Split Screen anyone?

Split Screen anyone?

I just finished watching the Indy 500 and I really liked the split
screen. Got to watch three significant "racing incidents" live during
the commercial.

Having experienced Tony Georges lack of customer service skills at his
track in '87 and watching him kill the hugely popular CART series I
must admit that I had no confidence in his business skills. But loks
like I have to eat crow and admit that I love the reunification and
split screen.

C'mon NASCAR if Indy can do it so can you! If not I just push fast
forward through the commercials as I refuse to watch NASCAR live any
more. Thank you Tivo.

BTW ABC made it sound like Indy was the first to implement pit road
speed limits (did you see the rookie crash from the track onto pit
road obliterating the speed reporting device?). Were they really the
ones who started it?

Re: Split Screen anyone?

On Sun, 25 May 2008 16:57:49 CST, DAVe <smalleyster@gmail,com > wrote:

>I just finished watching the Indy 500 and I really liked the split
>screen. Got to watch three significant "racing incidents" live during
>the commercial.
>
>Having experienced Tony Georges lack of customer service skills at his
>track in '87 and watching him kill the hugely popular CART series I
>must admit that I had no confidence in his business skills. But loks
>like I have to eat crow and admit that I love the reunification and
>split screen.
>
>C'mon NASCAR if Indy can do it so can you! If not I just push fast
>forward through the commercials as I refuse to watch NASCAR live any
>more. Thank you Tivo.
>
>BTW ABC made it sound like Indy was the first to implement pit road
>speed limits (did you see the rookie crash from the track onto pit
>road obliterating the speed reporting device?). Were they really the
>ones who started it?

I _think_ NASCAR did, after a member of Bill Elliot's team was
killed in a pit road accident.

take care,
Scott

Re: Split Screen anyone?

almostfm.AMSPAY@UCKSAY,com cast,net (Scott Stevenson) wrote in
news:483aee48.104743671@newsgroups,com cast,net :


>>Having experienced Tony Georges lack of customer service skills at
>>his track in '87 and watching him kill the hugely popular CART
>>series

Hmm, one could make a very strong arguement that CART was quite
successfully killing itself.

>> I
>>must admit that I had no confidence in his business skills.

Well, George is still here and CART isn't, so it would appear
his business skills aren't as bad as all that.

>>C'mon NASCAR if Indy can do it so can you!

It's not clear who's at fault, there. NASCAR has suggested the
contracts the TV folks have with their advertisers preclude it.
OTOH, ESPN apparently made some suggestions about trying it and
NASCAR forbade them, which would indicate NASCAR and not the TV
folk are the problem. And then TNT did the Firecracker last year
without commercial breaks (using a different scheme than the IRL
side-by-side), so somehow neither NASCAR nor advertiser contracts
got in the way of that one.

>>BTW ABC made it sound like Indy was the first to implement pit road
>>speed limits (did you see the rookie crash from the track onto pit
>>road obliterating the speed reporting device?). Were they really the
>>ones who started it?

I was a little mystified why that device was there in the first
place. Indy cars have limiters which they engage to hold speed
on pit road, so there's not really any reason why a driver would
need to know his speed at that point.

I do wonder if a little chunk of SAFER barrier(*) at the entry to
pit road, positioned to angle a car back toward the outer wall,
wouldn't be a good idea. One wouldn't think a car would slide
into pit road that way, but obviously it can happen and it's
fortunate none of the end pits was occupied at the time.

> I _think_ NASCAR did, after a member of Bill Elliot's team was
> killed in a pit road accident.

Indy was the first to implement pit road speed limits in open
wheel racing. But you're right, the original idea came from
NASCAR. If I remember correctly, NASCAR started the pit road
speed limit in 1991, and I think Indy did that same year. I'm
pretty sure the other CART races didn't for another couple of
years, nor F1 (noting that most of those races take place on
circuits with some sort of chicane or other trickery on the
entry, which slowed the cars).

All the major series had pit road limits by 10 years ago.

John

(* something which Indy did start)

Re: Split Screen anyone?

On May 25, 6:57 pm, DAVe <smalleys...@gmail,com > wrote:

> I just finished watching the Indy 500 and I really liked the split
> screen. Got to watch three significant "racing incidents" live during
> the commercial.
>
> C'mon NASCAR if Indy can do it so can you! If not I just push fast
> forward through the commercials as I refuse to watch NASCAR live any
> more. Thank you Tivo.


You're preaching to the choir here. If memory serves correctly, TBS,
NBC and TNT have all done NA$CAr races using something similar. We
the viewers were overwhelmingly in favor of making that the standard,
but for some reason, it never caught on.

One can only assume that the advertisers viewed the continuing live
feed to be a distraction that would draw viewers' attention away from
their pitch and they didn't want that. Seems to me that the
continuing live feed would be something that would keep the viewers'
attention engaged on the screen. Otherwise, a commercial break is
simply time to go to the fridge, hit the restroom or change channels.

Despite what Humpy Wheeler said about no one in the racing world being
more important than the fans, we all know the real story is that the
sport is governed by the Golden Rule--he who has the gold, makes the
rules.

Re: Split Screen anyone?


