[TV] TV Coverage : not good enough?

[Gingers4Justice]

It's a world championship battle between Webber and Button as Abu Dhabi. Locked together, wheel to wheel, for the first time this season. It's their last lap before Button, on lighter fuel, needing get past, pits. Button makes a dash for 1st, looks set to nail Webber and...

"now we're going to cut away from the action and watch Lewis Hamilton's dad watching himself in the Mclaren pits' TV screen".

"Now we're going to show a replay of a Force India mechanic sneezing - in hi-motion!"

"Oh and look! Button has got past. How did that happen? It's fortunate that Jenson's dad is wearing his lucky shirt today."

It's very very annoying. I'm fed up with watching the drivers' fathers and WAGs. F1 credits itself for its TV coverage, which I would argue, is pretty poor.

Whenever the commentators are discussing an important issue, they are interrupted by a crackly radio tansmission from a driver:

"How far is X infront of me?" (we already know this anyway, and we can barely make this out anyway)

"X is 3.5 seconds ahead. Keep pushing. Race harder. "

Now, I'm no expert, but I'd assume that said driver was pushing hard anyway. And I already knew the gap. Does that enhance my viewing?

But it's ok, people. FOTA have the issue sorted. Under their plans, we'll get some pretty new TV graphics and a nice little idea of showing each cars lines round each corner. Nice. We can't see where the cars go at each corner as it is!

[nea]

Coverage is definately better this season in the UK as I'm sure you're aware. Moving away from ITV is the best thing that could have happened to coverage here. But thats a broadcaster side improvement not an FOM side improvement (FOTA have very little to do with TV coverage ).

Thanks to Auntie Beeb we now get to watch all practice sessions without having to use SopCast to find a low bitrate, laggy stream. And we have the choice of whether we watch it on our tellybox or disputer. The archieve footage is also a massive win.

FOM's coverage is gradually improving. Not by masses, but it is. I like some of these new graphics, as does my housemate. Simply because he's relatively new to the sport (he started watching last season from about Spain onwards after much nagging from me). He was amazed when he saw the G-Meter peak at 4.5 once and he also enjoys seeing the different lines drivers take and how much it gains/loses them. That said, I love that feature too.

Radio transmissions are ok, it's always good to hear stuff straight from the horses mouth, though I'm sure they could pick more interesting conversations to broadcast that won't turn the air blue.

There could be many improvements made to the coverage as you rightly point out. I'm sick of seeing John Button in his pink shirt and I'm sick of seeing Anthony Hamilton full stop. And that Nicole Scherzingerer or whatever her name its. Though it is funny watching her get interviewed as it do show just how full of air her head is!

All things considered, I'm not going to ***** about the coverage too much and that while it certainly isn't perfect, it's a massive step up from what we had to put up with in the 80's/early 90's.

[Gingers4Justice]

I still don't think it's up to scratch. Watching SpeedTV (albeit on Motors TV), they have informative, entertaining coverage which seems to keep the expert and the newbie happy.

[nea]

F1 has always been poor in the coverage department. In fact F1 has been poor in just about every department when it comes to coverage, features and other such stuff. Can anyone remember when the official F1 website went live? IIRC it was only 3 or 4 years ago. They're slow on the uptake of alot of things.

Can tell you never had to suffer F1 coverage in the 80's though. Rarely got qualifying and the coverage of the race tended to start as the cars were lining up on the grid!

[Gingers4Justice]

Originally Posted by nea

Can tell you never had to suffer F1 coverage in the 80's though. Rarely got qualifying and the coverage of the race tended to start as the cars were lining up on the grid!

In a way, I'd prefer that. Pre-race build up is tedious and qualifying and practice have only become so important as grid positions matter more and CVC have built up the hype around that to increase TV figures.

[nea]

Meh, I just love watching the cars so I've always wanted to watch every session. I remember wishing that I could watch Pre-Qualifying way back when just so I could see all the cars running.

Pre-race I find entertaining. I don't tend to sit through and watch it all as I'm usually cooking a hearty breakfast when it's on, but it's a good way of finding out whats happening, reasons for whats happened in qual, latest on Fota/Mosely war.

[old man]

The coverage we get this season on BBC is the best we have ever had in the UK, I agree about Speed TV except for the adverts but there are lots of things I for one don't know. For instance, who is that chooses the pictures that go out to air? Is the Beeb, or the local broadcaster, or FOM TV? Who picks the pit to car radio? It is fairly clear that the commentators can ask questions of the BBC pit reporters at any time and control just when we hear them and the Jake/David/Eddie act but how far does the BBC actually control what we see? The red button is an excellent innovation this year and to be able to see all the practice sessions is great, assuming one has time that is.

Compare what we get with F1 with what we get for most sportscar or GT races (again except those with Speed feed) and I think it is pretty good. Everything can be improved but I for one have been well satisfied; you youngsters don't know you're born!!

Senior management here is not looking forward to this weekend however as there is both F1 and Spa to be considered, hope it stops raining long enough to get the lawns cut before then!

[nea]

As far as I'm aware, it's the FOM who decide what we see for all the races barring Monaco, which is done by a local production team. Don't quote me though for I may be wrong.

[Gingers4Justice]

Originally Posted by nea

As far as I'm aware, it's the FOM who decide what we see for all the races barring Monaco, which is done by a local production team. Don't quote me though for I may be wrong.

Well they have different TV directors and contract it to different people each race. BBC filmed the British GP even during the ITV period, for example.

[elspethhardie]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

In a way, I'd prefer that. Pre-race build up is tedious and qualifying and practice have only become so important as grid positions matter more and CVC have built up the hype around that to increase TV figures.

Thats what the on/off button is for - if you find it tedious don't switch the TV on until just before the race starts.

