How many times do you watch the race on DVR each year?

[ATLFalconsFAN]

I know, kind of a silly thread to start, but...

I'm sitting in front of my TV right now, and I'm 2.5 hours into the 2014 race. This is my third viewing of the 24 on TV. I just can't help it, as soon as the checkered flag waves I just need to go back to the start right away.

So who else does this? How many times will you end up watching the race in its entirety?

Here in the states we used to have Speed channel, now we have Fox Sports. I think this year there were all 24 hours save one for stupid NASCAR practice or something. I make sure to record all of it on two of my three DVRs. I was at the race this year, and coming back and watching it on TV is great, because I get to see all of the things that I missed by being there. Even better is that by being there I get to relive all of the feelings and thoughts that I had while the moments were occurring. Like when the rain came, I was sitting at Dunlop grandstand and could smell the rain as soon as it came. The guys on TV didn't acknowledge the rain until it was well and truly coming down.

So ya, as in years past, I'll probably watch the complete race a half dozen times before next year comes. When that happens I'll begrudgingly delete the previous year's race so that I can free up space for the next year.

How many times do you relive the greatest motor race in the world???

[isynge]

Highlights I'll watch many times, full races somewhat less. What I used to do a lot however, was when I had a long commute in the car I'd stick the RLM podcasts on, and around May each year a previous edition will often find itself being played, perhaps not in entirety, but certainly enough to whet appetite.

[Deleted]

Initial broadcast on Eurosport (+RLM & other sources) in June
Fox Sports/SPEED highlights late in summer
Full Eurosport rewatch either late in fall and/or early spring of following year
Duke Review in December

[J Jay]

I'll usually watch the Duke BD as soon as I can, but it has to be done in one sitting. Not managed to find the time yet ...

[GT6]

I have a few old video's and dvd's which i rarely watch but usually sit down and watch the steve mcqueen Le Mans in May although this year i watched the test day for the first time in the company of many old le mans friends which was a real treat

[Deleted]

^If we talk about Le Mans "prepping up", I usually have around one week period before the official sessions where I watch old LM documents (most of which have seen dozens of times), vintage race reviews and other misc stuff as hype.

Then, on the Friday night prior race day I watch the McQueen film - it's the holiest of traditions for me - and as secondary another motorsport (not necessarily LM) related film that rotates from year to year. This year it was Rush, last year Grand Prix and years before those other classics. In 2015 probably either Days of Thunder or Talladega Nights, I don't mind a bit of redneck entertainment in small dozes

I don't watch motorsport feature films any other time, so when you do that kind of stuff just once a year it makes it feel more special. Especially when it's built around such special occassion. Pretty much the counterpart of my Charles Dickens Christmas Carol tradition that happens exactly half a year later

[Aysedasi]

I have nothing recorded of the year's race, but buy the BR as soon as its available each year. But because that is now so long (I'm not complaining - except for the lack of cameras in the night this year), I probably only watch it a couple of times, dipping in and out. As I have all my old Sportsseen VHS videos converted to DVD, I'll watch a few of those during the year and like Simon, 'Le Mans' gets an outing some time during most years. I do however listen to the full 24 hour Radio Le Mans commentary several times in the car. I'm 3 hours into it for the third time.....

Oh, and I watch my own footage several times, of course......

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

I'm not complaining - except for the lack of cameras in the night every year)

Fixed that for ya

[chunder]

None.

Whats a DVR?

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by chunder

None.

Whats a DVR?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_video_recorder

Are you the same Chunder who repeatedly keeps telling on Autosport forums how much you despise Le Mans & sportscars and/or can't understand how one race can make people so obsessed?

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Fixed that for ya

Ah yes, but it was much worse than usual this year.......

And to Mr. Chunder - I think you get the gist perfectly well......

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Ah yes, but it was much worse than usual this year......

Having seen it few times fully now, I thought the night coverage was exactly the same load of garbage it's been for over a decade now. In the late 90's they used to have some proper night footage from Mulsanne and stuff, even if the TV coverage otherwise was much more limited.

[Aysedasi]

Maybe you're right and my thoughts are coloured by how often RLM referred to having only in-car cameras to watch during the night. Without any doubt, we have had decent night footage in the past. And no-one can tell me these days that the technology doesn't permit it - even my shoddy night footage is better than none at all!

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Maybe you're right and my thoughts are coloured by how often RLM referred to having only in-car cameras to watch during the night. Without any doubt, we have had decent night footage in the past. And no-one can tell me these days that the technology doesn't permit it - even my shoddy night footage is better than none at all!

