Here is why the Indy 500 is not in HD?

[Fluffybear]

I was just waiting for someone to bring this up but have not seen it yet. I explain this every year so here we go again.

Do not be angry with ABC or your local affliate. Address all your hate mail to the Indy Racing Legaue themselves especially the cheif cheapskate himself, Tony George..

The Indy 500 is not in HD and may not be for a long time as Tony George & The Indy Racing League own the Television Rights.

Tony George set up a production company, Indy Racing Productions and owns Television (& Radio) rights to the Indy 500. IRP hires a local production company to provide camera footage (A pool feed) to a broadcast center where broadcast partners who have paid for the right to air that footage manipulate it and broadcast it to their respective areas.

Pool feeds are very common and used in many live televised events including some sporting events, news conferences, court trials, senate hearings, etc.. Chances are if the event is being televised to more then one area or by multiple outlets it is going to be a Pool feed.

Tony George said in an article about 3 years ago that he will not spend any money converting to HD equipment until it is deemed absolutely necessary.

The bottom line for Tony George is money and broadcast rights for his major players such as ABC do not expire for many years to come so there is no incentive to upgrade. He is going to get the same money from ABC (and other broadcast partners) if he spends millions upgrading to HD or not. When you are a greedy SOB like Tony George who could care less about you and I (we are thieves in his eyes as we watch it on TV for free rather then buying a ticket to his track and putting more money in his pocket).

[Gregor]

Damn shame.

[murgatroyd]

Some of us would rather be at home where we don't get hit by flying debris.

If he thinks I'm a thief, so be it. As far as I'm concerned, FedEx and the other advertisers paid for my ticket. <shrug>

Jan

[Hollywood49]

Wow, what a finish. Too bad I just ordered my first TiVo on Thursday, and opted for the free shipping. I would love to have recorded this and have it for posterity...

[michael1248]

That is why NASCAR is on the way up....and the IRL and/or CART or whatever they're calling it now are self-destructing before our eyes.

The (NASCAR!!!) Coca Cola 600...in HD...is currently rocking on FOX!

[jsmeeker]

And I remember when everyone used to dump on Fox when they were doing only 480p for some things while everyone else was doing actual HD. I really need an HDTV. I've never seen a NASCAR race in HD.

[super dave]

I tuned into the race and saw it wasn't in HD, tuned to the Phillies game and watched that instead, because it was in HD. There isn't much on in the daytime in HD, so I don't watch much daytime TV, but I will tune in an HD program every now and then. My local PBS runs an HD channel all day at 1080i, nice picture.

[thebishman]

The IRL is a joke of a series imho anyway. Having the race not be in HD and hearing Tony George's reasons why, only cement my loathing for the man who single-handedly destroyed open-wheel racing in the US. Champ Car deserves much better than being associated with him again in the future if both series decide to 'merge'.
Bish

[murgatroyd]

One of the guys doing commentary slipped up and referred to the race as the Daytona 500.

Jan

[HomieG]

Originally Posted by murgatroyd

One of the guys doing commentary slipped up and referred to the race as the Daytona 500.

Jan

Yea, but that was in HD

[Fluffybear]

Originally Posted by murgatroyd

One of the guys doing commentary slipped up and referred to the race as the Daytona 500.

Jan

About the only thing I can think of that would have been worse is refering to Brent Musberger as Darrell Waltrip and thanking everyone for watching NASCAR on Fox..

We can thank Tony George for screwing up the Indy 500 to where it is today. The best thing they can do is merge back with the Champ series and bring the race into the 21st century and mend some fences. That would probably mean getting rid of Tony George and since he worships the almight dollar and they are making a bundle, I am not sure if that is going to happen anytime soon.

[Wig]

Thanks for the info - I thought it was the local broadcaster... (who usually screw up big HD events <g>).

[Fluffybear]

I remember the days (dating myself here) when ABC use to show the race in prime time and the only way to get the race live was to hear it on radio. If my memory serves (second thing to go - forget the first), the race started a couple of hours earlier too as I remember it starting about 7am Pacific.

