So what's up with F1 TV?

dud · Mar 20, 2018

They want to launch this for the 2018 season. Well, just a couple more days to go.

It looks awesome, especially if you can replay the races, rewind inside the race etc.

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/...-a-live-grand-prix-subscription-service.html#

https://www.formula1.com/en/subscri...CHnvkdvCWtt70JundYLMsp2NZWDQlVpBoCswwQAvD_BwE

dud · Mar 20, 2018

Speaking of TV coverage, the US will switch to ESPN (Disney) from NBC (Commiecast).

While I realize that nothing is or can be worse than NBC, is there some more information available? Specifically, who will do the commenting? Please please please do not re-use anybody. If I hear Steve Perino for even a second I'll burn my TV.

Neilski · Mar 20, 2018

Mmmm, I think I'll be passing on this.

During the glory days (or the ones that I perceive as great, anyway!) I'd have been tempted, perhaps. However, I've been finding it a real chore to watch a full race for the last few years - I actually prefer the highlights! - which is a pretty bad sign. So for it to then cost me around the same as Netflix for a couple of races a month... that's gonna be an easy decision.

dud · Mar 20, 2018

Sniffing some more it seems that Disney doesn't bother with commentators at all. They seem to broadcast the Sky production.

I just wonder how that goes with the different advertising breaks.

ears · Mar 24, 2018

I was wondering what Sky would think of this in the UK until I realised the UK is not on the list of markets this service is available in...

Neilski · Mar 24, 2018

ears said:
I was wondering what Sky would think of this in the UK until I realised the UK is not on the list of markets this service is available in...

Aha, LOL! Even easier decision than I thought then

dud · Mar 25, 2018

I want this. The "ESPN3" app is terrible, even for just watching practice in a regular TV capacity.

Fsck American TV.

Terry Rock · Mar 25, 2018

dud said:
Speaking of TV coverage, the US will switch to ESPN (Disney) from NBC (Commiecast).
While I realize that nothing is or can be worse than NBC, is there some more information available? Specifically, who will do the commenting? Please please please do not re-use anybody. If I hear Steve Perino for even a second I'll burn my TV.

I watched it live at 1:30 a:m here on ESPN....it was absolutely horrible.
The coverage was exceptionally bad in every possible way...from the lack of speculation about what the teams could do to move forward.... to the screen put up to identify the drivers.
The lettering was so small you could barely read it.
There was no tire information to identifying who was using what tires, until you saw them changed at pit-stop time.
The colors used for information displays on screen were not contrasting and simply blended making it impossible to read.
They kept switching away to commercial and while there was a P-in-P display, you'd see a car slow and come to a halt. They'd come back from commercial and say absolutely nothing about what had happened.
The Williams and the Sauber went out early. You saw very brief flashes of both cars during the break. I still have no idea what happened.
It was just two guys talking.
It was just plain crap.

casualmanmann · Mar 25, 2018

The ESPN coverage of F1 is garbage. I guess I'll have to check out f1tv. Am I crazy or did they cut Will Buxton???

dud · Mar 26, 2018

I am so disappointed. Yes it is Sky commentators, but they were better last year. ESPN put additional advertising which without fail covered up the few interesting parts.

The ESPN3 app, which we have to use for practice in the US, is utter garbage.

rubaru · Apr 5, 2018

Looking to DVR the Bahrain race, but ESPN had screwed it up again. Right there where the race should be listed, the guide says "To Be Announced" in half-hour increments. I can't DVR that! And is the start time really so late that it is on at 11am in the USA? I knew it was to be a night race but I remember last year being 8am. Could be wrong.

dud · Apr 6, 2018

Hah. The information that US stations send out to DVRs is atrocious. Better use the mobile app at real time to make sure it is recording. And even if they send the right information in the first place, there seems to be "no way" to adjust it based on program changes.

And that is with a ninja Internet connected DVR.

The German TV system had a system to signal the actual beginning and end of broadcasts to recording devices in 1986 forffsacke. 1986. No typo. Some information modulated on top of the modulated TV signal, no more problem.

Dennis Phelan · Apr 11, 2018

Great news for the USA, ESPN has just indicated that they will present the rest of the 2018 F1 races and qualifying commercial free!

Sponsor "Mothers Polish" agreed to the change after the channel scheduled a program at the wrong time as well as cutting away from the action at times that ended up being inappropriate.

There are some good people in the world

rubaru · Apr 24, 2018

I want to bring this thread back up to see if anyone else in the USA is noticing the same thing I am on my TV schedule. I have found the Azerbaijan GP Practice and the Race itself on ESPN, but I don't see anything for the Qualifying session on Saturday. Anyone find it somewhere else, perhaps listed differently?

Hiro Abe · Apr 24, 2018

I believe for both of the first 2 races, ESPN did NOT air qualifying live (I DVR it via YouTube TV which makes it a piece of cake so never quite sure what the live times are). They delayed it and replayed it before the race. I must say I am liking the commercial free coverage. Still interested in the details of F1 TV. I got an email notice it is starting up in May. Not sure if we are going to get it in the States though since ESPN is carrying it.

rubaru · Apr 24, 2018

http://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/22757407/espn-reveals-f1-tv-broadcast-schedule-2018

This link I just found is a list of all the events and where to watch them. Unfortunately, my subscription includes ESPN but not ESPNEWS, so I will be missing 14 qualifying sessions. Curious if there is another way to watch it live.

dud · Apr 24, 2018

That is so idiotic. I enjoyed the last two race weekends by watching all practice session, and then qualifying. The actual race only ran in the background while doing something else. It is just the result of the earlier sessions. I enjoy the tinkering before the race much more.

I have to say that ESPN3's web based viewer, in a desktop browser, is actually pretty good. I previously wrote ESPN3 off because of that joke that their iPad app is.

Dan900 · Apr 25, 2018

rubaru said:
I want to bring this thread back up to see if anyone else in the USA is noticing the same thing I am on my TV schedule. I have found the Azerbaijan GP Practice and the Race itself on ESPN, but I don't see anything for the Qualifying session on Saturday. Anyone find it somewhere else, perhaps listed differently?

Mid-Atlantic Directv shows the same, no qualifying session listed.