Improving the viewing experience.
Discussion
Whichever team you backed 2007 was a great season. Night races, McLaren squeezed into a pit the size of the bogs in the McL motorhome,no TC,it will be an even better season next year. Or will it?
Ive heard nothing about improving the tv viewing experience. No talk of cutting back on ads. Far as I remember last time ad breakes came up as an issue was Imola when Shumi was chasing Alonso..
With all the meetings and hearings , tech developments and new circuits I wish theyd put some energy into truly understanding F1 from infront a TV screen. Apart from Kangeroo TV( only available trackside )nothings really improved our viewing.We're still missing out just as much as we did when ITV took over.
Oh well,,Rant over.
Ive heard nothing about improving the tv viewing experience. No talk of cutting back on ads. Far as I remember last time ad breakes came up as an issue was Imola when Shumi was chasing Alonso..
With all the meetings and hearings , tech developments and new circuits I wish theyd put some energy into truly understanding F1 from infront a TV screen. Apart from Kangeroo TV( only available trackside )nothings really improved our viewing.We're still missing out just as much as we did when ITV took over.
Oh well,,Rant over.
Even if it's split screen, can we not sit with a driver for five laps once a race?With the advent of the interactive feature you'd have thought ITV would have jumped on the bandwagon offering multi camera views,
They could possibly take a leaf out of the sky sports+ of old where you had player cam, offering a driver cam option where it cycled through various drivers(top 10?) every 5 minutes or so with those 5 minutes being cycled through each of the onboard cameras.
I've seen some of the onboard feeds that other countries take and some of the camera angles are amazing.
They could possibly take a leaf out of the sky sports+ of old where you had player cam, offering a driver cam option where it cycled through various drivers(top 10?) every 5 minutes or so with those 5 minutes being cycled through each of the onboard cameras.
I've seen some of the onboard feeds that other countries take and some of the camera angles are amazing.
I get well and truly fed up at having the tv coverage switched to some WAG in the pits as soon as anything interesting happens on the track. (The only expression I wanted to see all year was Ron Dennis's after the Alonso block at hungary.) Even Allen struggles to know who the subject is sometimes - but then again he would 
drakart said:
During the adverts in Spain, they show the grand prix in a small window at the bottom corner of the screen so you can still watch it. that is the easiest way to solve the problem i think.
That's a good idea. It also prevents us switching over to watch five minutes of the superbike every time there's an advert break, or making a drink, and thereby missing their precious adverts! I don't know anyone that actually watches the adverts!
I hear that ITV will be introducing intereactive phone voting for 2008 so that viewers can choose their driver of the day. Apparently each drivers racing number will be added to a premium rate telephone number and you'll be asked to txt or phone your choice during the race. At the end of the race ITV will turn to Martin Brundle to announce the winner.
However, if ITV do not like the viewers choice, they will simply decide who to give it to themselves, and FOCK the viewers who given even more money to a channel that relies on phone voting for a massive drop in advertising revenue!!
However, if ITV do not like the viewers choice, they will simply decide who to give it to themselves, and FOCK the viewers who given even more money to a channel that relies on phone voting for a massive drop in advertising revenue!!
I wrote this AGES ago now, but I think it's still relevant...
http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/feature/8416-0/...
http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/feature/8416-0/...
Better the devil you know, I reckon.
In case you didn't notice or conveniently forgot, we did get widescreen this year and quite a lot of new telemetry onscreens and in the last two years we have got driver-pit radio and numerous new viewing angles like the pit-cam and pit-tracking cameras. I don't know what more you want, really, anything else will just clutter up the screen and be irritating.
I couldn't believe it when I watched the Indy 500 and during the safety car they cut back to the studio to listen to a couple of dingbats talk utter rubbish. Do you really want that? Do you want permanent scrolling positions? No, I don't. I'll keep my screen space, thanks.
To the person who asked for 5 laps of onboard - which audience do you cater for: British, Spanish, Italian, German, Brazillians?
As for WAGs in the pits, they have been doing this for years, they used to cut to Mrs Hakkinen every 5 minutes 10 years ago.
Kipling, I read your article but the only suggestion I see you have is for 'ghost cars' and for the commentators to blow more smoke up the drivers' arses about how difficult their job is. Sorry if that sounded harsh! The ghost car doesn't seem very interesting. The virtual spectator used on the WRC footage should be perfect for the rally discipline but it just doesn't portray it as well as real footage and these days they might use it for 10 seconds during each highlights package. There's no evidence that this would enhance F1 viewing experience. If anything it's certain that the fans will complain, as they do every time an ad break comes up. Just show the damn racing!
It's always going to be a compromise between the world FOM feed, anorak/non-anorak viewers and overlayed ITV commentary. I don't think I've watched any other motorsport on TV that has 'more viewing experience'. Just accept it, IMO.
