F1 on Channel 4
Discussion
Channel 4 coverage suits me. With the culture where safety cars and VSC's are prolific and the races are often far more padding than organic excitement, the highlights show is just enough for me to see the start, skip most of the padding, see most of the noteworthy moments and then see the end. I skip through most of the pre-show and I rarely watch even as far as the after race interviews (unless something dramatic happened and needed comment from the drivers).
That's it for me.
That's it for me.
Fire99 said:
Channel 4 coverage suits me. With the culture where safety cars and VSC's are prolific and the races are often far more padding than organic excitement, the highlights show is just enough for me to see the start, skip most of the padding, see most of the noteworthy moments and then see the end. I skip through most of the pre-show and I rarely watch even as far as the after race interviews (unless something dramatic happened and needed comment from the drivers).
How do you know who finished where if you only watch to the end of the race 
speedking31 said:
I don't remember seeing a circuit diagram showing the sectors and DRS zones etc. It's a bit pointless saying who's quicker in Sector 2 if you don't know what that sector comprises. Virtually no race-related background whatsoever.
One of the main points of F1 for me is the advanced technology and how that might influence road car design in the future. Other than the Mercedes reconfiguration at the start of the season I don't recall the last time I saw a technical explanation piece. As C4 has to occupy as much screen time on non-race content as race content I think that is the ideal opportunity to go into a bit of depth about aerodynamics, tyres, what you're allowed to adjust, weights, power units, suspension, undertrays, fuel, etc., etc.
I get the argument about entertainment, but if that stuff is of no consequence, and it's all about the celebrities, then you might as well run a one make series with everyone driving the same car. It's the tech that is the differentiator, so show us some of it.
Channel 4 decided a while ago that the technical side of the sport wasn't interesting to its viewers so was not going to focus on it. One of the main points of F1 for me is the advanced technology and how that might influence road car design in the future. Other than the Mercedes reconfiguration at the start of the season I don't recall the last time I saw a technical explanation piece. As C4 has to occupy as much screen time on non-race content as race content I think that is the ideal opportunity to go into a bit of depth about aerodynamics, tyres, what you're allowed to adjust, weights, power units, suspension, undertrays, fuel, etc., etc.
I get the argument about entertainment, but if that stuff is of no consequence, and it's all about the celebrities, then you might as well run a one make series with everyone driving the same car. It's the tech that is the differentiator, so show us some of it.
(Cant find the link at the moment, but its seemingly a conscious decision)
BunkMoreland said:
Channel 4 decided a while ago that the technical side of the sport wasn't interesting to its viewers so was not going to focus on it.
(Cant find the link at the moment, but its seemingly a conscious decision)
Getting the balance right is quite hard for any broadcaster.(Cant find the link at the moment, but its seemingly a conscious decision)
Too technical and people don't follow
Too dumbed down and the nuances get lost
vaud said:
Getting the balance right is quite hard for any broadcaster.
Too technical and people don't follow
Too dumbed down and the nuances get lost
Agree. But F1 is not Football or Rugby where ball and boot technology isn't making the difference between winning and losing. The Technical side is 50% of it. Too technical and people don't follow
Too dumbed down and the nuances get lost
Trouble is the rules are so damned prescriptive that relatively tiny differences are all that is possible . They still decide races ,but in the interests of the show(aka the new F1 fan demographic with gnat like attention spans) the cars are very evenly matched, because they are nearly identical . .
I do miss the days when team A 's mighty V12 might be enough to see off team B's grippy , but less powerful V8, if not team C's turbo 4 . My interest in F1 ...err. power units has waned in direct proportion to my understanding of them .
I do miss the days when team A 's mighty V12 might be enough to see off team B's grippy , but less powerful V8, if not team C's turbo 4 . My interest in F1 ...err. power units has waned in direct proportion to my understanding of them .
I actually think the C4 coverage is very good.
Lest we Forget - It is free!
Some folk seem to want more technical detail, but C4 is trying to strike a balance.
I'd like to see more of Webber...and Eddie Jordan - people who have done, not just said. I guess EJ on C4 is a thing of the past though.
The whole Las Vegas hype/reality was expected, no different than Silver 'the home of British motor racing' Stone, with gurning camp site fans being interviewed/featured.
If folks are really concerned about C4 then they can contact Whisper Films themselves!
Lest we Forget - It is free!
Some folk seem to want more technical detail, but C4 is trying to strike a balance.
