drone coverage

[the galah]

A top days racing at ashburton today,but the trackside coverage of the first part of many races was ruined for me by the drone coverage.It just makes it so confusing.

If they are to persist in showing something that i know many viewers hate,can they at least split the screen and show the normal coverage so people like me can see where there horse is.

The reason i say that is pretty obvious.

How can trackside ignore that with the drone coverage its only possible for viewers to follow the one horse,you do that by fixating on its movement from the start point?

As to where the other horses are in the race,there is simply no way any viewer can focus on several runners. 

Its roo hard from the drone coverage to follow the movements in the first 200m.Its hard enough to follow one,let alone 14. I've tried it and i can't do it and i know every horse and its colours.Its especially true in the bigger fields

Compare that to a normal shot and anyone watching can tell you where every horse is.

Edited October 23, 2023 by the galah

[the galah]

 

For an example look at the coverage of race 10. In particular look at the drone coverage down the back straight.

What you can tell is all the drivers are wearing white pants. One horse has a red dust sheet,another a blue. Thats it,the drivers colours can't be picked up.

[Brodie]

7 hours ago, the galah said:

A top days racing at ashburton today,but the trackside coverage of the first part of many races was ruined for me by the drone coverage.It just makes it so confusing.

If they are to persist in showing something that i know many viewers hate,can they at least split the screen and show the normal coverage so people like me can see where there horse is.

The reason i say that is pretty obvious.

How can trackside ignore that with the drone coverage its only possible for viewers to follow the one horse,you do that by fixating on its movement from the start point?

As to where the other horses are in the race,there is simply no way any viewer can focus on several runners. 

Its roo hard from the drone coverage to follow the movements in the first 200m.Its hard enough to follow one,let alone 14. I've tried it and i can't do it and i know every horse and its colours.Its especially true in the bigger fields

Compare that to a normal shot and anyone watching can tell you where every horse is.

Totally agree Galah!

Was going to post re the Drone, but restrained myself!

yes it is a wee bit of a novelty for a change, but does not do a lot for viewing or to increase public interest.

Some very even fields yesterday, but the racing is not what it should be, and the 1700 metre races should all be run over 2400metres!!!!!

not sure what the betting turnover was on the day, being a public holiday would certainly help.

 

[Chief Stipe]

Why can't they digitally attach numbers to each horse then looking from above would be very interesting?

They do it in Hong Kong and Singapore.

[Nowornever]

9 hours ago, the galah said:

A top days racing at ashburton today,but the trackside coverage of the first part of many races was ruined for me by the drone coverage.It just makes it so confusing.

If they are to persist in showing something that i know many viewers hate,can they at least split the screen and show the normal coverage so people like me can see where there horse is.

The reason i say that is pretty obvious.

How can trackside ignore that with the drone coverage its only possible for viewers to follow the one horse,you do that by fixating on its movement from the start point?

As to where the other horses are in the race,there is simply no way any viewer can focus on several runners. 

Its roo hard from the drone coverage to follow the movements in the first 200m.Its hard enough to follow one,let alone 14. I've tried it and i can't do it and i know every horse and its colours.Its especially true in the bigger fields

Compare that to a normal shot and anyone watching can tell you where every horse is.

Even the finishes were panned in too close to the leaders and not the usual panned out view where you could see the whole field down the straight.

Are they trying to get people back to the track by not showing the horses people have backed at the finish? Or maybe stopping whale from clocking the horses that finish further back than the first half dozen. Pretty hard to clock a horses times if you can not see them finish.

They tried this zooming in thing years ago and failed dismally when the night they tried it at Addington, Franco Enforce came right down the outside of the track to win the main race and the only time you saw him in the finish was about 20m out from the post and you only saw his head. The TAB publicly apologized in the Harness Weekly after someone wrote a damming letter.

I didn't like the drone view either. Just give us the normal action and stop fucking around trying to make the races look more interesting. I would concentrate on getting your useless website fixed to increase turnover before tinkering with camera angles that don't work and never will.

