[TV] F1 in HD

[Adam43]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84448

Boo Hiss.

Originally Posted by The Bernster

"We don't want to broadcast unless people want it,"

I want it. I want it. I want it.

I asked in England, the BBC, about it - how many people can receive it? They said about 20 per cent of the viewers who watch F1.

20% can have it. Please let us have it.

Then I want to make sure that what we produce is top quality.

Fair comment, don't do it badly.

Bernie, please let us have HD F1. I will watch more. I will. I watch some crap I didn't before just because it isn't in F1. I stop watching stuff I did before because it is in SD.

[Fox89]

2012 seems relatively reasonable. I mean I'm looking forward to it in HD but at least it's on the way. If it doesn't come in 2012 then that'll probably be pushing it a bit, but it's not exactly unwatchable in SD, even on my 47" HD LG. So one more season of standard def doesn't concern me too much.

[Adam43]

Yes, lots of nice bandwidth on BBC. It isn't Eurosport or Public Access!

[broadrun96]

Wait, F1 is in HD here in the heart of nascar country but in the home of most F1 teams you are stuck with standard? Although when I move to Ga the cable company doesn't have speedhd but the att offers it so I might be saved. Racing in standard and not in widescreen is just uncivilized.

[Knowlesy]

Bernie is so miserly. Just give us it. I don't even have HD equipment at the moment either!

But hey, it has only been around for like five or six years.

[ECW Dan Selby]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84448

Is this not just utter bull*!%$?

Scuse my French but, that's a bit of an insult, is it not? How come other forms of motorsport have managed just fine? Some lower tiers might I add!

Opinions?

As a HD tv owner, I feel pretty insulted by this. First, the rubbish excuse. Secondly, the fact F1's meant to be the forefront of modern technology, yet they can't agree on terms for running HD. I spose it's a mirror of the politics that some times get in the way of the sport we love

Selby

[ECW Dan Selby]

I've made a post about this in the F1 section stating my disgust. I just think it's absolute rubbish. The long and short of it is Bernie wants alot of £. It's the same old, same old. Any other excuse is just that.

Selby

[Spritle]

Ditto!

How ridiculous is it that I can watch just about every sport and even the local news in HD but F1 plods along in SD.

What a joke!

[tux1234]

The real reason. He wants the tv companys to pay him more money for the HD coverage.

[ECW Dan Selby]

Exactly, anything else is just a complete lie.

Selby

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Wait, F1 is in HD here in the heart of nascar country.

I doubt it, FOM don't make the HD feed available. You may be watching an 'HD' channel but it will be an up-scaled picture from an SD feed.

[Alfa Fan]

Am I the only one that doesn't really care about HD?

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Racing in standard and not in widescreen is just uncivilized.

Agreed, although the coverage is in widescreen, just not HD.

On a related topic. Isn't it about time they shifted the graphics to take account of widescreen and stop trying to be OK for 4:3 and 16:9? Why can't there be two feeds for that, or just tell the backward countries (France?) to catch up

[Chatters]

I guess that Autosport article makes a good point, if we want HD I know I would rather have everything in HD (on-boards etc), and if that takes until 2012, so be it.

[NITRO35]

To be or not to be HD.

[duke_toaster]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Agreed, although the coverage is in widescreen, just not HD.

On a related topic. Isn't it about time they shifted the graphics to take account of widescreen and stop trying to be OK for 4:3 and 16:9? Why can't there be two feeds for that, or just tell the backward countries (France?) to catch up

FOM make a proper feed, and some countries take it - it's just that the BBC are forced to cater for the luddites with narrowscreen TVs that are incapable of going through their digital box and finding the "letterbox" option.

[JamesH]

Originally Posted by Chatters

I guess that Autosport article makes a good point, if we want HD I know I would rather have everything in HD (on-boards etc), and if that takes until 2012, so be it.

It will be difficult but certainly feasible to get onboards in HD at the moment -(the guy sitting at the desk next to me is working on something that would do just that...). It would involve compressing the HD data very quickly and transmitting it. The compression bit is easy, but still takes a lot of bandwidth, esp. over for the distances involved. Greater distance would probably require more data correction, so more bandwidth. A 'decent' but not Bluray quality picture at 1080i would need about 10MBit/s transfer rate, probably more depending on the frame rate.

You would probably lose a lot of the advantage of HD because of the high compression rates involved (the blocking you see on HD TV's are compression artifacts) to fit the available bandwidth.

