F1 feed in Canada - no Speed this year?

[urban.one]

SPEED MARCH 2009 BLACKOUT SCHEDULE for F1 (in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean)
26-Mar Practice Australia GP 01:30-03:00ET Canada
27-Mar Qualifying Australia GP 02:00-03:30ET Canada
28-Mar Pre-Race & Race Australia GP 01:30-04:00ET Canada
29-Mar Encore Australia GP 15:30-17:00ET Canada


Hows this going to work this year? Is this TSN requesting the blackout?

Any changes to the TSN feed? Do we still get the crappy Vic Rauter? http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/common_scripts/xtq_images/50252-31868.jpg

This is gonna be a pi$$ off if i cant get speed for any of the races. As bad as Speed is, TSN is worse.
Why did we get the dual feed in past seasons?

[fast95pony]

Speed didn't block the practice session last night. :dunno:


..And I agree with your Vic comments.He sucks !

[buh_buh]

Vic and Gerry Donaldson are only for the pre and post race. TSN should be getting the BBC feed this year.

And yeah, practice was on last night, and qualifying is still scheduled to be on Speed.

[urban.one]

Did you personally watch it on Speed using a Canadian provider? Im hearing from others that they did not get it.


Originally posted by fast95pony
Speed didn't block the practice session last night. :dunno:


..And I agree with your Vic comments.He sucks !


From the Toronto Star:


Speed coverage of F1 blacked out
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Mar 27, 2009 02:21 PM
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Norris McDonald
Motorsport Reporter

Canadians hoping to watch Bob Varsha, David Hobbs and Steve Matchett report Formula One races on Speed this season are out of luck.

In the short term, anyway.

In recent years, fans have had a choice of F1 coverage between Canada's TSN, which picked up a feed from Britain's ITV Network, and the U.S.-based Speed Channel.

No more, seems.

Early this morning, Speed Channel's coverage of the first practice session at the Australian Grand Prix was interrupted five minutes into the program.

The screen went black and a notice said that coverage was being discontinued because of "rights issues in Canada with TSN."

In an email to the Star this afternoon, Speed vice-president of media relations, Erik Arneson, said:

"TSN has exclusive rights to air Formula One in the English language in Canada. In the past, TSN has kindly permitted Speed to telecast certain content non-exclusively. However, this year they have requested that we not do so.

" TSN has always been a good and fair partner of Speed and we respect their exclusivity. We look forward to working with TSN and F1 to perhaps share some of this programming space but until such arrangements are in place, Speed will continue to black out F1 racing in Canada."

In recent years, TSN's ITV feed featured James Allan doing play-by-play with ex-F1 driver Martin Brundle providing colour. Louise Goodman reported from the pits.

The BBC has replaced ITV as British broadcaster and while Brundle will continue as colour commentator, Allan has been replaced by BBC F1 radio anchor Jonathan Legard.

Other BBC talent that TSN will feature includes retired driver David Coulthard commenting in-studio and Lee McKenzie reporting from the pits.

As reported previously by the Star, TSN will also no longer feature a Toronto-produced F1 lead-in program starring anchor Vic Rauter and Canadian F1 journalist Gerald Donaldson

TSN's coverage of Australian GP qualifying will start at 1:55 a.m. tomorrow.

The first race of the F1 season can then be seen on TSN Sunday morning, also starting at 1:55 a.m. It will be repeated at 8 a.m.





That article answers some questions. Ill have to check my PVR to see if theres anything other than a black screen.

[rage2]

I've been following up on this.

TSN has requested Speed broadcasts be blocked this year, regardless if they are showing it. Which means no FP2 coverage (legally) for Canadians. Yesterday's FP2 broadcast was only blacked out by some providers. Expect the rest of the weekend's Speed coverage to be blacked out.

TSN has dropped the pre-race show. A good thing IMO, because Vic Rauter is a curling guy, he has NO business talking about F1. He's the dumbest announcer ever. Gerry Donaldson, he just recites the news. There was a race a few years back on TSN where they lost the ITV feed, so Vic and Gerry announced the whole race. Let me tell ya, that was the WORST thing I've ever heard in my life.

Unfortunately, TSN will not be picking up BBC's pre-race show. Therefore, the race broadcast will be starting only 5 mins before the race to catch some pitlane action.

The good news, with TSN2 on most networks, there should never be a battle to not show F1 when Golf or Hockey or Curling events should get in the way.

For those joining the other fans at my place this weekend, we WILL have the Speed HD pre-race show ;).

[buh_buh]

looks like there's going to be even less of us in the race threads during FP and Quali now.

[urban.one]

What a joke this all is! I feel like we live in communist China with the damn CRTC rules, cable company actions and canadian networks.

