Ecclestone: No F1 in HD before 2012

[gord]

You brought it on yourself JRS, that post just comes across as "lets be different even though I don't actually believe what I am saying".

a) You can't defend Bernie, but you can laugh at him.
b) The F1 market is affluent and HD ready. If ever there was a market for a sport in HD it is F1.
c) You watch F1 too and would like to see it in HD.
d) NASCAR didn't have to move to HD, just like tennis, golf, cricket, speedway, motogp, le mans and more didnt. But they did.

Lets be clear, this is Bernie and his mad hatter plans to grab more money. He's been burnt before by new technologies and his greedy mind has probably reasoned HD is the way to recoup what should have been his.

If anything, F1 should lead the way in broadcasting. Not only in motorsport, but sport in general. We are talking about a sport where the top drivers in the world compete around the world infront of millions with some of the biggest sponsors and celebs attending. Not some chaps from Somerset riding bikes with no brakes round a muddy oval. It should have been in HD this year, the BBC could easily have handled it. If it's not next year it will be a travesty.

 

[JRS]

You brought it on yourself JRS, that post just comes across as "lets be different even though I don't actually believe what I am saying".

Uh huh.

a) You can't defend Bernie, but you can laugh at him.

Bernie certainly doesn't need defending.

b) The F1 market is affluent and HD ready. If ever there was a market for a sport in HD it is F1.

I'm not honestly sure that it's all that essential, but hey ho.

c) You watch F1 too

My, you're observant.

and would like to see it in HD.

Not especially, since I don't have a TV+receiver that could allow me to watch F1 in HD. Nor do I think that situation is likely to change for a while, since I have more important things to spend my ill-gotten gains on.

Maybe in about ten years time I'll be able to throw some cash into a HD-ready TV and box and start to pine for F1 in HD. Until then....nope, can't summon up a massive amount of enthusiasm for it. NASCAR going hi-def didn't change much for me, other than make it even more of a PITA to get *ahem* copies of the broadcast downloaded on my ****-poor internet connection. I won't deny that it made sense for them to go HD though - now everyone watching the broadcast can see the little Goodyear logos over the front fenders! Joygasm!

d) NASCAR didn't have to move to HD, just like tennis, golf, cricket, speedway, motogp, le mans and more didnt. But they did.

We-e-e-ell....NASCAR did pretty much have to, because the fans actually demanded it....rather than just bitched about it every so often on internet forums. If y'all want it in hi-def, then bombard the BBC with letters suggesting that they have a word with The Almighty Satanic Evil That Is Bernie Ecclestone™ and get it sorted.

 

[alex24]

Gosh, put the handbags away for a second and just talk about the actual issues here.

Bernie does a good job doing what he wants to do, I don't doubt that. I think perhaps he's overlooked the importance of HD to a significant amount of the F1 fanbase (though being fair, most people watching wouldn't care or have equipment/subscription to receive the content). As I said, I think he should be pushing the F1 product as much as possible, and HD is an opportunity in terms of sponsorship and recognition that he seems to have let slip through the net for now. Perhaps there wasn't a way to make it financially viable yet, though I think he should work on this, he probably is in some way or another. I don't think pressuring the BBC will make much difference however.

 

[JRS]

The problem with HD, illustrated by xkcd:

 

[alx]

The problem with HD, illustrated by xkcd:

But surely you can see it's just stepping stone in advance of technology like most other new formats are.

Yes HD resolution is hardly amazing if you've delt with computers for any length of time, but your unlikely to get a massive jump in resolution due to the cost of producing the required TVs, recording equipment and required bandwidth.

People like Bernie really irritate me because they won't embrace the technology and move forward - but that's probably Bernie just being a tight **** because he's going to have to foot the bill as the broadcasters don't actually film the F1 races. I'm guessing the broadcasters have already signed coverage deals so he can't pass the cost on to them?

Thing is if he made a big deal out of F1 in HD he'd probably pull in even more viewers, we all know what people are like when they see something shiney and new.

 

[mavers]

Bernie is a profiteer. He simply wants to extract as much money from the broadcasters as possible (probably at the expense of giving as little away as he can).

I don't blame him in that respect, but my issue is that F1 is meant to be the pinnacle of motor sport, watching it in SD when most other sports have embraced it is a little bit of a farce. It appears the fans will have to put pressure on the bbc, which will in turn pressure bernie.

At the end of the day simply the broadcasters dont seem inclined to chase for HD.

 

[JRS]

At the end of the day simply the broadcasters dont seem inclined to chase for HD.

Exactly. So instead of whining about The Almighty Satanic Evil That Is Bernie Ecclestone™, just whinge at the Beeb until they get off their backsides and start pressuring the ancient dwarf to sort it.

 

[Baboonanza]

The problem with HD, illustrated by xkcd:

I used to like XKCD, but that comic was pretty much the last one I read. The level of ignorance and ungrounded snobbery really turned me off.

'Twice the horizontal resolution' - **** off. For example: the iPhone has a 960x640 screen, less than 'twice the horizontal resolution', and less than 1/3 of the number of pixels as a 1920x1080 screen.

It's a 42" screen for christ's sake! The phone is likely to be 3.5" to 4" max, and the LCD from 2004 was either a 24" and the same price as the much larger TV or 27"/30" and several times more expensive.