<bob.paxton@gmail,com > wrote in message
news:ac3a185d-6be3-41ab-a207-ffad94c31039@m3g2000hsc.googlegroups,com ...
> On May 25, 6:57 pm, DAVe <smalleys...@gmail,com > wrote:
>
>> I just finished watching the Indy 500 and I really liked the split
>> screen. Got to watch three significant "racing incidents" live during
>> the commercial.
>>
>> C'mon NASCAR if Indy can do it so can you! If not I just push fast
>> forward through the commercials as I refuse to watch NASCAR live any
>> more. Thank you Tivo.
>
>
> You're preaching to the choir here. If memory serves correctly, TBS,
> NBC and TNT have all done NA$CAr races using something similar. We
> the viewers were overwhelmingly in favor of making that the standard,
> but for some reason, it never caught on.
>
> One can only assume that the advertisers viewed the continuing live
> feed to be a distraction that would draw viewers' attention away from
> their pitch and they didn't want that. Seems to me that the
> continuing live feed would be something that would keep the viewers'
> attention engaged on the screen. Otherwise, a commercial break is
> simply time to go to the fridge, hit the restroom or change channels.
>
You are correct, Bob. The advertisers were charged less for the the split or
PIP window during breaks back in 2003 I believe however after a while the
advertisers were still not convinced that viewers were paying attention. So
in turn, the advertisers weren't on board with the display. The old rule
still stands. You're not the show if you're sharing the stage.


> Despite what Humpy Wheeler said about no one in the racing world being
> more important than the fans, we all know the real story is that the
> sport is governed by the Golden Rule--he who has the gold, makes the
> rules.
>

Re: Split Screen anyone?

manesv <manesv@comcast,net > wrote:

> <bob.paxton@gmail,com > wrote in message
> news:ac3a185d-6be3-41ab-a207-ffad94c31039@m3g2000hsc.googlegroups,com ...
> > On May 25, 6:57 pm, DAVe <smalleys...@gmail,com > wrote:
> >
> > One can only assume that the advertisers viewed the continuing live
> > feed to be a distraction that would draw viewers' attention away from
> > their pitch and they didn't want that. Seems to me that the
> > continuing live feed would be something that would keep the viewers'
> > attention engaged on the screen. Otherwise, a commercial break is
> > simply time to go to the fridge, hit the restroom or change channels.
> >
> You are correct, Bob. The advertisers were charged less for the the split
> PIP window during breaks back in 2003 I believe however after a while the
> advertisers were still not convinced that viewers were paying attention. So
> in turn, the advertisers weren't on board with the display. The old rule
> still stands. You're not the show if you're sharing the stage.

Who watches the races.... or any other program for that mater.... live?
Doesn't everyone have Tivo or a DVR..... or at the very least a VCR????

Not being completely serious here, but don't the advertisers know that they
are fast losing their audience amd need to make concessions to retain them.
I think Bob has a valid point that the split screen would tend to keep
viewers on the couch during the commercial breaks. For myself, I've not
watched a race live since we got satelite service and a DVR about 4 years
ago. Skipping forward through thae commercials, reduces a 4 hour broadcast
by at least an hour. Usually I watch it Sunday evening, so I don't spend a
big chunk of the day on the couch, but if I want to watch it 'live', I start
about an hour after the actual start, and still end up seeing the finish
close to in realtime.

Kevin

Re: Split Screen anyone?

On May 28, 12:21 am, "manesv" <man...@comcast,net > wrote:

> You are correct, Bob. The advertisers were charged less for the the split or
> PIP window during breaks back in 2003 I believe however after a while the
> advertisers were still not convinced that viewers were paying attention.

Well I just wonder what makes them think we're paying attention the
other way.


> You're not the show if you're sharing the stage.

And it doesn't do you much good to be the only performer on the stage
if the audience has left the room. You'd think they'd eventually
figure that out.

Re: Split Screen anyone?

All that said, I seem to remember that TNT's committed to doing the July
Daytona race that way again, like last year.....

--pig


On 5/28/08 12:08 PM, in article
6a0e7f57-1285-4d24-a8ca-9d1a9db21138@c65g2000hsa.googlegroups,com ,
"bob.paxton@gmail,com " <bob.paxton@gmail,com > wrote:

> On May 28, 12:21 am, "manesv" <man...@comcast,net > wrote:
>
>> You are correct, Bob. The advertisers were charged less for the the split or
>> PIP window during breaks back in 2003 I believe however after a while the
>> advertisers were still not convinced that viewers were paying attention.
>
> Well I just wonder what makes them think we're paying attention the
> other way.
>
>
>> You're not the show if you're sharing the stage.
>
> And it doesn't do you much good to be the only performer on the stage
> if the audience has left the room. You'd think they'd eventually
> figure that out.
>

Re: Split Screen anyone?

On May 25, 5:57 pm, DAVe <smalleys...@gmail,com > wrote:
> I just finished watching the Indy 500 and I really liked the split
> screen. Got to watch three significant "racing incidents" live during
> the commercial.
>
> Having experienced Tony Georges lack of customer service skills at his
> track in '87 and watching him kill the hugely popular CART series I
> must admit that I had no confidence in his business skills. But loks
> like I have to eat crow and admit that I love the reunification and
> split screen.
>
> C'mon NASCAR if Indy can do it so can you! If not I just push fast
> forward through the commercials as I refuse to watch NASCAR live any
> more. Thank you Tivo.
>

You can get DirecTV Hot Pass, and have a split screen for every race.

N.