Disappointed with delay

[Anonymous User]

So have used the sports pass for first time today to be able to watch the Celtic game, whilst watching the game was surprised and shocked to get Twitter goal alerts and texts from mates, before actually seeing the goals on my TV!!

I thought the channels were live?

So switched over to the cricket and again found it was delayed!

From what I could work out there's about a 45 second delay, this is unacceptable for me with Twitter and WhatsApp groups and every other online alerts out there.

Unless I watch with my phone turned off lol

I have fast fibre broadband so I know it's not a problem at my end.

I know there's even a delay between bbc1 and bbc1 hd, but it's only about 2 seconds...that's ok but almost a minute...no, am just disappointed with this delay, as now I won't be using the sports again, pricing wise it is quite good value and I had no picture or sound issues, they were perfect.

[Andy]

@Anonymous User

Welcome to the forum. There's always going to be some delay when streaming live channels across IP and it will vary for person to person dependent on stream service, location, DNS settings etc. From previous discussions on the topic 45 seconds isn't unusual.

eg https://community.nowtv.com/t5/NOW-TV-Box-white/Sky-Sports-News-HQ-App-delay/td-p/308551/highlight/true

[Anonymous User]

Thanks Andy, for the link.

Am using a black now TV box (about 3 months old) and it's wired straight into the router so think I have the fastest setup that I can have.

Am still a bit puzzled as when I had BT broadband, the bt sport was delivered over the broadband too using their TV box and there was no significant delay, and so assumed the now TV sky sports would be the same??

[Andy]

@Anonymous User

Ye, that's the thing with streaming over IP there's so many factors involved such as encoding speed, location of servers and network paths taken across the Internet, general traffic, DNS servers used etc that you can't really say for sure what the lag will be. I know a few years back when I used to watch GoT live on NOW TV so that I could text with mates who were also watching, and I couldn't understand why they were texting me about things that I was only just seeing, turns out I was about a minute behind satellite TV. I queried this with NOW TV and they said delays up to 2 minutes could be expected.

You may find its better on another day. Just something to bear in mind for the future.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks again Andy for that info.

I'll see how I get on over the next week or so to see if this is for me or whether to go back to  sky sports via the dish and I'll stop trying to "fix" something that's completely out of my control!

With all the different variables that you listed sounds pretty complicated to nail down what's causing the delay.

[Anonymous User]

Am surprised more people haven't voiced their concerns about this, is it just me!??

So watching the Watford Liverpool game, my brother watching over in Germany msg me that firminho scored the penalty 30 seconds before I saw it on my tv!

Having watched a few matches over the last week it's clear to me that now TV is 

 "not live", it is delayed by about 45 seconds.

I won't be using it again.

I have a new-ish black now TV box with fast fibre BB, wired into the router, so it's the faster setup available

Sky should state that live sports on now tv are not live but delayed!!

[Anonymous User]

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@Anonymous User wrote:

Am surprised more people haven't voiced their concerns about this, is it just me!??

So watching the Watford Liverpool game, my brother watching over in Germany msg me that firminho scored the penalty 30 seconds before I saw it on my tv!

Having watched a few matches over the last week it's clear to me that now TV is 

 "not live", it is delayed by about 45 seconds.

I won't be using it again.

I have a new-ish black now TV box with fast fibre BB, wired into the router, so it's the faster setup available

Sky should state that live sports on now tv are not live but delayed!!

---

Every transmission is delayed even if by less than a second.  

Watch a show on SD and HD and you will find a two second lag.  Listen to FM radio and you will find it is a second or two ahead of the digital SD transmission.  Similar with FM vs. DAB.  Digital requires packaging and it takes time.  Maybe a second, but still a bit of time.

Now TV is no worse than BBC iPlayer.  Watch a "live" show on BBC1 SD and BBC1 on iPlayer and you experience the same 45 second lag.

My advice is to hide your mobile and turn off notifications.

[Anonymous User]

"My advice is to hide your mobile and turn off notifications."

That's just not realistic in today's social media driven world though is it? Messaging with mates, gauging views on Twitter... it's a huge part of watching live sport these days.

I've been trying for ages to find viable alternatives to the horrendously expensive Sky, Virgin & BT, but the unavoidable, excessive streaming delay is such a road block when it comes to watching live sport 😞

[Anonymous User]

Well 45 seconds is nothing. Today Newcastle v Chelsea is 10 minutes behind and as you can't pause it I can't understand how that happened 

[Anonymous User]

Newcatle v Chelsea game was fine for me, especially the result  

Being serious though, my notifications from my Flash scores app came through before the chelsea penalty and this has never happened before so thanks to the delay i had to turn my phone wifi/mobile data off, my concern is what happens if an important message is sent to me via wifi/data whilst they are off ? 

We shouldnt have to turn off essential parts of our phone !