[Gammalite]

Maybe they were looking for the Best Angle you to see how wide Aardie's Express was in Race 10 for the first 1000m .👍

Quiet trip out there 4 wide before cruising to the lead for Tim before the last quarter , and slipping away by 7 lengths in Armalight like fashion....... Could be the next big thing ? 

(well not beating AKUTA anyway ), did you see him go yesterday ? circling the Open class field from last , sit outside them , and power on to victory in Gammalite like fashion.  (Cold Chisel as well yesterday !!) great run by him.

Some great horses and racing at Ashburton yesterday . Absolutely breath-taking performances.

oh .... yeah the drone coverage? .  good for showing in replays after the race maybe ?? 

 

[Michael]

3 minutes ago, Gammalite said:

Maybe they were looking for the Best Angle you to see how wide Aardie's Express was in Race 10 for the first 1000m .👍

Quiet trip out there 4 wide before cruising to the lead for Tim before the last quarter , and slipping away by 7 lengths in Armalight like fashion....... Could be the next big thing ? 

(well not beating AKUTA anyway ), did you see him go yesterday ? circling the Open class field from last , sit outside them , and power on to victory in Gammalite like fashion.  (Cold Chisel as well yesterday !!) great run by him.

Some great horses and racing at Ashburton yesterday . Absolutely breath-taking performances.

oh .... yeah the drone coverage? .  good for showing in replays after the race maybe ?? 

 

Fark me Gamma

A post where we agree on everything

This'll be a first!

 

[the galah]

 

5 hours ago, Gammalite said:

Maybe they were looking for the Best Angle you to see how wide Aardie's Express was in Race 10 for the first 1000m .👍

Quiet trip out there 4 wide before cruising to the lead for Tim before the last quarter , and slipping away by 7 lengths in Armalight like fashion....... Could be the next big thing ? 

(well not beating AKUTA anyway ), did you see him go yesterday ? circling the Open class field from last , sit outside them , and power on to victory in Gammalite like fashion.  (Cold Chisel as well yesterday !!) great run by him.

Some great horses and racing at Ashburton yesterday . Absolutely breath-taking performances.

oh .... yeah the drone coverage? .  good for showing in replays after the race maybe ?? 

 

I agree that Aardies express is a huge talent.Surprising they didn't leave it in the nz cup as it would have been a top 3 chance.I think its the most talented horse that stable has had so far. The only thing is everytime they show it warming up, it looks sore to me. It must be one tough horse or maybe have  some sort of treatment to help it overcome that. 

I agree akuta has 3 or 4 lengths on the best of the others. Yesterday it was surprising that the driver didn't have it anywhere near the tape and that lead to it settling towards the back. The one thing you can say about standing starts is 90% of horses who start behind the others in the middle of a field,will nearly always be slow away. Vice versa applies. The horses up on the tape have a far better chance of beginning well and normally do. The only time there is an exception to that rule is when a horse has drawn wide and it gets some space early.

That race was yet another example of what i have just said. Nathan williamson had his horse right up on the tape and his horse was 1st away,o thornley and s o'reilly had their horses back from the tape and they were the slowest away apart from the ur horse.Thats where races often are won and lost and the likes of blair orange and sam ottley are experts at having their horses well positioned at the start.Obviously the horses manners are a factor,but the likes of american me and akuta are safe beginners.

Having said that ,olivia thornley made the move on akuta at just the perfect time and handled the pressure well.

good to see muscle mountain back in winning form.Ben hope let him roll earlier yesterday and Oscar bonavena had to maintain his sprint longer.Oscar bonevena may be able to match muscle mountain for speed over 250m,but obviously muscle mountain can go another 300 at that speed when oscar can't.

The drone coverage being shown after the race as you suggest, does make more sense if they are to keep using it. That way people who don't like it can do something else without missing anything when the race is actually being run.

Edited October 24, 2023 by the galah

[Chief Stipe]

27 minutes ago, the galah said:

The only thing is everytime they show it warming up, it looks sore to me.

