[DVD/Video] DVD Reviews

[Craig]

What are your thoughts on the DVD season reviews? I used to buy them religiously for certain series/events but now I rarely bother. Is it me or has the quality of the presentation gone downhill? (and in some cases the quality of the racing too!) I get the impression that they are being relentlessly churned out without a thought as to the quality.

[Craig]

haha posting this thread lead me to dig one of my old BTCC videos out from the cupboard under the stairs (the one with all the cobwebs and dust!) and the opening few minutes alone indicate the difference in the effort put into it's production. Some good racing too!

[Knowlesy]

I still buy the F1 season reviews and get some others. I find that with the increased motorsport coverage these days and the fact I make a lot of personal recordings that they are not so interesting to me any more.

And they are generally lazy anyways. The F1 reviews, which I still buy, are rushed out six weeks after the season with no extra DVD features of any interest and with the same dull, tired formula. I'd much prefer them to release them a few months later with loads of extras than rush them out....but Christmas sales figures beckon I suppose.

So in summary, I find them to be stale. They haven't gone downhill, they have just remained the same.

Still can't beat digging out an old season tape though. I had a watch of the 1998 BTCC review the other day, class!

[Craig]

haha that is the one I am watching now!

You do have a point in that they seem to be pretty stale - look at the Nascar review DVDs for how it should be done (it, along with the Le Mans review, are the only ones I look to buy each year) - but I really do think things have gone downhill. There is no effort put into these things nowadays.

[Knowlesy]

How good is it though? Bloody awesome. I loved that season and that era in general!

Maybe it is nostalgia that makes us less impressed with season reviews then? Err, actually....nah!

[Craig]

I seem to recall the old BTCC videos were produced by BHP in the old days, together (I think), with the TV coverage. It was so different compared to the rubbish we get nowadays (and I'm talking about the coverage NOT the racing! ) Remember all those camera angles, the commentary team, those little features such as the spinning plates, the interviews with the team managers pre-night race, the cycling round Silverstone?

Maybe you're right, maybe it's just nostalgia. Or maybe it really was better?

[redshoes]

In fairness BHP had a couple of days of post-production time to compile footage from the dozens of on-board and trackside camera. ITV/MotorsTV do it all live so the chances of seeing the same incident from several angles is pretty difficult.

Haven't brought a BTCC season review since 2000 but from what I've heard they are just a badly cut down copy of the ITV/MotorsTV broadcast with no addition editing or footage. I know that's sort of what BHP did but at least there source matterial was better in the first place.

[Craig]

That's exactly the point though, isn't it? Even though the initial coverage going out live there must be an awful lot of unseen footage that could be used in the season review. It is just lazy to take the tv coverage, cut the majority of it out, and release it for sale.

[redshoes]

Posted by Alan Gow on the TOCA forum

Originally Posted by Alain Gow

The DVD this year is being produced by a totally different company than previously - so you can expect a better product.

The last few DVDs were, unfortunately, little more than pieces of the TV broadcast cut together. However, it was an existing contract that I inherited when I returned to the BTCC and could not change it until now.

This year's DVD is 4 hours (one hour longer than before) and also contains some footage/interviews not seen on our ITV1 broadcasts.

Still doesn't get over the source material not being as good as in ST days but it's a start. Might even be enough to tempt me to buy a copy this year.

[Peter Mallett]

Oh good.

My mum buys it for me every year. Its the only time I see the BTCC because basically its crap.

[Knowlesy]

Just tell her Peter! Ask for the WTCC review for this year!

[Peter Mallett]

I'll buy that anyway.

[safc_fan89]

I like the F1 reviews. I don't care for extras on dvds that much, it is the actual product that I want. For stats and things you have missed, there is the web and youtube.

The old BTCC review tapes were excellent, but the 05 one, the only recent one I have, was poor because there was no behind-the-scenes detail, something I think is essential for such a championship. Good action but it was just regurgitated ITV coverage, really.

[Knowlesy]

The extras on DVD@s don't have to be stats. In fact, I wouldn't wish for that at all!

They should have controllable multiple angles for the race footage for a start. And there should be some behind the scenes stuff as well.

Instead, we get the best of Bernievision and some pointless onboards of each circuit.

[safc_fan89]

Oh yeah, like that is going to happen.

[Knowlesy]

They did the angles thing for the 2000 DVD and it was great.

[luke]

OK, I'm gonna put in my £2,000,000.

Watch this fantastic quick ending to the program of Interlagos on the USA Speed Channel. That obviously didn't take long to do, and its fantastic.
It just shows you how much potential the F1 DVD reviews could be...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U5MKW7nWLc

[safc_fan89]

Not exactly the best advert for F1 though was it? According to that the only on-track action was the crashes.

Pretty accurate then I suppose :P

[Gary Critcher]

I, too, used to religiously buy the end of season reviews (along with anything on the TV) but haven't for about 6-7 years now. Since Bernie's lot started producing them, they've gone well downhill.