Spiritgod

Just sent off another email to DirecTV, hopefully for the last time. I asked a pretty straightforward question about the promotion that they'll have to get real creative at dodging, though I'm sure they'll be up to the task.

*edit* Instead of writing a whole new reply below, I'll just edited this one. Got back pretty much a reply that I thought I was going to get. I'll just quote it and those reading this thread can make of it what you will.

"Thank you for writing back. I understand you still have additional questions in regards to the Madden NFL

SUNDAY

TICKET promotion. I can certainly address this for you today.

Please understand, this is an offer provided through Madden and not DIRECTV. The details for this offer are given by them and honored through them for signing up based on the Madden purchase.

The code provided will either allow you to create a new account with us as a customer or you are given a code to use the trial service online as a non DIRECTV customer. From my understanding this just states that if you are not a customer and not going to sign up then you can use a code provided to access the trial online."

I'm still skeptic, but I'm done. This is giving me a migraine and I'm seriously tired of getting back the same copy/paste response every time. I also am skeptic that this is all an EA deal, and that DirecTV has absolutely nothing to do with it. I might contact EA, but there's a slim chance of that as of right now.

@omniscientcajun: I saw that, but I can't believe it unless it comes directly from DirecTV.

@sackmanjones: Your reasoning is essentially why I have a hard time believing the promotion is a good thing for everyone. New customers I get, and I kind of understand the promotion for people unable to receive the service, but when a company can't flat out tell you what the promotion entails without using somewhat cryptic wording is where it seems bogus.

If I didn't want this so bad I'd just let it go and cancel my pre-order, but the NFL Sunday Ticket has always been something I've dreamed of having every year but the price tag always kept me away. Hopefully my next email will shed a little more light.

Yeah, I'm thinking, against better judgement of course, on sending yet another email. To see if I can get better clarification on their clarification.

As promised, here is the email I received from my last and final encounter with DirecTV. This time it isn't so black and white.

"Thank you for writing. I understand your interest in the Madden NFL SUNDAY TICKET promotional offer being advertised at this time. I can certainly address your concerns for this today.

Based on the information, I show for fans who are not current subscribers to DIRECTV but able to obtain service at their location they will receive a promotional code entitling them to a $10 off credit for the first 12 months of service with one year free of NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX at no additional charge. This is non customers signing up for service using this promotional code to receive the additional credit.

For fans who already subscribe to DIRECTV and our NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX you would be able to access the NFL SUNDAY TICKET on your computer, tablet, and mobile devices using current DIRECTV username and password for online account.

For fans who are not able to obtain DIRECTV service at their location, each Madden NFL 24 Anniversary Edition will include a unique code to access the 2013 regular season trial for NFL SUNDAY TICKET on there computers, tablets and mobile devices.

Basically, this offer is providing a discounted credit for people who are interested in having NFL SUNDAY TICKET and not a current DIRECTV customer. If you are a current customer the offer provides a code to allow online access for trial features only.

The details for non customers who are unable to obtain service, this means not able to set up an account with us at this time. This would provide a code to allow you online access to the season viewing of the games.

If you are not a current customer with us and have pre-ordered the Madden game for play the code is provided to you for the access of the trial viewing online during the upcoming season."

What gives a slight bit of hope is, "If you are a current customer the offer provides a code to allow online access for trail features only.", but I'm still not convinced DirecTV customers without the NFL Sunday Ticket are allowed the same benefits as new customers or people unable to receive the service. I'm keeping my pre-order just in case, but if I don't get some form of definitive proof then I'll have to cancel.

I've been back and forth with Amazon, who apparently hasn't a clue on the fine print of the promotion and had to contact DirecTV directly. I'll paste the email I got back from them that entails who is eligible for the promotion.

"Thank you for writing to ask about the Amazon offer that you will get free NFL SUNDAY TICKET.

We are confident that we are providing a wide variety of promotions and offers that our customers can take advantage of. While this is certainly a great offer, it is only for new customers at this time. Rest assured that, as the 2013 season approaches, we will update our offers for existing customers as well. The best way to stay in the loop for any special offers you may be eligible for is sign up for email alerts by logging in at (website removed).

In addition, you may watch NFL SUNDAY TICKET games using your PlayStation®3. However, you must have a base programming package. You can visit our web site at (website removed) to see the wide variety of programming choices we offer. You can also call us at 1-800-531-5000, our general customer support team is available from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PMlocal time daily."

So basically the only way to take advantage of this offer is if you are A, a new DirecTV customer, B, an existing DirecTV customer with NFL Sunday Ticket, or, C, one of those rare souls unable to receive DirecTV service because of where you live. I wish they'd define the promotion a little better, but it is what it is I suppose.

I hope this helps anyone confused, like I was, on the Amazon promotion.

*edit* I've sent one more email to DirecTV to make sure. I'll post the next response I get from them in this thread.

@dfl017: I actually have the PCI card below the one you listed in a maybe pile.

I guess the reason why this decision is a bit hard for me, is because I'm on a very limited budget, so this USB adapter, PCI card, or Powerline adapters will have to be a one and done type thing. I can't afford to buy something cheap, regret the purchase, and buy something else. Whatever I decide will have to handle live high definition content being streamed to it, otherwise it'll be a useless piece of hardware that I'll never use.

USB seems like a decent technology, but from all my research I'm not convinced it can handle a live HD stream. Powerline I still don't understand fully, but from what I did understand the technology is pretty cool, but the technology is reliant on the overall power usage in the house it's being used, and since I haven't a clue at how much is too much power usage, I might have to skip this technology for now. I don't know, I'm still searching around, but I do appreciate everyone's feedback.

@myketuna: I think I'm going to do a bit more research on Powerline, and sorry,@subject2change, I saw your post but didn't understand the technology, so I ignored it. I think Powerline might be my best bet, but will need to do a lot of research before making a final decision.

@myketuna: The more I think about it, the more USB doesn't seem like a leap of faith. I've checked my router specifications and 300Mbps is the highest it can handle, so I'm pretty much stuck with that. I still have concerns on...

Well, let me just clarify what I'll be using it for. For those that have heard, Madden 25 Anniversary edition comes with NFL Sunday Ticket if you buy from Amazon. I've asked Amazon a few questions to try and figure out exactly what the promotion entails. From what I've gathered, the promotion is only for PC use, meaning you can stream every football game from the Internet. So, basically I'm trying to stream live HD content from somewhere other than where my router is, and want to make sure that the video, which will be viewed by several friends, doesn't have any quality issues while we watch.

I think my biggest concern is will I be giving up performance if I use USB over PCI? Is 300Mbps good enough to stream live HD content via wifi? Distance on the other hand shouldn't be a huge concern as the room I'll be connecting my desktop to is literally a brick wall away. And to add a little further detail. The room that houses the router is an old garage made into an entertainment room, and the room I'll be connecting the desktop is right next to the entertainment room, I'm adding this info so that those who read this will know that it isn't just a brick wall, but essentially two walls back to back that the signal has to go through. I still don't think that is enough interference, but I also haven't attempted this before...so I could be wrong.

Are there any limitations to using USB? The main function I need is to stream HD video over the wireless network. Are there any speeds I need to be made aware of?

Ethernet is definitely out of the question. And yeah, I was thinking mostly on a card that installs to the motherboard.