Some horses are like that.

You wouldn't back the winner of the Caulfield Cup and third favourite to win the Melbourne Cup on how it walks in the parade wing.

[the galah]

31 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Some horses are like that.

You wouldn't back the winner of the Caulfield Cup and third favourite to win the Melbourne Cup on how it walks in the parade wing.

i see the caufield cup winner was only passed fit to race 3 days prior to the race. Apparently the trainers said hes just  lazy when being trotted up for inspection. 

You should watch aardies express warming up next time you see it run.Obviously it races fine and i'm sure they would have had the vet go over it thoroughly to see if it has a problem. Hopefully it doesn't effect its longevity.

Edited October 24, 2023 by the galah

[Chief Stipe]

16 hours ago, the galah said:

i see the caufield cup winner was only passed fit to race 3 days prior to the race. Apparently the trainers said hes just  lazy when being trotted up for inspection. 

You can see it in the parade ring - he barely lifts his feet and looks like he is tripping over himself.  If you watched him in the parade ring you wouldn't put any hard earned on him.

[aquaman]

On 24/10/2023 at 10:19 AM, Nowornever said:

Even the finishes were panned in too close to the leaders and not the usual panned out view where you could see the whole field down the straight.

Are they trying to get people back to the track by not showing the horses people have backed at the finish? Or maybe stopping whale from clocking the horses that finish further back than the first half dozen. Pretty hard to clock a horses times if you can not see them finish.

They tried this zooming in thing years ago and failed dismally when the night they tried it at Addington, Franco Enforce came right down the outside of the track to win the main race and the only time you saw him in the finish was about 20m out from the post and you only saw his head. The TAB publicly apologized in the Harness Weekly after someone wrote a damming letter.

I didn't like the drone view either. Just give us the normal action and stop fucking around trying to make the races look more interesting. I would concentrate on getting your useless website fixed to increase turnover before tinkering with camera angles that don't work and never will.

Post of the year for me. I can go back decades harping on about trackside trying to be Hollywood.

[Chief Stipe]

I quite like the drone footage at Kaikoura today.  You can actually see your horse better than the side on.  Perhaps they should put a number on the back of the horse?

[Unhinged]

42 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

I quite like the drone footage at Kaikoura today.  You can actually see your horse better than the side on.  Perhaps they should put a number on the back of the horse?

Totally agree,  love the drone footage especially at Kaikoura heading into the last bend.

[the galah]

Interesting that the above comments illustrate that there are some people who actually like it.

As i have said earlier,ithink its a total turn off myself.

The person who i happened to watch a couple of races with earlier today moaned about it every time they went to the drone coverage.

I was discussing the races at ashburton last week with someone,and guess what,they were moaning about the drone coverage before i said anything.

So each to their own.  

Edited October 30, 2023 by the galah

[Chief Stipe]

45 minutes ago, Unhinged said:

Totally agree,  love the drone footage especially at Kaikoura heading into the last bend.

Yeah but wait until the TMO gets onto it and starts pinging all the half carters!

Note:  a half carter is someone who doesn't trail behind the horse in front exactly but has half a cart outward to gain an advantage over something coming from behind.

[Chief Stipe]

26 minutes ago, the galah said:

Interesting that the above comments illustrate that there are some people who actually like it.

As i have said earlier,ithink its a total turn off myself.

The person who i happened to watch a couple of races with earlier today moaned about it every time they went to the drone coverage.

I was discussing the races at ashburton last week with someone,and guess what,they were moaning about the drone coverage before i said anything.

So each to their own.  

I'm with some people who actually like it.  I'd love a split screen.

[Gammalite]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

I quite like the drone footage at Kaikoura today.  You can actually see your horse better than the side on.  Perhaps they should put a number on the back of the horse?

Yes it has been good today , as Nigel said too it suits Kaikoura (and small fields ) with the flashes of drone it is putting in the coverage. Seems to be working well. 