[vertigo235]

I would probably do the same thing he's doing. I would only come forward and offer HD if it means I could charge more (to cover my increased costs of course). I'm sure if ABC, or whoever came to Tony and offered him more money to provide an HD feed, he would pony up if it made economical sense.

[Sherminator]

So Central Indiana isn't the only area which doesn't get the race live.

[Arcady]

It is cars driving in a circle. What benefit is there to seeing this in HD?

[Sherminator]

If you were watching the race on a HDTV, how would you like to view it? Blurry with 1/6 of your display unutilized, or pin sharp with the entire screen filled?

[Arcady]

I would wonder how long until the men in the white coats were going to take to arrive, since I would have escaped from a nuthouse before watching such nonsense.

And my HDTV sets are both 4:3, since 90% of what I watch is still 4:3 material. I don't understand the infatuation with having the whole screen filled. I have watched letterbox material since the 80's. Black bars don't bother me.

[wmcbrine]

Originally Posted by Sherminator

1/6 of your display unutilized

Even worse, it's actually 1/4.

[nsdp]

Bernie Ecclestone. He runs Formula One and has decreed that every one will broadcast in HD by 2009. If Tony wants to keep his TV rights for Formula One he will have to comply. Otherwise someone else will get top do the feed. Maybe Speed Vision. Bob Varsha and David Hobbs would do a better job than the group Tony has.

[Sherminator]

Originally Posted by Arcady

I would wonder how long until the men in the white coats were going to take to arrive, since I would have escaped from a nuthouse before watching such nonsense.

And my HDTV sets are both 4:3, since 90% of what I watch is still 4:3 material. I don't understand the infatuation with having the whole screen filled. I have watched letterbox material since the 80's. Black bars don't bother me.

A human with both eyes functioning views the world in 16:9, so having a TV picture in the same aspect ratio would draw the viewer into the action more that a show being displayed at 4:3.

[Phantom Gremlin]

Originally Posted by nsdp

Bernie Ecclestone. He runs Formula One and has decreed that every one will broadcast in HD by 2009. If Tony wants to keep his TV rights for Formula One he will have to comply. Otherwise someone else will get top do the feed. Maybe Speed Vision. Bob Varsha and David Hobbs would do a better job than the group Tony has.

Huh?

SpeedTV, Varsha, Hobbs, and Matchett did the F1 race (sad as it was) last year. SpeedTV was the host broadcaster. Will the broadcast arrangements be any different this year?

[jbradway]

Originally Posted by Arcady

It is cars driving in a circle. What benefit is there to seeing this in HD?

Yes and other pro sports are just guys playing around with stick and balls. Somehow us knuckle draggers like watching them in HD anyway. Who woulda thunk it?

[super dave]

I'm still considered a newbie when it comes to HD, I'd watch grass grow just to watch HD. Actually I think I do watch grass growing on my local PBS HD channel

[rugby]

I actually drove to Chicago and saw family just to watch the race. I had to suffer and watch it on a 20" analog tv instead of my nice 53" panny HD set at home.

[Indiana627]

Originally Posted by jsmeeker

I really need an HDTV. I've never seen a NASCAR race in HD.

Sunday's NASCAR race was my first in HD and it was pretty amazing. I didn't watch the whole thing, but did check it out. I've had my HDTV for a week now, and even found myself watching NBA game because it was in HD last night (have not watched since Jordan retired for good). Felt like I was at the game in the stands. Now if I could only record HD!

[DLR]

I watched about 30-40 laps of the NASCAR race. During that time the announcers were discussing the apparent increase in debris on the track. One of them mentioned that he believes there is not an increase in debris, but that the HD feed allows them to see the smaller pieces! It was a short, but well deserved reference to the superiority of HD.

I listened to the last 50 laps of the Indy 500 on the radio. It brought back good memories, and I didn't miss a thing. IMO Tony George and the rest of the open wheel dopes helped kill a struggling series.

[JimSpence]

HD is about having a sharper picture. It could have been left in 4:3, as long as the resolution was higher. However, sporting events benefit from the wide screen.

[wallyj]

Yeah, that was a total bummer to turn it on and see the crappy SD picture.

Figures that mega-rich jackass Tony George would be the problem.

[ad301]

Don't bitter CARTisans have better places to spew their bile?