogether.

[1%er]

Live streaming to you computer through your web browser is the way it comes in. The bandwidth and speed of your service will determine whether or not it continually stops to buffer. Make sure you ask your internet provider if you have enough download speed to live stream HiDef or you will be switching to he Standard Definition which sux more often than you care to. This year's multi cam feature is great. You don't have to watch what they think is best. Alas, you become your own director. Also, you can mix your own sound ie. the announcers can be off'd and then youhear it like you are standing trackside. I enjoyed the commercial free racing last week. Ifeed the sound out of my computer into the Bose System and the HDMI to my theater system. Bikes are almost actual size at times. It is not 1080P however.

[Cannonball996]

I like the multicam thing that they added this year, as well as the audio mixer, its not the best quality, though it works well. I usually share my subscription feed through rocketfreaks.com of course I will be in austin next week for the race so U will not be able to set up a feed for that race.

[Dana in Philly]

Just to close out this thread -- and for the benefit of any future Linux users who might be thinking of doing what I described in the original post: it works just fine. MotoGP.com is, at least as of this writing (4/13/13), completely OS agnostic. I searched the terms and conditions and the video pass rules, and neither Windows, nor Mac, nor Linux, is even mentioned.

I've got videos streaming just fine through Firefox on my Ubuntu 12.04 Linux laptop, out through the HDMI cable to the HDTV.