MLB.TV is far from HD quality but....

Last night I checked out the Yankees vs Cubs using my new MLB.TV subscription and came away far from impressed. While it was completely watchable the quality of the picture was by no means "near HD". My Internet connection is fantastic. MLB.TV states that you need at least 768 kbps and according to their sites test of my internet connection I have 8352 kbps so there is no pipeline reason I should not be getting the near HD stream. It was just the first game and it is still preseason so perhaps they are still working out a few issues. There is another Yankee game on today at 1 so I will see how that one looks.

There are some really neat feature that MLB.TV provides that the Extra Innings package could never. First, as a premium subscriber you have access to your your DVR so you can pause the live broadcast or rewind to see a play again. Another great feature is the highlight button. While you are watching a game you click this button and it will list the best plays of the game up till that point. You click on which highlight you want to see and it opens a PIP window in the corner and plays the highlight. You also have access to a live box score that updates with the action. These little extras really add a lot to the experience of watching the game.

So far I would give MLB.TV 3 out 5 stars. It is a good alternative to the Extra Innings package and just about half the price. If they can work on stabilizing the stream and actually give me "near HD" then this service will get a 5 out 5 from me.

Pros:
Nice interface
Can watch up to 4 games at once
Highlight replay PIP is really cool
Tons a live game stats

Cons:
Picture quality - No where near HD and sometimes not even a solid SD picture. It is very watchable though for baseball fans. While this is really the only con for me it is a BIG one and prevents this service from stomping the Extra Innings package into the ground.