Formula One can be in HD - are you listening Bernie?
Discussion
LG have been making F1 based adverts in HD using images from Monaco 2009.
http://www.lgeracing.com/#/video
http://www.lgeracing.com/#/video
mmm-five said:
I thought it was already recorded in HD but the BBC don't want to pay the premium that Bernie is asking for it.
The official word was FOM would not be offering Formula 1 in HD to broadcasters until 2011 if at all., 2012 next year, 2013 in 2012 etc....http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.p...
From my understanding when I asked the question when I was down there last it was down to at the time the vast majority of the audience wouldn't be able to receive it in HD, and someone would have to pay for it. That was a year ago though, and by which I mean countries, not in the UK obviously.
Sure it will happen eventually....
Then you've got the fact that depending on the deal with the circuit FOM do filming for some circuits, and others do their own. Could be wrong about that last bit but I don't think so.
Sure it will happen eventually....
Then you've got the fact that depending on the deal with the circuit FOM do filming for some circuits, and others do their own. Could be wrong about that last bit but I don't think so.
What Bernie doesn't realise is that NASCAR has been in HD for a while. NASCAR. The sport with carbed pushrod V8's, the sport which found a wing not good enough so replaced it with a plank of metal at the back of the car. The most advanced things on the cars are the carbon brakes!
Makes you wonder how such a technologically advanced sport hasn't embraced the latest and greatest television technology, especially as LG sponsor them...
Makes you wonder how such a technologically advanced sport hasn't embraced the latest and greatest television technology, especially as LG sponsor them...
Mate of mine worked for FOM as a cameraman a couple of years ago and they were using HD cameras then.
My understanding is that Bernie, who pays for this kit, wants to paid by the TV companies to use it. I don't have a problem with that.
I think the BBC didn't think about the HD feed when they did the deal and Bernie 'forgot' to mention it. Again no problem.
I really wouldn't want to play poker with Bernie but I'd happly do a deal with him based on a handshake.
My understanding is that Bernie, who pays for this kit, wants to paid by the TV companies to use it. I don't have a problem with that.
I think the BBC didn't think about the HD feed when they did the deal and Bernie 'forgot' to mention it. Again no problem.
I really wouldn't want to play poker with Bernie but I'd happly do a deal with him based on a handshake.
I applied for a job with F1 TV in 2008 with the specific remit to upgrade the F1TV trucks to HD. Also at that time F1TV were working on the "Gran Tourismo" car location graphic that was first used in the 2009 season. One of the principal reasons F1 TV has taken so long to provide an HD quality picture of its "World Feed" is that many of the affiliate broadcasters do not either have the capability to accept it or transmit it. The feed will require the broadcaster to have a sat feed capable of accepting the HD signal (both a coding and bandwidth issue), view it in its native HD format, then to "down-scale" it and mix it with its local feed.
Additionally F1 TV only uses its own trucks on European GPs and even then some country’s broadcasters provide a "host" service e.g. the BBC (even when ITV had the rights BBC Resources still produced the coverage) for the UK and RAI in Italy. Outside Europe F1TV use "flyaway" facilities based in containers that fit into transport aircraft. Whilst the actual gallery equipment production of a GP is not that extensive (sound, vision mixing, production, graphics, instant replay etc) the logistics of rigging a circuit are massive - several fixed camera positions, heli-cams, radio cams in the pit lane and on the cars, the press conference, feeds to hospitality and the FIA, taking the FIA timing info etc. Add to this the biggest headache of any OB which is "talkback" and comms you can see that the "tendering" (cameras, mounts, cables monitors etc) of an OB create a large payload to ship. Even if all the circuits have camera and comms feed cables already "pulled in" from a fixed point to the camera locations there is still a massive amount of work to do. When I worked on Premier League football coverage for Sky, all EPL stadiums are cabled but we still pulled in extra feeds. The truck requirements to produce even a simple "feed from the stadium" game would be at least 3 expanding-side artics plus a Sprinter van used as a stadium to Sky links facility. When Sky actually hosted the sports show from a stadium this truck count doubled and when EUFA staged a Champions League match the truck count was around 12. All this in an area at least a sixth of a GP circuit.
As HD transmission kit drops in price, size and energy efficiency (remember you have to cool it as well) I'm sure that F1TV and many of the affiliate broadcasters will go HD. As for 3D, well who knows. Only Sky in the UK have dabbled with 3D and even then its not full bandwidth 3D but uses half the bandwidth of an HD channel to distribute each of the two 3D steams. The current facilities the BBC are building are not 3D capable and we have had no word as yet on the Olympics. Outside the UK 3D transmission is not even this far along.
Additionally F1 TV only uses its own trucks on European GPs and even then some country’s broadcasters provide a "host" service e.g. the BBC (even when ITV had the rights BBC Resources still produced the coverage) for the UK and RAI in Italy. Outside Europe F1TV use "flyaway" facilities based in containers that fit into transport aircraft. Whilst the actual gallery equipment production of a GP is not that extensive (sound, vision mixing, production, graphics, instant replay etc) the logistics of rigging a circuit are massive - several fixed camera positions, heli-cams, radio cams in the pit lane and on the cars, the press conference, feeds to hospitality and the FIA, taking the FIA timing info etc. Add to this the biggest headache of any OB which is "talkback" and comms you can see that the "tendering" (cameras, mounts, cables monitors etc) of an OB create a large payload to ship. Even if all the circuits have camera and comms feed cables already "pulled in" from a fixed point to the camera locations there is still a massive amount of work to do. When I worked on Premier League football coverage for Sky, all EPL stadiums are cabled but we still pulled in extra feeds. The truck requirements to produce even a simple "feed from the stadium" game would be at least 3 expanding-side artics plus a Sprinter van used as a stadium to Sky links facility. When Sky actually hosted the sports show from a stadium this truck count doubled and when EUFA staged a Champions League match the truck count was around 12. All this in an area at least a sixth of a GP circuit.
As HD transmission kit drops in price, size and energy efficiency (remember you have to cool it as well) I'm sure that F1TV and many of the affiliate broadcasters will go HD. As for 3D, well who knows. Only Sky in the UK have dabbled with 3D and even then its not full bandwidth 3D but uses half the bandwidth of an HD channel to distribute each of the two 3D steams. The current facilities the BBC are building are not 3D capable and we have had no word as yet on the Olympics. Outside the UK 3D transmission is not even this far along.
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