Watching F1 on TV

[Derek Smith]

I took out a repeating monthly pass to NOWTV to watch F1 this season. A bit of a bargain given the quality of the races. I turned off the sound and went with Radio5Live. It increased the fun. I recommend both.

I cancelled today. Despite expectations of having to faff about for some time, having to email, and all that stuff. But no. It was straighforward and easy. That makes a change.

When I went through the process, I was offered two months at 2/3rds the rate for one month, so there's a pointer for someone.

[Derek Smith]

A bit off topic - my apologies to the OP - I'm considering a VPN.

A friend tried one a few years ago and it kept dropping out. There were problems connecting.

Have they become more reliable? And has their fascination with buffering stopped?

All help gratefully received.

[Derek Smith]

budgie smuggler said:

And in answer to the VPN question, no, I get almost identical throughput & no issues with dropouts. I'm with PIA.

Thanks for that. I'll give it a go.

I've been told Cyber Ghost is well recommended. Anyone with any experience?

[Derek Smith]

I checked up on this before posting.

Installing and using a VPN is not illegal in the UK.

Circumventing IP location blocking is not illegal.

I can see nothing wrong, either ethically or morally, in doing so.

[Derek Smith]

TheDeuce said:

I'd be very surprised if PH had any policy regarding the discussion of using VPN specifically, the site itself uses the same basic technologies for security - as we all ideally should.

There are also countless examples of needing to circumvent geo location using a VPN to legally gain access to content (iplayer etc) you are entitled to access but are prevented access due to over zealous digital rights management.

Discussing 'stealing' access to paid content via any method, with/without VPN being part of that method, is obviously something PH admin can't knowingly allow. That's not to say I'd hope to see good members outright banned if they lead a discussion to a grey area, there are less crude and equally effective ways to prevent any posts that could get PH in to hot water.

It's not stealing. That's not a grey area.

I've got a good friend who's a lawyer. She is rarely definitive; even though I've known her for years, any comment on legal matters is normally couched in terms of source, or 'it seems', but with VPNs, she's about as specific as she gets. With regards to accessing foreign TV stations, it is accessing free to air, so it isn't paid.

It's fair to say that legislation drags behind modern innovations, but it has always been that way. A company, concerned that they are losing their ability to take money from the public, will fund a political party, or even two, and encourage them to legislate away another freedom from those it represents. Until then, enjoy.

I would point out that this is nothing new. A neighbour had a mobile dish, back in the day, and could access free to air broadcasts from satellites on the continent. It was instructive but not particularly useful for viewing F1 when it was free to air in the UK.

PH can, of course, do what it wants, as long as it is not proscribed by law, and remove any posts they wish, although perhaps not for any reason. The same, however, goes for us. As a general – but not dependable – rule, if it is not banned, it is allowed.

[Derek Smith]

TheDeuce said:

Depends on the conditions of viewing set by whichever source you're watching - and the legality of that source of course.

If you're referring to the practice of aligning one's dish to pick up overseas transmissions, that really is a grey area as who is in the wrong? If their signal is making it in to a territory in which Sky pay for exclusive rights then I suppose that's a problem for Sky to deal with... But it's really just a limit of satellite TV technology. There are no rules saying all streams have to be encrypted, and those that are not will fall beyond and become watchable by those outside of their target audience.

I'm not so sure it is grey any more.

There was a challenge in civil courts over this. Memories fade, but to the best of my recollection, a pub turned its dish to the continent, and paid for access in that country, which was substantially lower than that in the UK. I think it was challenged on the grounds that something for sale in one part of the EU cannot be sold at a higher price in a different part (subject to minor cost implications). It seems that the pub - the action was funded by a collection of pubs - might have won, but there was an appeal threatened by Sky. Can't have governments telling them what they can and cannot do. It was Murdoch's job to tell governments.

[Derek Smith]

TheDeuce said:

That's a bit different as the pub probably broke the terms of the agreement they had with the overseas broadcaster (not that the broadcaster would care I wouldn't have thought). I can see why Sky wouldn't have wanted such a precedent set though!

In the case of someone using their dish to pick up a FTV foreign broadcast, there is no agreement that such a person has entered in to which they're breaking. They're not asking 'whoever' to transmit in the direction of their house are they? Until it's declared illegal to own a satellite dish and point it wherever you wish then I can't see what recourse a private homeowner could face. That's what I meant as a grey area - it can't be 100% right and proper that a person is receiving an F1 feed beyond the country that broadcast it and paid for the rights to do so. But there is nothing to be done about it that I can see..

This is a partial report of the case.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17150054

It went on from there, if only to show the woman, and others, that it is costly to demand your rights against large, international companies. But the high court decision seems to me to be clear enough. She was allowed to use a decoder that Sky did not want her to. It seems to be a case of big guy pushing little woman around.

It is similar, but by no means identical, to what a VPN does. As long as you don't screen it, it seems the courts have decided it is fine; exclusive systems are contrary to European law.

It seems probable that there will be some legislation against VPNs in the nearish future, but whether the claim that the ban is for security reasons, or that the funders of political parties want it, is open to argument. A very brief argument of course.

Edited by Derek Smith on Thursday 18th February 21:29

[Derek Smith]

TheDeuce said:

I would encourage anyone who can to watch via F1TV pro, it's really very good. It's a real shame that the Sky deal prevents pro access being officially offered to us in the UK. As said though, it's not exactly difficult to access it and morally I think OK on the basis that you're still paying a fair price to Liberty.

And even if you have concerns over faffing around with VPN's to access the live content, then with a standard UK sub (£1.99 a month) you get access to past races, all SKY content (pre/post shows, quali and practice sessions etc etc. Quali and race replays have in-car feeds for each car along with all the data, pit lane cam and so on.

I've just finished up watching the 2020 season quali's and races - it's well worth a couple of quid a month to re-live such a fantastic season

I'd pay £2 pcm. Bit of a bargain. But it doesn't include the Sky subscription, does it. I've got Now! TV and it's an expensive addon for F1.

[Derek Smith]

Fundoreen said:

I would think unless they want their staff to be on some sort of jolly it makes no sense sitting in a booth somewhere far away or here in the uk with the reliable communications technology.
The only thing is we are cursed with commentators using the shrill murray commentating style which only sounded like that as it was over some low quality satellite link. Whenever he was interviewed in the uk he had a lower frequency voice.
Murray clone commentators are idiots.
Cant really see what murray and hunt brought to the show by being there anyway. They must have spent most of the time in the pub.

Radio 5 Live. You can watch the non-race programmes, with all the info, and then listen to R5L, without the screaming, shouting and, often, interesting info.

I think they're great.