Interestingly, I wonder what they're gonna do with their 4k content? Put it on a single channel (both sports, movies & non-sports) i.e. Sky 4K, or split their sports 4k stuff into a dedicated channel, i.e.

Sky 4K
Sky Sports 4K
Sky Movies 4K.

Because if they do the first one (i.e. its all on a single channel), that would mean you wouldn't neccessarily need a sky sports subscription to watch the F1 season (although you would need to pay extra for SkyQ of course). I guess it depends whether normal Sky plus Sky Sports, is cheaper than SkyQ without Sky Sports...

Didn't the Sky 3D channel require you to have a sports subscription to view the 3D sports coverage? And a movies subscription to view the 3D movies?

http://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Archived...T/td-p/2313076

So if they launch "Sky 4k" showing general entertainment, movies and sport they could limit 4k sport to sports subscribers and 4k movies to movie subscribers?

Ahh, so they sort of had selective encryption depending on what was showing at the time? Hmm well in that case they may probably do that then. Although I suspect there's more content already available for 4k than there was for 3D, so they may be able to do multiple channels.

Just watched the Indy 500 highlights and am wondering why the grid banner at the start of the race was showing the drivers as starting 2 by 2 instead of the actual 3 x 3?

Interesting to see that the broadcaster agrees with me that after the start there is no racing really worth showing until the last twenty laps and this year even then ...

Now watching the NW200 coverage to restore my interest in motor racing.

They've done "free" weekends before where regular Sky subscribers get access to Sports channels. Clearly they can switch it round however they want.

I imagine Sky will have several 4K channels from the start.

I'd be happy to get 1080i.

Depends on how much 4k content they planning to show. I reckon they'll just do 4k channels for Movies, Sports & General stuff (1 for each of the three).

OnBoard lap of the new Baku circuit via a GP3 car:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQgAET0KczI

I like the look of it. Seems like its going to be pretty fast for a street circuit & fairly wide as well, Also seems like there will be a couple decent overtaking possibilities so seems like there's a decent chance of seeing some good racing.

Agreed, I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully it's a really good race, which will force many of the "oh, I won't bother with this race, it looks awful and I'll be sleeping after watching all 24 hours of Le Mans" people to eat their words.

Too flat; a lot of non-descript 90 degree turns and most of the buildings looked the same wherever you are. The bit round the castle looked more interesting.

I can't say I'm convinced, but it could all look quite different when finished and at racing speed.

Jenson is on Top Gear now driving the McLaren 675LT (but doesn't do anything else.)

I liked the (sadly all too brief) look at the F1, especially given that they emphasised it was the '97 GTR version and not the standard one.

Ooh, i'm just watching Extra Gear now, and they're talking about it a bit more in there.

The 2013 documentary Life on the Limit is about to start on ITV4.
https://g.co/kgs/vPd3FZ

Think that's the first time it has been shown on UK TV.

A rather strange article on the future of F1 coverage with someone from CVC:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report...rm-f1-coverage

He mentions VR coverage, how Sky have improved the product but then uses a free concert as a good example. Surely that's a better example for keeping F1 on FTA?

Can't say that I'm really all that interested in VR as while I get that it is an awesome/immersive experience its just not how I want to watch TV, Play video games etc...

I just want to sit back in my chair, Relax & enjoy whatever i'm watching or playing without having to move around all the time.

It's an article reporting this interview... http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-...n-sorrell.html

Seems the board are of the view Sky's coverage was an improvement on the BBC's.

Thanks, I'll retract my earlier answer based on some dodgy Autosport editing.

He actually hints getting rid of the flat fee for one broadcaster strategy, which might be the first time we've heard somebody high up in CVC/FOM suggest that.

What percentage of people worldwide who watch F1 have a compatible VR headset & computer powerful enough for it to run on, probably something like 0.5% if that...

At the very least you've currently got competing platforms - Samsung's VR, Google's, Facebook/Oculus Rift's.

If FOM are going to hedge their bets (even in a few years when more people are using VR, that this is going to suddenly mean millions more people will be watching F1) then that's a silly idea IMO. It's a nice idea yes, but it's surely more of a 'premium' thing...

I'd be surprised if they had anything more than a couple of 4K stations at the start. They only 'need' a 4K live station for live TV purposes such as football, F1, Golf etc and could supply the 4K movie stuff happily using broadband to download to the HDD.
This would give them a distinct over BT & Virgin in that everywhere with a dish can receive the live broadcasts even without decent broadband.

I can't believe after the flop that was 3D that people are talking about VR. Most of today's TVs don't even bother supporting 3D.

Does VR even work with TV? From what i've heard, it's a computer/smartphone thing only at the moment. I don't think any broadcaster is looking into VR over TVs, only on computers/internet streams.

I hope they held onto the Liana because I'd be keen to see how Max Verstappen would do against some of the others.

It will likely be something you get through an online app rather than through traditional TV.

The Playstation VR is launching later in the year & you will be able to watch the various TV app's you can get on a Playstation 4 (Netflix, Amazon, Youtube) via the VR headset.


Despite generally not been interested in VR, I wouldn't mind having a go with some racing games through VR:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf1dDVWJmNw

Yeah but that's not *Proper* VR though is it? that's just the equivalent of say being at the cinema, looking up at a giant screen showing the Amazon/Netflix/YouTube content. Proper VR would have 360-degree video like we're seeing on those facebook vids, where the video would literally surround you and you'd have to turn your head to move around. But I could see FOM offering both types in the package: The regular TV feeds as the "like you're watching an IMAX screen in front of you" kinda thing, and a few static feeds shot with a 360-degree camera around certain points on the track per se.

Actually with the first one, they could use the 360-degree field of view to have a nice multi-screen experience, as if you're looking at a bunch of screens with all the various feeds on them.

Of course, for all this to work, you'd need an online streaming platform to host this all from in the first place... And FOM would be stupid to make such a thing available purely for VR users...

I can't say I see the appeal.

If they're broadcasting a 360 degree image and you're only looking at part of it, then either the whole image is going to have to be much much higher resolution (and therefore require much higher bandwidth), or the bit your looking at will be much lower resolution.

Sounds like the sort of thing you'd buy, try once, and then not bother with again.