Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

For my PPV purchase of the ASCoC vs the PA Posse race last night at Grandview Speedway, here’s my .02 cent opinion of the efforts of Speed Shift TV to deliver to mine and many other living rooms across the nation an expected night of badass racing. Two things are certain of my comment. It was a PPV event and it was a night of badass racing. Which is usually the norm for a Posse hosted event.

Speed Shift has a reputation of NOT following the leaders and insisting on showing a mid-pack battle for spots that really don’t matter. Meanwhile the announcer is bursting with excitement about this insane battle up front or the leader dicing through lapped traffic on a razors edge, all this while we’re screaming at the cameraman to show us what the announcer is popping a vein over. I can understand if you have someone tearing through the field or if you’re having position battles somewhere in the top 5. Show some of that and then get back to the front.

Listen I’m all for Larson popping in between NAPCAR events to get his dirt fix and to help bring in bigger crowds at the track or more PPV purchases. But the camera man was locked up on the 57 like 2 dogs fucking ..! All we could do is watch that crap and listen about this insane 4 car battle up front between Reutzel, Rhamer, Shaffer and McMahan !!

You would think that Speed Shift would have a way for the camera man to listen to the announcer call the race and direct the camera to that. Hell, I would pay more money per PPV event so they could have multiple cameras to bring us the best race possible.

I’m done venting and it’s all good, well, until the race tonight at the Grove. There we’ll be, screaming at the TV, again and talking shit about Speed Shift. I suppose I should be grateful that the cameraman at the least can follow the cars during time trials …

Well I thought the camera coverage was fine. I didn't see where Larson was getting any undue attention, myself.

On this topic, anyone know if Lincoln will be broadcast?  I don’t see it on any schedule.

You had to have been watching with the volume turned down !! I’m not a Larson hater by any means, but the camera was on him for a majority of the race ...

I only saw the highlights that were posted and the same thing was very apparent, the cameraman had a stiffy for Larson.

i only watched highlights but I see what ya mean about the announcer and camera man not being on the same page. One thing I also realized, I’ve taken Johnny Gibson for granted as the All Star dude needs some work. 

I think SpeedShift as the best quality video out of all of them. 

No doubt ... But my issue with them still stands.

Did I purchase the race tonight at the grove ?? Yep sure did .... lol I'm a glutton for punishment

I have to agree with this part "You would think that Speed Shift would have a way for the camera man to listen to the announcer call the race and direct the camera to that."

But that goes for ALL PPV races, regardless of who broadcasts them. It would be much better  if camera & announcer were in sync. But thats also an inate problem with watching on a screen rather than in person, you can't decide which battle to focus on, or switch back & forth when you want to. Not to mention missing the sound, excitement of other fans, & that fragrance of burning methanol.....

Speedshift seems to do as good a job as any of them....

Anybody that tunes in to a sprint car broadcast and expects the camera view and the race call to match up all the time, need not tune in. It doesn't matter who the provider is, the call and the view are often out of sinc. Too often the camera view is too tight.....focused in on just one ar two cars. We sprint car race fans have a different set of viewing eyes than most other sports fans....even other race fans. At the track our eyes ar constatntly moving from action to action and in a split second our attention can shift to something we weren't even tuned in to. Right? There are times while watching a PPV that the camera backs off the close shots and provides a wider shot of the action, and that works pretty well, if it isn't too broad of course. Most of us can follow the action without being able to read the vinyl on the wings for cripe sakes. I have no clue (nor do they it seems) as to which shot gets viewed and which shots don't. There should be someone in the camera mans ear as well as the announcers ear directing action.....but especially in the camera mans ear.

I did not watch on TV I was at the race but in the second 20 why would the camera have been on anybody but Larson watching him come from the back reminded me of Steve Kinser ib a National Open or Kyle himself in The Don Martin a few years ago.

I will take the All Star announcer over any of the local announcers except maybe Dave Hare at Baps.