June 17th, 2009
Can MLB.com hit an iPhone homerun with AT&T powering the network?
I wonder how much data it takes to stream a nine-inning Major League Baseball game to an iPhone? I wonder if AT&T is ready for that kind of data traffic. It looks like we’ll find out soon enough.
MLB.com is adding live feeds of some games to its popular $9.99 At Bat application for the iPhone and iPod Touch for no additional charge (at least for now), according to a post on the NYT”s Bits blog. The first game will be Thursday’s matchup between Cubs and White Sox.
AT&T has taken a beating from the iPhone crowd ever since Apple made its announcement of new features for the iPhone 3G S at the worldwide developer’s conference. The AT&T network, which has already developed a reputation for spotty, unreliable coverage on the iPhone, was literally booed at the conference when it was learned that AT&T won’t immediately support MMS messaging and tethering.
Also see: AT&T: The iPhone’s anchor
MLB.com says the application has DVR features that allow the users to pause or rewind. It said the stream also will play either over a WiFi connection or the 3G network and that it’s servers can detect the strength of the signal and adjust the video stream for it.
We’ll see soon enough, won’t we?
Sam Diaz is a senior editor at ZDNet. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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