[Newmarket]

1 hour ago, Unhinged said:

Totally agree,  love the drone footage especially at Kaikoura heading into the last bend.

I agree. 
 

Just shows how hard it is to win from the back. That drone view of that final turn, anything pulling out or already 3 wide do struggle. I see they said 20 tonnes of grit been placed lately, compacted on inside, but looks pretty boggy out wide

[Brodie]

The drone at Kaikoura is far better than what they have had at Addington and Ashburton as it doesn’t appear to be as far away!

Personally don’t really see the point in it all, but each to their own!

What Is worse is when the cameraman focuses on a galloping horse after the start!

Absolute nonsense, when everyone wants to see the actual race!

 

 

[Nowornever]

1 hour ago, Brodie said:

The drone at Kaikoura is far better than what they have had at Addington and Ashburton as it doesn’t appear to be as far away!

Personally don’t really see the point in it all, but each to their own!

What Is worse is when the cameraman focuses on a galloping horse after the start!

Absolute nonsense, when everyone wants to see the actual race!

 

 

More of a side on drone rather than the overhead straight down view. Better but still prefer the one camera from up above the winning post.

[the galah]

I always think,well if the drone really is better,then why not show it for the whole race.

The reason they don't is because its not.

Just because something is different and innovative,does not mean it is better.

I think the popularity of drone coverage will be like the 3d movie glasses.

The reason i dislike it so much is because it disrupts the continuity of the picture of the race i develop in my mind as i view it.Having to refocus several times is not something i enjoy.

I read once that in england there was an issue with people using the drones to bet on the in play option on betfair. The idea being that they were receiving the picture directly,3 or 4 seconds before others who would be watching tv were.

I have often wondered about peope who bet on the race as it is run(in play) on betfair. What second delay are people receiving the pictures in their homes. How many second delay is there for an aussie race for nz viewers and vice versa?

Does anyone go to the races and do that on the addington races or the nz gallops. They are the nz meetings that go in play on betfair.

Drones aye. I always thought that was a male bee with no sting that just sat around not doing much,waiting to see if the queen wanted to mate.i know some people like that,doesn't sound too bad,maybe.Seems they may have to get a name change one day.

Seems the name drone for the things we have been talking about may have come from that buzzing sound they make,like the bees. i do remember,when i was a kid,upyou would occasionally here someone say,stop droning on,like stop maling a constant noise i guess in refernce to what the bees do. No one seems to say that anymore these days.

Edited October 30, 2023 by the galah

[Nowornever]

18 hours ago, the galah said:

The reason i dislike it so much is because it disrupts the continuity of the picture of the race i develop in my mind as i view it.Having to refocus several times is not something i enjoy.

You hit the nail on the head there.

[Chief Stipe]

19 hours ago, the galah said:

I think the popularity of drone coverage will be like the 3d movie glasses.

What the glasses or 3D movies?  Avatar 3D was miles better than the flat version.  Who cares if you look like a geek in the dark

19 hours ago, the galah said:

The reason i dislike it so much is because it disrupts the continuity of the picture of the race i develop in my mind as i view it.Having to refocus several times is not something i enjoy.

I like it has you get a better sense of distance be it from 1st to last or width.

In terms of refocusing all it would take is for the studio to cut back to the front of the field after the drone footage.  Let's face it generally only see about 3 to 5 horses on the screen at one time when side on.  When they turn for home the shot is generally head-on.

I like the innovation just needs a bit of fine tuning in my opinion.

[the galah]

I thought the coverage today was excellent. Having mark cookson there with the whale as his sidekick is a good combination. Greg o'conner always tops with his interviews.Watched unhinged as well to top it off when they on other meetings.

I thought they got the amount of drone coverage just right for cup and show day.

Never had a bet myself today,but thoroughly enjoyed watching and think everything about the racing this week has been great.

Personally i didn't think that any nz stable operated with the advantage you sometimes see at the premier meetings. That made watching those who had success more enjoyable as well.

 

Edited November 17, 2023 by the galah