In case you didn't notice or conveniently forgot, we did get widescreen this year and quite a lot of new telemetry onscreens and in the last two years we have got driver-pit radio and numerous new viewing angles like the pit-cam and pit-tracking cameras. I don't know what more you want, really, anything else will just clutter up the screen and be irritating.
I couldn't believe it when I watched the Indy 500 and during the safety car they cut back to the studio to listen to a couple of dingbats talk utter rubbish. Do you really want that? Do you want permanent scrolling positions? No, I don't. I'll keep my screen space, thanks.
To the person who asked for 5 laps of onboard - which audience do you cater for: British, Spanish, Italian, German, Brazillians?
As for WAGs in the pits, they have been doing this for years, they used to cut to Mrs Hakkinen every 5 minutes 10 years ago.
Kipling, I read your article but the only suggestion I see you have is for 'ghost cars' and for the commentators to blow more smoke up the drivers' arses about how difficult their job is. Sorry if that sounded harsh! The ghost car doesn't seem very interesting. The virtual spectator used on the WRC footage should be perfect for the rally discipline but it just doesn't portray it as well as real footage and these days they might use it for 10 seconds during each highlights package. There's no evidence that this would enhance F1 viewing experience. If anything it's certain that the fans will complain, as they do every time an ad break comes up. Just show the damn racing!
It's always going to be a compromise between the world FOM feed, anorak/non-anorak viewers and overlayed ITV commentary. I don't think I've watched any other motorsport on TV that has 'more viewing experience'. Just accept it, IMO.
zac510 said:
Better the devil you know, I reckon.
In case you didn't notice or conveniently forgot, we did get widescreen this year and quite a lot of new telemetry onscreens and in the last two years we have got driver-pit radio and numerous new viewing angles like the pit-cam and pit-tracking cameras. I don't know what more you want, really, anything else will just clutter up the screen and be irritating.
Yep theyve dressed up the camera views and format , but theyre still drowning us with ads. In case you didn't notice or conveniently forgot, we did get widescreen this year and quite a lot of new telemetry onscreens and in the last two years we have got driver-pit radio and numerous new viewing angles like the pit-cam and pit-tracking cameras. I don't know what more you want, really, anything else will just clutter up the screen and be irritating.
Someone mentioned picture in picture, that would be a major step forward. And ITV could say their viewing figures for the ads has improved overnight.
Done...simple really...Pic in pic= more viewers=higher price for the ad slots=more money to pay for pic in pic= fans are happier cause they dont miss anything.
And right at the top of the bun fight, Bernie gets to charge ITV more money......"Bernie! Bernie ! I need to talk to you about something...Bernie wait for meeeeeee !"
I have to admit the recent Bathurst 1000 is the best piece of motor racing coverage I have seen for ages. Ok so it was the edited footage post race but it shew exactly what a motorsport fan would like to see.
As for F1 . . it really is poor coverage but then it is fatally flawed with different fans either wanting to watch the progress of a driver midfield or the driver at the front.
Its also live which means add breaks cannot be planned to miss action.
However why add breaks at all.. the advertising is continuous throughout the race anyway both on the cars and on the trackside hordings . . we end up with the ludicrous situation where we get stopped from watching a honda racing around a track only to be shown a honda advertisment.
Of course I realise ITV need revenue because Bernie has stitched them up to pay so much for second rate filming but the irony of interupting a motor race live possibly the defining corner of a race is surely not good for the advertisers.
I remember an add came on once in the closing stages of a very tight race and I actually resolved never to buy the advertisers products
As for F1 . . it really is poor coverage but then it is fatally flawed with different fans either wanting to watch the progress of a driver midfield or the driver at the front.
Its also live which means add breaks cannot be planned to miss action.
However why add breaks at all.. the advertising is continuous throughout the race anyway both on the cars and on the trackside hordings . . we end up with the ludicrous situation where we get stopped from watching a honda racing around a track only to be shown a honda advertisment.
Of course I realise ITV need revenue because Bernie has stitched them up to pay so much for second rate filming but the irony of interupting a motor race live possibly the defining corner of a race is surely not good for the advertisers.
I remember an add came on once in the closing stages of a very tight race and I actually resolved never to buy the advertisers products
I disagree that 2007 was a great season. Yes the championship was close but I don't think the racing was of an especially good quality. It was certainly no better than in 2005 and 2006. I'm sure that most of the upturn in the popularity of the sport in the UK can be attributed to a British driver winning. Anyway, that's somewhat off topic.
This has no appeal to me. I find the interactive part of digital TV tediously slow and besides, I'd rather have a professional sports television production team who can see the video from multiple cameras all at one deciding which view to show than have to do it myself. I don't claim they do a perfect job, and I too am annoyed when they show the drivers' family and friends in the pits, but I can't imagine that I would be able to do it more satisfactorily with a remote control.
