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Post by averageboafan on Nov 14, 2023 7:41:12 GMT -6
Just curious on how much Box5 and FloMarching subscriptions are? Looking into buying for DCI and BOA next season. Which would be better to buy?
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Post by stlbanddad on Nov 14, 2023 10:59:43 GMT -6
Just curious on how much Box5 and FloMarching subscriptions are? Looking into buying for DCI and BOA next season. Which would be better to buy? Box5 and FloMarching are both in the $150-175 range for an annual subscription. Both are available for shorter terms - Box5 for individual events and Flo have monthly subscriptions. If you want to watch DCI, then Flo is your only choice. If you want to watch BOA, Box5 is your only choice. |
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Post by abtwitch on Nov 14, 2023 13:00:35 GMT -6
FloMarching is $150 for an annual subscription and that gives you DCI in the summer, USBands in the fall, WGI in the winter/spring, as well as any other sport you may want to watch that they have service for. They also give you the option for $30 a month, so you could buy a subscription in time for the Southwestern Regional in San Antonio and have it last you until the end of finals week.
Box5 does a package deal for only BOA, and I believe it was around $160 this year. You can also buy individual contests - just prelims, just finals, or both - for cheaper, but it racks up pretty quickly if you're watching multiple contests in a season. Box5 also streams other band competitions such as ISSMA and ABODA, but those are separate from the BOA package and have to be purchased individually.
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Post by Subito Fortissimo on Nov 14, 2023 20:26:40 GMT -6
If you're looking for advice on which would be a better quality buy, the answer is...neither? Both?
Flo has never been good, though has improved some from when they first started streaming the marching arts. The quality from show to show varies widely as they tend to hire local camera operators who may or may not have any clue about what they need to focus on in a marching performance. The bigger regional and championship events tend to be much better quality. The mic'ing at smaller events is often poorly done as well so audio quality is not always good.
Box5 used to actually be decent but seemed to take a downturn following the 2022 GN Finals debacle. This year they raised their prices and seemed to lower their own costs at the same time and a lot of viewers complained about poor production direction, audio cut outs and streams crashing.
If you subscribe to either one and have any issues don't bother complaining to their customer service. They'll just blame you and say your internet isn't fast enough or your computer screwed up.
For shear quantity Flo is the better deal for an annual subscription as you get access to all DCI and WGI shows as well as US Bands.
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Post by lostinthebands on Nov 14, 2023 21:03:02 GMT -6
A note on Box5 this year I have observed, especially with super regional and Grand Nats coverage…
From my eyes, Box5 is almost getting comfortable…? With BOA, and it’s showing. Whether it be the subtle aspects of camera operation or trying to engage more with students of the band, a lot of good and bad has come out of it. I love that they interview some of the students/staff/parents, but the interviews feel clunky. I thought it was cool they had that one guy explaining a lot of stats (as I tend to be a geek with) although I thought there were moments where it was unorganized.
Flo is kind of the opposite. They have been doing Marching Arts coverage for a considerable amount of time, and have the groove down…just not the quality. Whether it be stream quality being an issue or directing issues with camera operation, there are so many interchanging variables that can harm the experience.
And in my opinion, BOTH services are a bit overpriced (Flo being a bit more bearable with the monthly fee). As others have said, the Box5 individual fees add up so fast! If one event could be upwards of 30 dollars, growing into 60, should I pay that much when a full month of Flo is 30 dollars, for arguably more consistent streaming?
Moral of the story: I’m not a fan of both. They need good pricing and consistent quality, which both have moments where that lack of it.
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Post by abtwitch on Nov 15, 2023 18:57:33 GMT -6
A note on Box5 this year I have observed, especially with super regional and Grand Nats coverage… From my eyes, Box5 is almost getting comfortable…? With BOA, and it’s showing. Whether it be the subtle aspects of camera operation or trying to engage more with students of the band, a lot of good and bad has come out of it. I love that they interview some of the students/staff/parents, but the interviews feel clunky. I thought it was cool they had that one guy explaining a lot of stats (as I tend to be a geek with) although I thought there were moments where it was unorganized. Flo is kind of the opposite. They have been doing Marching Arts coverage for a considerable amount of time, and have the groove down…just not the quality. Whether it be stream quality being an issue or directing issues with camera operation, there are so many interchanging variables that can harm the experience. And in my opinion, BOTH services are a bit overpriced (Flo being a bit more bearable with the monthly fee). As others have said, the Box5 individual fees add up so fast! If one event could be upwards of 30 dollars, growing into 60, should I pay that much when a full month of Flo is 30 dollars, for arguably more consistent streaming? Moral of the story: I’m not a fan of both. They need good pricing and consistent quality, which both have moments where that lack of it. I think what you're missing with Flo's pricing is that it covers everything, not just the marching arts, so yes it can be frustrating if you're only there for one thing. Even with that being said, an annual subscription for Flo ends up being about $12.50 a month, which is cheaper than what you would get with most streaming services these days i.e. Netflix, Hulu, etc. Even those smaller events with less production value are expensive to run, so is $150 for a year when you're getting an insane amount of content really overpriced? Same applies to Box5's BOA package to an extent, they have to charge more given they are running with less resources than FloSports (and it shows with this year's stream stability). I would love to pay $50 dollars and have unlimited band, but that's unfortunately not very realistic when you have to take into account the costs of so much going behind the scenes that us average viewers wouldn't even think about. Edit: I completely forgot to mention the cost and labor that goes into rights acquisition of music, the whole reason we've had to switch to services like FloSports and Box5. |