It would be easy for them to transmit the main picture in HD, but remain SD for the onboards. After all, the onboard quality is currently less than the main picture quality.

So, in precis, technically feasible RIGHT NOW, given bandwidth limitations.

[ECW Dan Selby]

To be quite honest, I'd take a main feed HD and on-board SD. That's surely better than what we have now, is it not?

Selby

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Wait, F1 is in HD here in the heart of nascar country but in the home of most F1 teams you are stuck with standard? Although when I move to Ga the cable company doesn't have speedhd but the att offers it so I might be saved. Racing in standard and not in widescreen is just uncivilized.

Where are you moving to? Cause Comcast does.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by redshoes

I doubt it, FOM don't make the HD feed available. You may be watching an 'HD' channel but it will be an up-scaled picture from an SD feed.

Interesting, I didn't know that. It's solidly 720p though, I couldn't tell the difference.

65% of Americans own an HDTV, but that's obviously of no concern to Bernie.

[NaBUru38]

What on-board cameras do WTCC, Nascar and IndyCar have?

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by duke_toaster

FOM make a proper feed, and some countries take it - it's just that the BBC are forced to cater for the luddites with narrowscreen TVs that are incapable of going through their digital box and finding the "letterbox" option.

Ah, good point. I did know that, I think I've seen screenshots.
Surely it isn't beyond the wit of man to take both feeds? Although I can see that there are many reasons. Ranging from 'can't be bothered' to real issues!

So the best is being the evil of the good. Why not have HD circuit feed with SD on-boards until 2012 when we can have both?

[dyewat808]

Originally Posted by Alfa Fan

Am I the only one that doesn't really care about HD?

I hear you Alfa Fan! I hear your lonely cry of ioslation!

Honestly, guys, sure F1 is meant to be at the forefront of modern technology, but HD is really not that big a deal. The image just looks crisper, and you get over the novelty factor very quickly.

Frankly, I think its a joke that F1 is now at the stage that we care more about HD than the actual racing. To respond to the inevitable - I do own a HDTV, and I can tell you, all it looks like is a little sharper, a little crisper.

...thats it! Its like a higher resolution on your PC. Thats all it is guys, its just a better resolution!!!

And its not even that new. In 1936 - yes 1936, they trialled HD. Its only because of digital compression that its become mainstream now.

What I suggest instead is onboard cameras and live streaming over the internet like with IndyCar. That would be a worthy and notable sign of progress.

[duke_toaster]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Ah, good point. I did know that, I think I've seen screenshots.
Surely it isn't beyond the wit of man to take both feeds? Although I can see that there are many reasons. Ranging from 'can't be bothered' to real issues!

They'd need to send back two feeds. Also, which one would default? Everything BBC has to be 4:3 safe due to the minority of people using 4:3 televisions - might as well move the timing bar right to the middle of the screen so Grandma sees it on her old Bush that should be in the Natural History Museum .

The ideal situation is just to send back the 16:9 one and use that, but the problem is luddites who have 4:3 TVs and can't find the letterbox option really - they're an issue with lots of things though. Romania will have completed it's analogue switchover before we do, and I can imagine some people complaining that they haven't heard about it beforehand, complete with panic buying of DTT decoders.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by dyewat808

Honestly, guys, sure F1 is meant to be at the forefront of modern technology, but HD is really not that big a deal. The image just looks crisper, and you get over the novelty factor very quickly.

True you do get over it. And then you see SD programmes and weep. It is the norm for me and that is great. Less than the norm is rubbish. Quality rules.

Frankly, I think its a joke that F1 is now at the stage that we care more about HD than the actual racing.

Just because there is a thread about it doesn't mean that it is the most important thing. There are many threads on many things in this forum. Many have more posts that this one! I like it so want to see it as well as possible.

To respond to the inevitable - I do own a HDTV, and I can tell you, all it looks like is a little sharper, a little crisper.

...thats it! Its like a higher resolution on your PC. Thats all it is guys, its just a better resolution!!!

Yes that is what it is and it was good.

And its not even that new. In 1936 - yes 1936, they trialled HD. Its only because of digital compression that its become mainstream now.

this is an irrelevant point as to whether it was better.

What I suggest instead is onboard cameras and live streaming over the internet like with IndyCar. That would be a worthy and notable sign of progress.

Until you can stream HD, forget it. Only useful if you don' have other access to the feed.

I crave quality.

And the solution is obvious. You aren't bothered so it doesn't matter to you. Others love it and want it. Provide it, everyone is a winner, or, at least, not a loser.