I find the current on-screen graphics to be pretty good, easy to understand and comprehensive without being overbearing like on some of the American race coverage. I would like to hear more of the pit-to-car radio; I think there is currently far too little. I don't know whether this is the fault of the producers of the teams restricting what they allow to be broadcast. It would also be good to have a commentator who makes fewer errors than Allen.
The thing I would most like to be different is for ITV's coverage, before, during and after the race, to be less dumbed down. The only part of the programme I find in the slightest bit insightful is Brundle's commentary. The features in the race build-up are mostly crap, and the ones on topics of interest (usually the ones with Brundle) go into far too little depth. The interviews with drivers and other team members are dull; this may be more the fault of the interviewees than ITV or the interviewers. Blundell's punditry is pointless. However, I suppose that people with more than a fleeting interest in motorsport make up a tiny proportion of the potential viewing audience and as such, things are likely to remain the same.
Regarding the advertising breaks, I suspect that unless ITV can make as much or more money with fewer or no adverts then nothing will change.
TonyHetherington said:
As others have said, multi-views with interactive is common place now; why on earth not on F1?
This has no appeal to me. I find the interactive part of digital TV tediously slow and besides, I'd rather have a professional sports television production team who can see the video from multiple cameras all at one deciding which view to show than have to do it myself. I don't claim they do a perfect job, and I too am annoyed when they show the drivers' family and friends in the pits, but I can't imagine that I would be able to do it more satisfactorily with a remote control.
I find the current on-screen graphics to be pretty good, easy to understand and comprehensive without being overbearing like on some of the American race coverage. I would like to hear more of the pit-to-car radio; I think there is currently far too little. I don't know whether this is the fault of the producers of the teams restricting what they allow to be broadcast. It would also be good to have a commentator who makes fewer errors than Allen.
The thing I would most like to be different is for ITV's coverage, before, during and after the race, to be less dumbed down. The only part of the programme I find in the slightest bit insightful is Brundle's commentary. The features in the race build-up are mostly crap, and the ones on topics of interest (usually the ones with Brundle) go into far too little depth. The interviews with drivers and other team members are dull; this may be more the fault of the interviewees than ITV or the interviewers. Blundell's punditry is pointless. However, I suppose that people with more than a fleeting interest in motorsport make up a tiny proportion of the potential viewing audience and as such, things are likely to remain the same.
Regarding the advertising breaks, I suspect that unless ITV can make as much or more money with fewer or no adverts then nothing will change.
[quote=mark69sheer]
However why add breaks at all.. the advertising is continuous throughout the race anyway both on the cars and on the trackside hordings . . we end up with the ludicrous situation where we get stopped from watching a honda racing around a track only to be shown a honda advertisment.
Thats a really really sound point and just goes to show how disjointed the planning/ thinking really is. Its why I dont think Bridgestone should run ads, We're watching Hamilton's Bridgestones ripping up and then theres a 30s ad telling us how good Bridgestones are if you run over a nail. If you could get through the layers of Agency planners and Bridgestone Brand Managers to talk to the top Bridgestone Jap, would be wonderful to see the look on his face when the irony dawns on him. Then the shock when he realises how much money he's chucked away in the process. To be honest if I were a tyre company Id stay well clear of F1.
However why add breaks at all.. the advertising is continuous throughout the race anyway both on the cars and on the trackside hordings . . we end up with the ludicrous situation where we get stopped from watching a honda racing around a track only to be shown a honda advertisment.
Thats a really really sound point and just goes to show how disjointed the planning/ thinking really is. Its why I dont think Bridgestone should run ads, We're watching Hamilton's Bridgestones ripping up and then theres a 30s ad telling us how good Bridgestones are if you run over a nail. If you could get through the layers of Agency planners and Bridgestone Brand Managers to talk to the top Bridgestone Jap, would be wonderful to see the look on his face when the irony dawns on him. Then the shock when he realises how much money he's chucked away in the process. To be honest if I were a tyre company Id stay well clear of F1.
If there is one thing that I would like to see in coverage, it is some different camera angles. At the moment, a car comes into shot with the camera zoomed right in. It the zooms back to keep the car in frame, and once it reaches the camera it changes to the next zoomed in camera. I understand that they want to have fill the screen with the cars as much as possiblt, but it rarely gives any perspective on how fast the cars actually are.
When I first saw a modern F1 car for real it blew me away with how it went through the corners. I would like to see more fixed focal length shots, or even fixed point of view shots at certain positions, say looking through a chicane to try and emphasise the performance of the cars. Even the slowest ones on the grid are immensely fast compared to most other things, and you just don't get any impression of it on the screen.
When I first saw a modern F1 car for real it blew me away with how it went through the corners. I would like to see more fixed focal length shots, or even fixed point of view shots at certain positions, say looking through a chicane to try and emphasise the performance of the cars. Even the slowest ones on the grid are immensely fast compared to most other things, and you just don't get any impression of it on the screen.
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