Why wouldnt TSN or TSN2 pick up the prerace coverage? Especially with F1 being on at non-prime time its not like theyd be losing coverage on something else. We'll get to watch poker or strong man competitions for the hour before the race. Yay!

Time for a grey market dish. Anyone got any recommendations on where to start looking. PM me if you dont want to post your hookups. Seriously! Thanks.

[urban.one]

For what its worth, email your displeasure to TSN here: [email protected]

http://www.tsn.ca/contact/#audiencerelations

[Mibz]

So we lucked out last night and will have to just have the laptop open in bed from now on? Weak.

[civic_stylez]

Holy that sucks..... Speed has class, every time i see the F1 start on TSN i expect to see one of the IFC intros that used to be on those school movies when we were kids.

Vic Rauter sucks... plain and simple.

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by rage2
Expect the rest of the weekend's Speed coverage to be blacked out.


There go my plans out the window, for tonight. :thumbsdow

[buh_buh]

TSN still has qualifying. Its just with Vic and Gerry

[kevie88]

you guys need to find someone to invite you to racing underground.. I can't do it, I've used my 2 invites.

[Team_Mclaren]

BBC practice commentator is fucking annoying. Repeating EACH drivers time every 5 mins is hella stupid:banghead:

Davidson colour commentating is cool tho.

[H4LFY2nR]

anyone watching the BBC feed for live practice?

atdhe.net

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by H4LFY2nR
anyone watching the BBC feed for live practice?

atdhe.net

I am now! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Inzane]

I'm pissed. I went to watch the "Inside Grand Prix" segment that I thought I had recorded, on Speed. But when I went to watch it, it was blacked out.

Dammit. They can't even show that, when TSN wasn't showing it themselves??

BTW, any word on whether TSN will be broadcasting the races in true HD this season, or not? I remember asking in our thread last year and someone said the races are shot in HD but not broadcast in HD (at least on the broadcast we get). :dunno:

[Mibz]

Originally posted by Inzane
I'm pissed. I went to watch the "Inside Grand Prix" segment that I thought I had recorded, on Speed. But when I went to watch it, it was blacked out.

Dammit. They can't even show that, when TSN wasn't showing it themselves??

BTW, any word on whether TSN will be broadcasting the races in true HD this season, or not? I remember asking in our thread last year and someone said the races are shot in HD but not broadcast in HD (at least on the broadcast we get). :dunno: The IGP segment was the same one as Thursday night and the races aren't recorded or broadcast in HD.

[DJ Lazy]

Speed wasn't even blacked out last night...:dunno:

[Mibz]

Originally posted by DJ Lazy
Speed wasn't even blacked out last night...:dunno: Was for me. The IGP segment wasn't but I got the test pattern as soon as it switched to qualifying.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
http://blawgit.com/wp-content/uploads/test%20pattern.gif

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by Mibz
Was for me. The IGP segment wasn't but I got the test pattern as soon as it switched to qualifying.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
http://blawgit.com/wp-content/uploads/test%20pattern.gif

Weird.. I watched it at a friends place (shaw) and it saw the whole thing.:dunno:

[buh_buh]

why didnt you guys watch qualifying on TSN instead of watching the BLEE

[rage2]

Originally posted by Inzane
BTW, any word on whether TSN will be broadcasting the races in true HD this season, or not? I remember asking in our thread last year and someone said the races are shot in HD but not broadcast in HD (at least on the broadcast we get). :dunno:

Originally posted by Mibz
the races aren't recorded or broadcast in HD.
The races are shot and edited in HD on site, and I believe they record it in HD there too. FOM sends out the world feed in SD tho. The only races in HD apparently is the Singapore GP and Japanese GP for local viewers who get the local feed. The Japanese GP local feed has been HD for the last 5 years. The world FOM feed is SD year round, so we never get to see it.

According to BBC, next year FOM will have a HD world feed available.

[Inzane]

Originally posted by Mibz
The IGP segment was the same one as Thursday night


That's fine but I missed it. Had no idea it was going to be on on thursday night. I was used to watching it friday nights (from last year).

[Mibz]

Originally posted by rage2
The races are shot and edited in HD on site, and I believe they record it in HD there too. FOM sends out the world feed in SD tho. The only races in HD apparently is the Singapore GP and Japanese GP for local viewers who get the local feed. The Japanese GP local feed has been HD for the last 5 years. The world FOM feed is SD year round, so we never get to see it.

According to BBC, next year FOM will have a HD world feed available. Wait, so who records the races? Various stations? A single FOM-approved company? FOM themselves? If it's FOM then they choose specific cities to give an HD feed to?

I assumed that because our feed came from the BBC and the BBC wasn't offering HD that the BBC were the ones recording it and it wasn't in HD.

