Well, Michigan State couldn’t keep up with North Carolina and another crazy college hoops tourney is in the books. The Tarheels’ win was great news for Greg in Atlanta, who won TGB’s Hoops Tourney pool and the sweet USB TV Tuner that went along with it. Greg picked 7 of the Elite 8 teams correctly, as well as both Michigan State and North Carolina to face off in the final. Nice job, Greg.
Brad S. came in second, also picking both championship game participants correctly, but going for the Spartans instead of UNC.
I used Media Center in a variety of different ways during the tournament this year, and both followed and enjoyed it more than any year in recent memory.
While at work, I used Sports Channel on my laptop for highlights, analysis and re-caps. I know there’s been disappointment around it’s inability to work on Extenders, but I really liked using it while I was at my PC. At home, where my Media Center is connected directly to my main TV (and thus, I could use it with my remote if I wanted) I didn’t access Sports Channel all that much, and by ‘all that much’ I mean ‘at all.’
Above: Sports Channel ‘entertainment snacks’…liked them at work, not so much at home…
I don’t know if this is a quirk for me as a user or not. We don’t watch too much TV in our house, but when we do, it’s usually when we have time to sit down and enjoy something. I watched a lot of the early round games in the Sports Lounge, which was very cool because all of the scores and info was constantly updated for me. And I recorded a few games that I wasn’t able to see live. But when I was on the couch with the remote, I had no desire to take in a 2-minute clip of analysis or highlights.
I guess it’s because when I head into the TV room, it’s because I’m ready for a meal, not a snack. In fact, I inexplicably hate the term “snack-sized entertainment.” (Probably I’m jealous of whomever came up with it, but let’s not make this post about my ego.) It feels a lot like picking up a novel, reading one page, then setting it down and picking up another one. And I don’t mind this kind of experience when I’m browsing on my laptop or in the office, but it has never translated for me to the remote and the big screen.
I know. I’m old. 40 is peeking around a corner at me and after that it’s pretty much dinner at 4 p.m., bed at 7, right? My kids love “snack sized entertainment” on the big screen. I think this is called a ‘’generation gap.’
As for the live streaming the NCAA offered through its website, I only used it once, when Cleveland State’s game wasn’t televised locally. I used it on the big screen and had to dial the “quality meter” down to so-so in order for the stream to be smooth, which required that I make the window smaller than my available real-estate in order for the picture to not be so blocky.
In the end, the excitement of the game totally transcended these limitations for me, because, in the end, content is always the core of the experience.I suppose if CSU had lost to Wake Forest, I'd be feeling a bit more critical about the live stream.
Above: For me, the NCAA’s “high quality” stream was choppy, but watching in the browser gave me a blinking advertisement-induced headache.
So, that was me, the tourney and Media Center. Sports channel at work, sports lounge at home. All good times.
And what of my brackets? You may remember I did three brackets: one totally cold, one after watching all the preview and analysis on Sports Channel (not a particularly productive day at work, that) and one with a simple coin-toss deciding every pick.
How did I do:
- Pre-Sports Channel: 117 points, Tied for first place in 10-player field
- Post-Sports Channel: 120 points, 3rd place in a 10-player field.
- Coin flip: 23 points, 1036763 place in a HUGE field. (Sweet! Woo-hoo! I’m #1,036,763! I’m #1,036,763!)
So, post-sports channel, I had a slightly higher score, but fared worse in the specific bracket I was in. All I know for sure is that the coin flip method needs some work.
Thanks to all who participated. Good times.