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Post by salvation on Nov 15, 2023 19:02:55 GMT -6
A note on Box5 this year I have observed, especially with super regional and Grand Nats coverage… From my eyes, Box5 is almost getting comfortable…? With BOA, and it’s showing. Whether it be the subtle aspects of camera operation or trying to engage more with students of the band, a lot of good and bad has come out of it. I love that they interview some of the students/staff/parents, but the interviews feel clunky. I thought it was cool they had that one guy explaining a lot of stats (as I tend to be a geek with) although I thought there were moments where it was unorganized. Flo is kind of the opposite. They have been doing Marching Arts coverage for a considerable amount of time, and have the groove down…just not the quality. Whether it be stream quality being an issue or directing issues with camera operation, there are so many interchanging variables that can harm the experience. And in my opinion, BOTH services are a bit overpriced (Flo being a bit more bearable with the monthly fee). As others have said, the Box5 individual fees add up so fast! If one event could be upwards of 30 dollars, growing into 60, should I pay that much when a full month of Flo is 30 dollars, for arguably more consistent streaming? Moral of the story: I’m not a fan of both. They need good pricing and consistent quality, which both have moments where that lack of it. I think what you're missing with Flo's pricing is that it covers everything, not just the marching arts, so yes it can be frustrating if you're only there for one thing. Even with that being said, an annual subscription for Flo ends up being about $12.50 a month, which is cheaper than what you would get with most streaming services these days i.e. Netflix, Hulu, etc. Even those smaller events with less production value are expensive to run, so is $150 for a year when you're getting an insane amount of content really overpriced? Same applies to Box5's BOA package to an extent, they have to charge more given they are running with less resources than FloSports (and it shows with this year's stream stability). I would love to pay $50 dollars and have unlimited band, but that's unfortunately not very realistic when you have to take into account the costs of so much going behind the scenes that us average viewers wouldn't even think about. Edit: I completely forgot to mention the cost and labor that goes into rights acquisition of music, the whole reason we've had to switch to services like FloSports and Box5. It's also much cheaper than some sports packages! (NBA League Pass, NFL Sunday Ticket, etc.) |
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Post by saturdaynightlights on Nov 15, 2023 19:10:22 GMT -6
A note on Box5 this year I have observed, especially with super regional and Grand Nats coverage… From my eyes, Box5 is almost getting comfortable…? With BOA, and it’s showing. Whether it be the subtle aspects of camera operation or trying to engage more with students of the band, a lot of good and bad has come out of it. I love that they interview some of the students/staff/parents, but the interviews feel clunky. I thought it was cool they had that one guy explaining a lot of stats (as I tend to be a geek with) although I thought there were moments where it was unorganized. Flo is kind of the opposite. They have been doing Marching Arts coverage for a considerable amount of time, and have the groove down…just not the quality. Whether it be stream quality being an issue or directing issues with camera operation, there are so many interchanging variables that can harm the experience. And in my opinion, BOTH services are a bit overpriced (Flo being a bit more bearable with the monthly fee). As others have said, the Box5 individual fees add up so fast! If one event could be upwards of 30 dollars, growing into 60, should I pay that much when a full month of Flo is 30 dollars, for arguably more consistent streaming? Moral of the story: I’m not a fan of both. They need good pricing and consistent quality, which both have moments where that lack of it. I think what you're missing with Flo's pricing is that it covers everything, not just the marching arts, so yes it can be frustrating if you're only there for one thing. Even with that being said, an annual subscription for Flo ends up being about $12.50 a month, which is cheaper than what you would get with most streaming services these days i.e. Netflix, Hulu, etc. Even those smaller events with less production value are expensive to run, so is $150 for a year when you're getting an insane amount of content really overpriced? Same applies to Box5's BOA package to an extent, they have to charge more given they are running with less resources than FloSports (and it shows with this year's stream stability). I would love to pay $50 dollars and have unlimited band, but that's unfortunately not very realistic when you have to take into account the costs of so much going behind the scenes that us average viewers wouldn't even think about. Edit: I completely forgot to mention the cost and labor that goes into rights acquisition of music, the whole reason we've had to switch to services like FloSports and Box5. Yep. And frankly, Flo has gotten to the point where they're just good with DCI? I've steadily seen them struggle less and less over the course of their time streaming, and I can watch minor league hockey, racing, and high school football for much less than I’m paying for just BOA. Their backend is just better than Box5’s because they have so much more resources and considering how many events they cover. That said, I’m extremely impressed with what Box5 is doing in terms of production. They can broadcast a damn good show, I just wish that I had less issues with their smart tv apps, and that they had a dedicated mobile app as opposed to having to do it through an Internet browser. With all of that though, I’m very much getting the impression that the new DCI CEO will be looking at alternative ways of streaming, based on the interview he did with the Meet the Bus podcast that went up yesterday. Highly recommend anyone that is interested in DCI to check that out. |
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Post by lostinthebands on Nov 15, 2023 21:40:17 GMT -6
Dang, you all made some really good points! Appreciate the feedback.
At the end of the day, we all know Box5 and Flo are actually pretty decent streaming services, even if they have their kinks.
Now if you want something to REALLY grind your teeth on, then I’d say we could start discussing the tragedy that is NFHS streaming… but perhaps that’s a discussion for another day 🫣
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Post by ilikeguard on Nov 16, 2023 23:03:40 GMT -6
Watch more sports and Flo will be 100% worth it  |
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