What's impressive about full-HD TVs isn't the individual specs, those can be beaten by other screens. It's the fact that you have a giant screen with a high resolution at a price you can actually afford, you ponce.
</Rant>

Edit: The last bit isn't directed at you JRS

 

[Baboonanza]

Exactly. So instead of whining about The Almighty Satanic Evil That Is Bernie Ecclestone™, just whinge at the Beeb until they get off their backsides and start pressuring the ancient dwarf to sort it.

As I've tried to point out the BBC is a pretty minor player in all of this. They are right at the start of a contract so aren't about to leave Bernie in the lurch and they are very unlikely to pay more for the HD rights (especially at the moment, since funding cuts are very likely). Also HD Broadcasting is still in it's infancy in this country, there are lots of HD TVs but until DVB-T2 gets more widespread the BBC HD market is very small and effectively limited to subscriber services only.

There are dozens of other commercial broadcasters around the world who show F1 and it's these guys that Bernie is trying to milk for cash. Writing to the BBC won't make one jot of difference to that.

 

[gord]

Exactly. So instead of whining about The Almighty Satanic Evil That Is Bernie Ecclestone™, just whinge at the Beeb until they get off their backsides and start pressuring the ancient dwarf to sort it.

Surely the BBC have already done this. But how much pressure can you apply to the monopolistic regime that he has over the rights? See below:

The day the consumer is truly ready – not saying he is ready – but truly ready, meaning he will pay for it and the broadcasters are ready, I am ready.

So Bernie will never be ready via the BBC because the consumer doesn't pay extra for HD on the BBC. The consumers are out there for HD already, we are consuming HD for Cricket, Tennis, Golf etc etc. If it's not financially viable yet, why do we have it from lower capital sports? The BBC would be happy to deliver F1 in HD, but Bernie is clearly not getting enough money from them...

 

[Overlag]

i still havnt got HD...so i aint that botherd when it comes out.

 

[Sone]

As I've tried to point out the BBC is a pretty minor player in all of this. They are right at the start of a contract so aren't about to leave Bernie in the lurch and they are very unlikely to pay more for the HD rights (especially at the moment, since funding cuts are very likely). Also HD Broadcasting is still in it's infancy in this country, there are lots of HD TVs but until DVB-T2 gets more widespread the BBC HD market is very small and effectively limited to subscriber services only.

I believe Sky has one of the best HD services in the world with nearly 50 channels and has been going for what 4 years now, hardly infancy imho

 

[Baboonanza]

I believe Sky has one of the best HD services in the world with nearly 50 channels and has been going for what 4 years now, hardly infancy imho

But the numbers just aren't there yet:
http://www.zath.co.uk/sky-hd-household-subscriber-numbers-continue-to-increase/

Sky confirm that one in four of its customers are enjoying HD content via Sky HD, their premium TV service. That equates to a whopping 2.5 million homes nationwide.

And I'd guess that number is higher than the people actually watching in HD, though it's hard to know. Are they counting everyone with an HD capable box (all Sky+ boxes are HD) or just those who subscribe to an HD package?

That number isn't bad for a pay-to-view service but they aren't big enough numbers for the BBC to be able to justify spending more for F1 HD broadcasting rights IMHO. I think 2012 is about right for getting the wide adoption.

However, I still want F1 in HD goddammit!

 

[Duke]

And I'd guess that number is higher than the people actually watching in HD, though it's hard to know. Are they counting everyone with an HD capable box (all Sky+ boxes are HD) or just those who subscribe to an HD package?

Well you can't subscribe to HD content without their HD box. 25% is more than I thought though, was thinking it would be about 5-10%.

 

[Sp00n]

It's probably increased significantly very recently as it's now free to upgrade

 

[MarcLister]

I swear I saw a BBC news video just after the BBC F1 rights deal had been announced and Bernie was asked what rights the BBC had won. Everything he said, including HD. So why the wait Bernie? F1 in HD would be brilliant; it might be easier to see what's broken on car on a slow-mo HD replay and having an F1 season review on BR would be epically epic.

 

[Duke]

I swear I saw a BBC news video just after the BBC F1 rights deal had been announced and Bernie was asked what rights the BBC had won. Everything he said, including HD. So why the wait Bernie? F1 in HD would be brilliant; it might be easier to see what's broken on car on a slow-mo HD replay and having an F1 season review on BR would be epically epic.

Having a bluray disc of each season would be epic. They could have the full length races plus short highlight versions and insights etc.

 

[jaybee]

What a joke tbh. Absolute joke. Pinnacle of motorsport and the money in F1 and they can't be bothered to run it in HD. Sport is THE most beneficial category to watch in HD as it's all about the detail. F1 would be awesome.

 

[MarcLister]

Having a bluray disc of each season would be epic. They could have the full length races plus short highlight versions and insights etc.

Yup. Would have thought the review discs in BR/HD would make F1 Ltd a bit of money. Certainly any outlaw for introducing HD broadcasting that Bernie has to shoulder would be repaid within a few seasons from the BR reviews and perhaps more sponsors coming in if they know their logos will be seen in better quality than ever. Current sponsors might even be prepared to pay more than now for the higher quality advertising BR F1 would give them.

I understand it isn't just a case of, "let's film this race in BR shall we lads", and that it needs planning but why can't 2011 be filmed/broadcasted in HD?

 

[Duke]

Even just having HD content from the track cameras and standard for the onboard ones to begin with would be good.