Digital TV feed

[Knowlesy]

ITV, for the first 3 races at least, are broadcasting with the digital feed. We of course, got to witness this last night (or right at this minute if you didn't stop up until 5 in the morning, like I did rather regretfully. I feel ill!!!! )

I for one enjoyed it. A good spread of in car views, particularly nice to see all the top teams get on board footage and some nice angles of lower cars, incl;uding old-style over the shoulder cameras. Plus we had rev-counters and a fresh on screen display,which admittedly was impossible to read. So it was pretty nice.

The picture quality was astonishing. I watched the terrestrial version in my room and the picture was every bit as good as through digital. I'll be watching the race through digital tonight, so the quality should move on to a whole new level.

Anyways, why are we getting this digital feed? Is it a prelude to the return of F1 digital? {Please let it be!!!! Bernie, are you listening?

[Sato san]

Bernie wants this coverage to be the standard for all Gp's i think ...but , he has also already got contracts signed with certain countrys tv hosts who want to produce their own coverag e...so i think until these contracts expire or get bought out , it wont be commen at every race..

[Knowlesy]

What chance of Bernie buying those contracts out I wonder......hmmm.....

[eein]

Does anyone know if those rev counters are genuinly derived from actual telemetry, or if they are intferred from the engine sound? I know that in other motorsports that both methods are used.

[Cougar]

Dont take my word for it but I recall them saying it was from engine sound last season... On some cars it went all hay-wire and was revving down at 4000 at times down the straights. So it must be??

[Knowlesy]

Is it not from a microphone that calculates the vibrations and equates that to the rpm?

[Startline1]

Now put yourself in Bernie`s shoes,what is more cost effective?, either you have your own TV station with all the inclusice costs, or you enforce a standards which no one has the monitery(spelling) power to challenge and buy up the rights( at a low price in semi-undeveloped countries ) at a fraction of the costs.

While i am all in favour of a higher level of broardcast quality, in one way or another we the fans will have to pay extra.

Now this can mean in the long run that in europe sky will pay huge sums to BE and then make it "Pay-Per-View" or for the rest of the world they may get highlights at best.

Call me a cynic but all past encounters with BE have shown that the guy will turn about face when it suits him to "turn a buck" and the fans mean NOTHING to him.