I'd like to see more of Webber...and Eddie Jordan - people who have done, not just said. I guess EJ on C4 is a thing of the past though.
The whole Las Vegas hype/reality was expected, no different than Silver 'the home of British motor racing' Stone, with gurning camp site fans being interviewed/featured.
If folks are really concerned about C4 then they can contact Whisper Films themselves!
There seems to be a lot of justification for the free option here... But surely watching live and seeing storylines develop during the race is valuable? It's the anticipation that creates excitement.
Just watching highlights is like reading the synopsis of a book, you know the major plot points but you don't appreciate the story.
I'm not about to suggest anyone should pay Sky prices for the sport in the UK these days.. But F1TV really isn't that hard to get working in the UK and it's £60 a year.
Just watching highlights is like reading the synopsis of a book, you know the major plot points but you don't appreciate the story.
I'm not about to suggest anyone should pay Sky prices for the sport in the UK these days.. But F1TV really isn't that hard to get working in the UK and it's £60 a year.
TheDeuce said:
There seems to be a lot of justification for the free option here... But surely watching live and seeing storylines develop during the race is valuable? It's the anticipation that creates excitement.
Just watching highlights is like reading the synopsis of a book, you know the major plot points but you don't appreciate the story.
I'm not about to suggest anyone should pay Sky prices for the sport in the UK these days.. But F1TV really isn't that hard to get working in the UK and it's £60 a year.
The channel 4 "highlights" are really about 90% of the race, there is very little that you don't see of a normal race, so you do still get the storylines of how different strategies are playing out, or how driver A is catching driver B etc.Just watching highlights is like reading the synopsis of a book, you know the major plot points but you don't appreciate the story.
I'm not about to suggest anyone should pay Sky prices for the sport in the UK these days.. But F1TV really isn't that hard to get working in the UK and it's £60 a year.
And I'll take the missing 10% over sitting watching 10 laps of them trundling around behind the safety car.
BunkMoreland said:
Channel 4 decided a while ago that the technical side of the sport wasn't interesting to its viewers so was not going to focus on it.
(Cant find the link at the moment, but its seemingly a conscious decision)
I had a look for myself and couldn't find it but the quote was something along the lines that Sky existed for the hardcore technical fans and C4 had to put a product out there that could entertain the masses watching free TV.(Cant find the link at the moment, but its seemingly a conscious decision)
I've enjoyed C4 for the last 3 seasons, I actually really like being disconnected from my phone and computer on a Sunday afternoon when I'm trying to avoid the result.
I quite like the C4 coverage but the OD/app side of it is very frustrating!
The live coverage has just finished and in the C4 app on my phone I could watch highlights (having just got in) BUT on the TV version of the C4 OD app I can’t. And I’d rather watch on a decent screen.
Plus C4 is the only one of the terrestrial apps that doesn’t let you watch live on a TV. Is that a cost decision or just they can’t be bothered?
The live coverage has just finished and in the C4 app on my phone I could watch highlights (having just got in) BUT on the TV version of the C4 OD app I can’t. And I’d rather watch on a decent screen.
Plus C4 is the only one of the terrestrial apps that doesn’t let you watch live on a TV. Is that a cost decision or just they can’t be bothered?
MiniMan64 said:
Plus C4 is the only one of the terrestrial apps that doesn’t let you watch live on a TV. Is that a cost decision or just they can’t be bothered?
Genuine question, but why would you want to watch a terrestrial channel through an app on a TV when you can just watch the channel directly on the same device?thegreenhell said:
MiniMan64 said:
Plus C4 is the only one of the terrestrial apps that doesn’t let you watch live on a TV. Is that a cost decision or just they can’t be bothered?
Genuine question, but why would you want to watch a terrestrial channel through an app on a TV when you can just watch the channel directly on the same device?MiniMan64 said:
thegreenhell said:
MiniMan64 said:
Plus C4 is the only one of the terrestrial apps that doesn’t let you watch live on a TV. Is that a cost decision or just they can’t be bothered?
Genuine question, but why would you want to watch a terrestrial channel through an app on a TV when you can just watch the channel directly on the same device?blueST said:
MiniMan64 said:
thegreenhell said:
MiniMan64 said:
Plus C4 is the only one of the terrestrial apps that doesn’t let you watch live on a TV. Is that a cost decision or just they can’t be bothered?
Genuine question, but why would you want to watch a terrestrial channel through an app on a TV when you can just watch the channel directly on the same device?Gassing Station | Formula 1 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff