Bernie is such an idiot!!!

[Mika-Juan-Kimi]

http://pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=39947

Its absolutely amazing that this guy is F1's boss.

[Rus-Evo]

Point One: Try to be less abusive (consider changing your title)

Point Two: I thought F1 was already in HD (they advertise it as such here)

Point Three: Why would Bernie make F1 in HD if there is no one planning to broadcast it? Wouldnt that be throwing money away?

Point Four: Bernie might want to think ahead and get it in HD (which would encourage people to get on board)

[Mach]

Not sure why you're so upset Mika-Juan-Kimi? Sounds like revenue stream forecasts will not meet expectations required for the costly outlay for HD broadcast?

I'll still watch every race this season with or without HD....as I imagine you will too

[f1-cobra]

I just got Speed HD, I find it hard to believe that they wouldn't broadcast it if it was available.

[WebHead]

Point Two: I thought F1 was already in HD (they advertise it as such here)

Nope, you can put SD feed on an HD channel, so you're not really getting HD resolution. It happens all the time on TV, 90% of stuff isn't HD at all.

[MONSTAR]

Berni reinvest in F1?? What, are you stupid!! That would cost him money

When he and his henchmen can figure out a way to make more money from it, then he will ask "how much more" and if that dosnt make him smile then it wont happen.

[Rus-Evo]

Isnt it great how he owns the commercial rights for 100 years no matter what?

Isnt it great how Bernie sells shares to people who went into debt to buy the shares, and whom have to then pillage as much as they can?

[PURIST]

What if he dies before the commercial right expires? Would his kids inherit that?

[Paolo_Lasardi]

Given his age, it looks somehwat likely that he will not see the contract out ...

However, BE's only a minority rights holder by now, the investment company CVC owns the majority stake through a long intransparent chain of channel islands companies.

[lightmas]

Point One: Try to be less abusive (consider changing your title)

Point Two: I thought F1 was already in HD (they advertise it as such here)

Point Three: Why would Bernie make F1 in HD if there is no one planning to broadcast it? Wouldnt that be throwing money away?

Point Four: Bernie might want to think ahead and get it in HD (which would encourage people to get on board)

Point One : This is bernie we are talking about..he fair

Point Two : They dont....maybe they upscale it or something..but its not filmed in HD

Point Three: Lots and lots of sports are doing it..some are even moving into 3D now..this is F1....supposedly the richest sport in the world..with the best tech....BBC would be very interested in doing it as they already have a HD channel...

Point Four :Its not as though this tech came out a few weeks ago....he had had a few years to plan...hes just slow and behind the times...just as he is with the Internet.

[clovnul]

I think it's filmed in HD, downscaled for SD & the SD upscaled for HD.

[lightmas]

I think it's filmed in HD, downscaled for SD & the SD upscaled for HD.

in that case..whats this article all about?

i am posative f1 isnt in HD...what am i missing

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/01/07/f1-in-hd-not-until-2011/

[clovnul]

It's about FOM who doesn't want to broadcast in HD.

[moonraker]

If it doesn't make money Bernie will bin it.

After Bernievision, digital F1 channel from 2002, started to lose money it was quickly canned.

[JPS4ever]

I was also under the impression that F1 was shot in HD but it was the BBC that would only broadcast it in SD, thus making the feed to the rest of the world SD as well. In Canada we get an up-converted signal from SD Pal to HD NTSC. It looks better than most SD but it's still not true HD.

[clovnul]

I wonder what gear they used in the past (specially in the 50s, 60s & 70s). I wonder if we can expect to see some Blu-ray with those years.

[Mach]

If this thread is talking about Bernie....then making money must be very close behind

[Rus-Evo]

In Bernies defence, I too would put money ahead of the sports well being given the chance.

[Paolo_Lasardi]

Well, obviously it is illusionary to expect anything else than money to drive the commercial rights holder motives. However, even with a profit-orientation, there can be long-run profit-oriented strategies (investment, anyone ) and short-run strategies, just trying to milk the cow now, not caring about the future.

Given CVC's difficult financial situation and the fact that the revenues from F1 commercial rights are used to serve debts from other businesses, no serious investment can be expected in the near future.

[Rus-Evo]

So the ideal model is for the sporting body to run the commercial aspect, as they have the sports well being in mind as well.

[Paolo_Lasardi]

So the ideal model is for the sporting body to run the commercial aspect, as they have the sports well being in mind as well.

Well, thanks to MM&BE's confrontation course towards rival series in the late 1990s, this option is not available anymore since it violates European competition law.

However, this does not necessarily imply a 100 year contract. If you hand out, say, 5 year contracts by means of an open and transparent tender, then there is an incentive to invest into the attractiveness of the broadcasting because this helps the commercial rights holder to retain the tender for the next five years.

But even with such a stupid longer-than-long-run contract, the situation would be much better if
(i) the commercial rights holder had a transparent and 'normal' company structure (and not chains of dubious channel island companies) and
(ii) the majority owner would do his core business with F1 (= interested in long-run profits) - and not just use the revenues to back up deficits from his non-motorsports core business.

But, of course, BE & MM apparently became rich by doing the deal it was done.

[Rus-Evo]

Well, thanks to MM&BE's confrontation course towards rival series in the late 1990s, this option is not available anymore since it violates European competition law.

I dont understand.......most sports have the commercial aspect run by the governing body of the sport. Even European ones I bet. I cant see how it violates competition law....its a monopoly whether Bernie or an F1 Governing body runs the show.

[Dave]

I was also under the impression that F1 was shot in HD but it was the BBC that would only broadcast it in SD, thus making the feed to the rest of the world SD as well.

Whatever the BBC does only impacts on those who get BBC coverage. The majority of the world does not.

[JPS4ever]

On TSN in Canada we get the BBC commentators and I believe we get an upconvert of their SD pal pictures as well.

[Mach]

Either way, Ferrari looks good winning in SD or HD