uk f1 tv coverage - sky, bbc and ch4

[bravo]

I'm sure I heard Crofty refer to Hamilton and behind him his teammate Jenson Button... then behind him Rosberg.

These are mistakes my wife and kids don't make.

[Adam43]

Oh no!

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Originally Posted by bravo

I'm sure I heard Crofty refer to Hamilton and behind him his teammate Jenson Button... then behind him Rosberg.

These are mistakes my wife and kids don't make.

From the comfort of their arm chairs watching a large screen TV no doubt.

Try it, on site with at least 4 (25 inch) monitors each showing something different in front of you, Brundle reaching across you to pick up a sheet of paper from the table, the producer telling you to remind the viewers who is on the cockpit feed on race control, as another member of the production team shouts "radio". Oh and not to forget Ted in the pits letting you know he has something.

Commentators have all that and still make it sound pretty easy to do. So a slip of the tongue in referring to an old team mate. Give the guy a break.

[Adam43]

IIRC what he actually got wrong was he said that Hamilton was behind his old team mate Button. He mistook Rosberg for Hamilton. One of them was falling down the order and the other climbing it. Then there is the vast difference in their helmet colours. If I ran sky I'd tell him to not bother catching the plane to Barcelona.

[Knowlesy]

His taste in Metallica songs is atrocious in fairness.

Giving it the large 'un about being their biggest fan and then quickly mentioning 'Enter Sandman'. Worse than Hitler.

[andy666]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

His taste in Metallica songs is atrocious in fairness.

Giving it the large 'un about being their biggest fan and then quickly mentioning 'Enter Sandman'. Worse than Hitler.

Probably because "Enter Sandman" is the bands most commercially known track , if he had said "Metal Militia" most would not have made the connection . Anyway on topic , I have tried and failed twice know to watch a race on BBC but I just cant . Ben Edwards , I just find him a bit "shouty".

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by bravo

I'm sure I heard Crofty refer to Hamilton and behind him his teammate Jenson Button... then behind him Rosberg.

These are mistakes my wife and kids don't make.

Uninterrupted commentary over an hour plus sporting event, you'll get those kind of errors coming up. With the early morning races even I had to remind myself who was actually in that second Mc.

Croft is OK. He's a bit naff in a way that's like most English DJ's - but that's part of his charm.

[henners88]

I think both sets of commentators make errors from what I have seen, but that is to be expected with the sheer amount of feeds and data being fed to them. What I did find unusual was the amount of time Alonso's rear facing camera was on screen with his DRS flap obviously broken before either commentator noticed it on Sky. Not a criticism but it took a while for them to realise. I quite enjoy some of the errors as it gives the viewer satisfaction knowing you've spotted it first.

I think when it comes to commentators we all have our preferred choice. Out of all of them I really enjoy listening to DC, so given the choice I go with him and Edwards as I think their partnership deliver it to the viewer in a more exciting fashion.

[henners88]

Thinking about this divide even more, I think both channels deliver the service in very different ways. Sky have a dedicated channel and I've noticed from their adverts that they promote the fact they are on air for a long period of time throughout the weekend. They generally have an hour and a half of build-up before the race which to me seems like a little too long IMO. I feel they struggle sometimes to fill it productively and tend to interview various people asking similar questions, but getting the same generic answers. At the same time they are obliged to offer lengthy coverage because it is a dedicated channel and viewers need a sense that they are getting value for money. Figures seem to suggest Sky experience a spike in viewers approximately 15 minutes before the race starts, but the option is there to watch longer of course.

I think one thing the BBC do which Sky struggle to match is the features pre race. The BBC are not just broadcasters but film makers and I think this level of quality shows with one piece production. Camera work, filters, and choice of music has always been something IMO the BBC have got right with their editing. Sky did a piece at the weekend where they travelled through Brackley, a place I know very well as I grew up a few miles away from, and ended up at Mercedes to demonstrate their simulator. It had a very BBC 'boys club' feel to it at first and reminded me a little of the DC, Jake, and EJ material we used to see. Almost Top Gear I suppose lol. I found Davidson's insight very interesting as I hadn't realised he worked for Mercedes on their sim. I thought it feel a little flat though when they decided to leave Herbert alone at the end and it didn't seem quite as funny as they perhaps intended it to be.

Just so its not all negative towards Sky I have to say I enjoy the SkyPad feature now I am used to it. Davidson provides clear analysis of incidents of interest and the different camera angles in one feature help explain things very clearly for the viewer. I liked how they used it to show Jenson his encounters with Checo after the race, to which he didn't seem overly impressed lol. The F1 show mid week before a race is also a nice way of giving F1 fans a taste of F1 in the run up to the weekend and remind fans of the news in video form. I don't feel they advertise that program enough though as it generally attracts very little attention.

[ScotsBrutesFan]

The big thing for Sky this year, and I don't know how much of a technology challenge it was to do, is to bring the Skypad into the paddock.

Last year it felt very remote, it could have been in London, had it not been for the fact that we knew Davidson/Herbert/McNish were on site. I think it was in London for Davidson's first appearance back after his LeMans accident.

As an evolution of this, I'd like to see at around the 40 minute to go mark, when the pitlane is at it's noisiest with the engines being warmed up ahead of the pits opening, Lazenby, Hill and Herbert, move to the Sky pad area. They are still in the paddock so will have background noise and atmosphere, with the Skypad playing the pit channel/Sky's own camera still in the pits.

They can then bring Ted on screen with breaking news/updates, or Martin's camera and hand over to his grid walk that way.

[Peter Mallett]

Reading through this thread it seems to me that there is very little to complain about. Henners made good points about giving up certain things in order to move house/have kids (congrats by the way) etc. But at some point we've all done it. I gave up racing until I could afford it again, so these things are sensible rather than unfortunate.