[nea]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

Well they have different TV directors and contract it to different people each race. BBC filmed the British GP even during the ITV period, for example.

Hmm, I wasn't aware of that. If that's the case, why don't we get HD F1 on the BBC? They're very keen on HD and were pushing FOM to broadcast in HD. From what I thought, F1 was broadcast in SD because the FOM haven't got all the neccessary equipment for HD. Might be wrong though.

[jab]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

Well they have different TV directors and contract it to different people each race. BBC filmed the British GP even during the ITV period, for example.

Not any more. The FOM's team does all the races bar Monaco and Japan

I hear we may get HD next year. There was a rumour that we'd get it for Abu Dhabi as a taster

[nea]

Ahh yes, I forgot FujiTV did Japan. F1 really does look lovely in HD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6Lw91OtG2Y

[Adam43]

I think this is OTT. The coverage is pretty good. It does cut to things you don't want to see, but your example at the top is an extreme and you are hanging someone on something that hasn't happened yet. Imagine the scene, someone posts about F1, Ginger4Justice replies "ah it was better in the old days before Max ruined sportscar racing and rallying...".

For build up, do what I did with ITV. I just didn't watch the build up!

IMHO you hold speedTV too high in esteme; they are guilty as the next TV company in showing stuff in the pits you don't want to see.

As for the pit to race commentary. The subtlety is in how it is said. I never tyre of the Ferrari's Smedley and his lacky talking about racing and they rarely say any words that are actually insightful.

Although it could be improved: Get Ben Edwards, how hard can it be? (grumble, grumble, Michigan, Andretti, Montoya, grumble...)

[Gingers4Justice]

Originally Posted by elspethhardie

Thats what the on/off button is for - if you find it tedious don't switch the TV on until just before the race starts.

True. But I'm like a dog - they have no sense of hunger, the eat food when they are given it. I watch F1 when I'm given it, if for no apparent reason.

[Adam43]

I remember a user (name escapes) who supported the advert breaks so that he could go to the loo or put the kettle on. As he couldn't manage to run his life well enough to judge when to miss a couple of minutes, or record and pause, he advocated that we all had to miss the coverage at the same time he was having a wee.

[Super Hans]

I think the BBC have done a great job, on the whole, but as with ITV, they're forced to cater for a broad audience, not just us bobble-hats. That's why we see shots of drivers families; it's all about the human interest story. It bores us to death but it's what they think the general public want to see.

[zac510]

the BBC coverage rivals the coverage of even wimbledon with onboard channel, commentary, practice sessions, classic races in the week before the race, internet, everything.. and yet the insufferables still whinge about it!!

[Adam43]

Things can be better, but I don't think we've had it so good.
And it is 'good enough'.

[jab]

I wasn't convinced at first but it has come on stronger lately. The pre/post-race banter is developing nicely, Legard's back in the groove (although obviously Mr Edwards would be brilliant), and the extra features we get are very good - the track guides on the website are fantastic in particular

The only complaints are minor - the old race highlights packages being restricted and the non-use of JA there (come on, I know he was bad, but not bad enough to be substituted by Maurice Hamilton) for one, and the intro is pretty poor, even with The Chain, but I gather they couldn't use any real footage because it's HD-ready. But it's all trivial. I'm glad they've cut to 50 minutes pre-race, though - an hour without ads was too much

[ScotsBrutesFan]

What people need to remember is that from the 5 minute "Bumper" to the end of the podium, the only thing the BBC have control over is the commentary of Legard and Brundle and the verbal reports of Kravitz and McKenzie in the pitlane and paddock respectively.

The cut aways to Lucky shirts, glamourous girlfriends whilst the battle is still raging is all down to FOM TV. It's also they have provide and insert the less than informative radio chatter. The guys in the box can only comment on what is on screen at that moment.

The BBC have done a great job of the pre-race with a much fresher lets talk on the move, grab people and have them walk across the camera whilst handing them a microphone approach. It really gives the sense of them actually being there. At times ITV could just as easily have had Rider and Blundell standing in front of a Green Screen with the Pitlane projected behind them for all the interaction they had with what was going on around them.

[Born Racer]

I'm very happy with the BBC coverage.

the BBC coverage rivals the coverage of even wimbledon with onboard channel..

My gripe with the onboard channel is that you can't choose who to watch (oh how I'd love the option to choose when to watch whoever I want), rendering it somewhat useless, seeing as you can watch onboards at other moments, such as YouTube clips, or the pole lap in the pre-race coverage.

Incidentally, this isn't available on free-to-air digital is it, nor the additional commentary options? Correct me if I'm wrong. I've only managed to see it elsewhere on a paid-up Sky service.

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

Well they have different TV directors and contract it to different people each race. BBC filmed the British GP even during the ITV period, for example.

No it isn't.
All the races are covered by FOM, with the exception of Monaco which is done by TMC. Until last year Japan was done by Fuji TV too.

This has been the situation since 2006.

During the ITV era, all of the British GPs were covered by either ITV or FOM. The last time the BBC was responsible for host coverage of any Grand Prix was 1996.

[zac510]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

Incidentally, this isn't available on free-to-air digital is it, nor the additional commentary options? Correct me if I'm wrong. I've only managed to see it elsewhere on a paid-up Sky service.

I've got free-to-air digital with a set top box and I get 'everything'. Can't speak for the various other transmission methods.

[nea]

It is indeed shown on free-to-air digital. However, due to bandwidth limitations, instead of the 6 BBC Red Button "channels" you get with a fully paid up Sky or Virgin service, free-to-air is limited to just 4. They do show the highlights and the free practice sessions.

If my memory serves me correctly, the BBC Red Button channels start at channel number 300 or 301 on Freeview.

God I hope that isn't the 10min preview channels