So the decision to go world-wide HD is that of FOM and not broadcasters?

I'm so confused.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Mibz
Wait, so who records the races? Various stations? A single FOM-approved company? FOM themselves? If it's FOM then they choose specific cities to give an HD feed to?
FOM for most races, a few races are done by local companies.
RDS used to do the Canadian GP. Those non-FOM races aren't filmed in HD (with the exception of Singapore and Japan).


Originally posted by Mibz
I assumed that because our feed came from the BBC and the BBC wasn't offering HD that the BBC were the ones recording it and it wasn't in HD.
Our feed comes from BBC, and BBC simply takes the FOM world feed and adds commentary. They don't control camera angles, what part of the race we watch, etc. Same goes for SpeedHD. FOM world feed is SD.


Originally posted by Mibz
So the decision to go world-wide HD is that of FOM and not broadcasters?
Correct. Otherwise, SpeedHD would've done F1 in HD long ago. FOM has to provide a HD feed before we see it.

According to some BBC insiders, there'll be a test FOM HD feed throughout the 2nd half of the season, which BBC, Speed, and other broadcasters will get for testing this year in preparations for next year. TSN won't get it because we just take the BBC feed.


Originally posted by Mibz
I'm so confused.
haha it took me years to figure out how it all worked. There's been a lot more public discussions on how it's done the last year because we still don't have it in HD.

[Mibz]

Okay so the master-feed that goes out to BBC and other places is already "edited" in the sense that whatever camera FOM says is on, is on. Which is why it seems that the announcers are never prepared for camera changes and always sound so surprised when the camera changes to a crash.

Haha, okay, that makes sense. So is there an agreement blocking other companies from coming in and recording/distributing their own version? I'm sure there are broadcasters that could have made a killing doing HD broadcasts for the last 3 years or so.

[bituerbo]

ARGH!! Nascar is on 3 freaking channels right now (including TSN AND TSN2), F1 is on SPEED but blacked out!? it's not even conflicting!!! SO FRUSTRATING!

(and yes, yes... my fault for missing it last night).

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by bituerbo
ARGH!! Nascar is on 3 freaking channels right now (including TSN AND TSN2), F1 is on SPEED but blacked out!? it's not even conflicting!!! SO FRUSTRATING!

(and yes, yes... my fault for missing it last night).

its up on piratebay. ;)

[Trini]

Originally posted by DJ Lazy
Speed wasn't even blacked out last night...:dunno:

same for me..was a pleasant surprise:) and their feed was 'faster' than the TSN one..as between commercials on Speed I had switched to TSN and saw images that I had previously saw on Speed.

[H4LFY2nR]

Originally posted by Trini


same for me..was a pleasant surprise:) and their feed was 'faster' than the TSN one..as between commercials on Speed I had switched to TSN and saw images that I had previously saw on Speed.

Yeah TSN pauses the BBC feed during commercials so you don't miss anything. I had the BBC feed streaming on my computer and a live timing board and by the end of the race the TSN feed was more than 5 min delayed.

[rage2]

Apparently, Speed HD was blacked out pretty much everywhere, and Speed SD was showing the race pretty much everywhere.

[Bladeh]

I watched it on Speed this afternoon, to be honest I would have preferred the BBC commentary. I would have taped the TSN but my PVR box craped out and the Shaw guy I phoned yesterday screwed it up even more now that I don't even get any channels on the PVR :banghead:

I did watch the practice session on the net feed, was pretty strange having Radio 5 live doing the commentary hehe!

[yellowGTS]

What is the best torrent site for finding the SPEED TV version of the race and qualifying?

I tried a number of searches and can only find BBC torrents.

[buh_buh]

Anyone watch the TSN feed last night? They now have no commercials (sort of), and show the race in its entirety live.

[BigMass]

i downloaded the Spanish commentary. It blew away the BBC and Speed commentary. Those guys were screaming their lungs out at every little piece of action. It was great!

[yellowGTS]

too bad I don't speak Spanish. Just became a fan of the Speed channel since they do more than TSN. Driver interviews, pitlane before the race and podium Q&A after the race

[fast95pony]

I've watched all the Speed F1 coverage with no blackouts
though Shaw , non HD, channel 48.

[yellowGTS]

Was that on a replay? When I look through the channel guide on Shaw I only see the race listed on HD for Speed and on channel 48 it is listed as OFF AIR.

[ShermanEF9]

Originally posted by bituerbo
ARGH!! Nascar is on 3 freaking channels right now (including TSN AND TSN2), F1 is on SPEED but blacked out!? it's not even conflicting!!! SO FRUSTRATING!

(and yes, yes... my fault for missing it last night).

Its because Canada did not receive rights to show the race.