Because I'm overseas, I've found ways to watch legally and one of them is VIPbox TV. It carries the Sky coverage, with ads. So I have seen Sky and frankloy, it offers very little, other than Brundle, to attract me, although I like Crofty too.

The Beeb has a good homely feel to it and who cares if some of the races need a bit of patience? Ultimately you get the bits of coverage you need and in the highlights, even if Ben does shout, you get all you need to see?

I support the radio and TV coverage with the F1 timing app on my phone.

[VIVA GT]

The ideal scenario for me would be for every race and qualifying session to be shown in full, on the BBC at stupid o'clock (early) and the Saturday & Sunday morning. (I do understand that for this to happen, 95% of the races would have to be re-scheduled to run at such unsociable times, whereas in reality Bernie is trying to make the opposite happen. I'm just explaining what would suit me).
I could then record the programmes, get up 2 hours before my wife, and watch them to my hearts content without being hoovered around, or in other subtle ways being made to feel guilty because I'm just sitting around watching TV!.
When race highlights & qualifying repeats are shown late afternoon, I have to avoid all radio & TV news and tread extremely carefully if I use the internet to avoid inadvertantly stumbling accross the result and often end up watching the coverage I've recorded finally late at night, quite often falling asleep before the end (but that's the fault of the red wine and no criticism of the commentary team or a lack of excitement in the race!)

[henners88]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Reading through this thread it seems to me that there is very little to complain about. Henners made good points about giving up certain things in order to move house/have kids (congrats by the way) etc. But at some point we've all done it. I gave up racing until I could afford it again, so these things are sensible rather than unfortunate.

Thanks
I make do with what we have now and even though life is hectic, we also have an exciting era in F1. I'm a long time supporter of Lewis Hamilton since before he stepped up to F1 and I don't want to take time out from the sport for obvious reasons. I'll still catch enough even if I can't afford to invest time and money into a non essential hobby. I took time out between 2001 and 2004 whilst I was at Uni and only caught a handful of races during that time. That was an ideal time to do it in hindsight as I felt the dominant Schumacher era turned many people off the sport and post 2005 onwards we have seen interest level gradually rise.

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

The Beeb has a good homely feel to it and who cares if some of the races need a bit of patience? Ultimately you get the bits of coverage you need and in the highlights, even if Ben does shout, you get all you need to see?

If the BBC extend their current deal to show half the races live with highlights of the rest, I can live with that. I still have access to Sky F1 if I really need it but I've found the BBC are the better package for my needs. I fear soon I will be watching races in parts and many days after the event when the baby comes along, but as long as I see the race I don't care. I agree with you regarding the delivery of the BBC with a homely feel and you get the impression its just natural to them. Suzi has taken to the job very well I feel and although has had a few moments where she's looked a little lost, I think she's brilliant for the job. I've seen some rather scathing criticisms of her across the web and I sometimes think I am watching different coverage altogether.

The highlights haven't been so bad and often its edited so well it doesn't seem like there are laps missing IMO. Still I'd rather have the race in full even if I find myself fast forwarding more often than not. Sounds silly doesn't it? I think Sky have a long way to go before they match what the Beeb do pre and post race. Brundle is their unique selling point who we are all used to and know well. I must admit he got on my nerves at times on the Beeb, but he's one of the best commentators out there. I do feel Sky pad their program out with far too much filler and the pundits don't come across quite as comfortable and natural as their rivals over at the Beeb. But as I said before they have to offer more time on air as it is what they are contracted to do and how they market their product. The good thing is you get the choice to tune in late and miss all the dull bits.

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

The ideal scenario for me would be for every race and qualifying session to be shown in full, on the BBC at stupid o'clock (early) and the Saturday & Sunday morning. (I do understand that for this to happen, 95% of the races would have to be re-scheduled to run at such unsociable times, whereas in reality Bernie is trying to make the opposite happen. I'm just explaining what would suit me).
I could then record the programmes, get up 2 hours before my wife, and watch them to my hearts content without being hoovered around, or in other subtle ways being made to feel guilty because I'm just sitting around watching TV!.
When race highlights & qualifying repeats are shown late afternoon, I have to avoid all radio & TV news and tread extremely carefully if I use the internet to avoid inadvertantly stumbling accross the result and often end up watching the coverage I've recorded finally late at night, quite often falling asleep before the end (but that's the fault of the red wine and no criticism of the commentary team or a lack of excitement in the race!)

You sound like you are in the same position to me
I too would love it if every race was on the Beeb and shown at 5am on a Sunday morning just so I could set it to record and get up at 7.30 and just watch the race coverage. That would mean I have the whole of Sunday to do the things that need doing and get less hassle when I want to get back early evening to watch the race. In recent years I've often recorded the race and watched in the evening as I just can't justify watching TV on a Sunday afternoon, especially in the summer when the weather is occasionally hot lol. Dodging the results can be tricky but I don't use my phone or go near TV or radio when I know I want to watch the race as though it was live.

[wolfhound]

One interesting little thing I have noticed about the two teams of pundits is how many of the ex F1 people have been involved with Jordan during their careers. Of the non jounalists David Coultard is about the only one who does not have a Jordan connection.

[henners88]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

One interesting little thing I have noticed about the two teams of pundits is how many of the ex F1 people have been involved with Jordan during their careers. Of the non jounalists David Coultard is about the only one who does not have a Jordan connection.

Indeed, Herbert being linked in F3000, Brundle and Hill both ex Jordan F1 drivers and Gary Anderson from a technical role. Not to mention Eddie himself. I hadn't really thought about that too much before. I just hope Sky don't try and nick Eddie any time soon as I think he adds value to the coverage. Then again Herbert seems to be used as a bit of a clown sort of character on Sky so I don't think they need another one lol.