Yes... having no Mulsanne/Indy/Arnage/Curves coverage from practice & qualifying days is understandable due to the hazzle with public roads and stuff, but Sat-Sun 'night siesta' is purely down to laziness.

But anyway, think this has been covered plenty of times here, and for good number of years too, so back to topic at hand

[Simmi]

I don't think I watched the whole race back through but probably watched about half of it skipping around to various points.

The biggest barrier to repeat watches is the amount of space the recordings (it has to be in HD) take up on the box - so it gets deleted eventually. I have all the coverage and sessions from the last few years on my hard drive if I ever want to count the red flags. Plus the current DVDs don't reference qualy at all, where as the older ones don't put nearly enough emphasis on the race.

Between my hard drive and DVD collection I've got every review since 1980 so I'm never going to run out of stuff to watch. But I don't really have a routine.

[whitemr2]

Originally Posted by Simmi

Between my hard drive and DVD collection I've got every review since 1980 so I'm never going to run out of stuff to watch. But I don't really have a routine.

Wow. Maybe you can help me. I am trying to find a coverage of 1995. Neither Duke or ACO seem to have a DVD from that year. Who is the ' producer' of the 1995 DVD.

[isynge]

Originally Posted by whitemr2

Wow. Maybe you can help me. I am trying to find a coverage of 1995. Neither Duke or ACO seem to have a DVD from that year. Who is the ' producer' of the 1995 DVD.

I'm a little like Simmi in my obsessive collecting of footage, but 1995 is a difficult one. The coverage I've got is a US highlights broadcast recording that's pretty indifferent on a whole array of levels, which given how good the race was that year is massively disappointing.

[Simmi]

I don't think there is a DVD of '95. Although to be honest with older footage the format is almost irrelevant as the picture quality isn't going to improve.

I'm guessing this is Ian's U.S. broadcast from '95 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c13YAqteG7c

The one I have is the 58min Radio Le Mans edit. The intro is missing from this upload but again it's on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4cPmmaWjjQ

[mackteck]

I'm watching it right now!
Probably the 3rd time since June,
Recorded on eurosport hd on my sky box!

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by isynge

The coverage I've got is a US highlights broadcast recording that's pretty indifferent on a whole array of levels, which given how good the race was that year is massively disappointing.

Prime?

I don't mind those ones, they have some weird charm. Always liked Alain de Cadenet's chitchat too.

edit, Simmi: yeah that's the one. Everything's on tube today

[isynge]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Prime?

I don't mind those ones, they have some weird charm. Always liked Alain de Cadenet's chitchat too.

edit, Simmi: yeah that's the one. Everything's on tube today

I think it's a different one - looking at the YouTube one now but can't definitively check as the server my copy's on has fallen over and it seems unfair to move the cat to head upstairs to restart it.

I do like some of the idiosyncrasy though - a bit of left field non po-faced commentary adds a bit. In that light, while I found the 'scenes from a campsite' bits of the early 2000s DVDs a touch cringeworthy, now they're gone I miss them - it's telling that while the production values of the last couple of years have been great, I haven't watched them as much.

Let us however get the atrocity that was the 2009 DVD out of the way immediately - it bugs the hell out of me that Peugeot's win is covered by the single worst bit of Le Mans coverage imaginable.

[vincegail]

Originally Posted by Simmi

I don't think there is a DVD of '95. Although to be honest with older footage the format is almost irrelevant as the picture quality isn't going to improve.

I'm guessing this is Ian's U.S. broadcast from '95 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c13YAqteG7c

The one I have is the 58min Radio Le Mans edit. The intro is missing from this upload but again it's on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4cPmmaWjjQ

I have a 1995 DVD that looks like a DIY project. "a WINA sports production" (from Mexico!) with on the front of the DVD cover the nr. 49 WEST McLaren, and on the back pictures of nr. 57 Jaguar XJ220, nr. 40 F40 an nr. 27 Toyota Supra. Not the best DVD. Commentary is from Radio Le Mans. Running time 57 minutes. Pretty sure it's the 58 minute RLM edit Simmi is talking about.

[whitemr2]

Thanks all, pitty I can't find a hardcopy, I'll be happy with the youtube broadcasts.

[isynge]

If we're on the topic of finding good footage is there a decent one for 1996 floating around? I've got a US recording from Empire, which is pretty forgettable, if there's a better one out there I'd love to hear about it.

Tonight's viewing has confirmed that the commentary for the 1997 and 1998 official reviews is hazardous simply due to its ability to raise my blood pressure. If it's the only game in town fair enough, but one does have to wish there was something better out there.

[HR186S]

1998 race from Speedvision There's over 8hrs of footage in different parts. It's the one I watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4SFzjKgs5U