HRTV on Dishnetwork

[Pick4_player]

According to Bloodhorse.com, HRTV will be broadcasting on Dishnetwork beginning July 15th.

I must be dreaming right? I'll be able to see HRTV and TVG on one satellite?

I believe it when I can tune in and see the races on Thursday.

Bloodhorse (http://racing.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=23379)

[Valuist]

I'm very happy I decided to go Dish Network and not Direct TV. Looking forward to playing GP and SA next winter. Great news.

[pasco]

Do you know what channelit will be??I think tvg is channel 405.Also what level of service you need to purchase to view..pasco

[sq764]

I think this is great, since you can get both TVG and HRTV on the dish.. If it's true, I will get the dish again..

Makes no sense though, since they would be losing most of their $99 per month people..

[andicap]

MAGNA ENTERTAINMENT CORP.’S HORSERACING TV™

JOINS DISH NETWORK LINEUP

Total HRTV Distribution Exceeds 11 Million Homes

AURORA, Ont. & ENGLEWOOD, Colo., - July 13, 2004 – Magna Entertainment Corp. ("MEC") (NASDAQ: MECA; TSX: MEC.A) today announced that its HorseRacing TV™ television network (“HRTV”) has reached a carriage agreement with EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) that immediately and dramatically expands HRTV’s distribution throughout the United States.

Starting Thursday, July 15, HRTV will be available to DISH Network’s 10 million subscribers nationwide and included in DISH Network’s “America’s Top 60” and above programming packages, DISH Latino DOS and DISH Latino MAX at no extra charge. In total, HRTV will be distributed to more than 11 million cable and satellite TV subscribers.

“HorseRacing TV™ was created to ensure the widespread television exposure that is critical to the rebirth of horse racing as a major sports and entertainment activity,” said Jim McAlpine, president and CEO of MEC. “We are absolutely thrilled to have achieved this distribution milestone, and we look forward to developing a successful relationship with DISH Network and our affiliated racetracks.”

HRTV features television coverage of 13 racetracks owned, operated or managed by MEC. The network also has access to live coverage from more than 60 other racetracks in North America. Wagering, where not expressly prohibited by law, is conducted via the phone or Internet through XpressBet™ (www.xpressbet.com), MEC's national account wagering system.

“HRTV complements DISH Network’s powerful line up of sports programming,” said Eric Sahl, vice president of programming for DISH Network.

“We look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with DISH Network that builds national brand recognition for HRTV and the racing industry while providing DISH Network and its subscribers with valuable, daily, live, sports programming from many of America’s premier racetracks,” said Bill Bridgen, president of HRTV.

MEC's North American racetracks owned, operated or managed by MEC include some of the most prestigious names in horse racing, including Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and Bay Meadows Racecourse in California, Gulfstream Park in Florida, Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie in Texas, Pimlico Race Course (home of The Preakness®) and Laurel Park in Maryland, The Meadows in Pennsylvania, Remington Park in Oklahoma, Thistledown in Ohio, Great Lakes Downs in Michigan, Portland Meadows in Oregon and Colonial Downs in Virginia.

[Valuist]

Just got off the phone w/CS at Dishnetwork. It will start tomorrow in the late afternoon and WILL be a part of the basic package (Americas top 60). As of right now, they don't know what channel it will be on.

I guess Andicap posted this a few seconds before my post went thru.

[Pick4_player]

I am gonna say that HRTV will be on channel 404 as I have seen some mention of this on a few satellite news sites.

This is wonderful news for all racing fans and especially those who are Dishnetwork subscribers.

I'll have to run out and deposit some more money into my xpressbet account.

[Alc]

Very significant development for MEC. Should give a boost to Xpressbet and the handle for the HRTV tracks like M, Pha, et. al.. Wonder how long it will take for TVG to drop their $20/mnth wagering fee?

[Tom]

I have the top 50 package - the next one listed on my card is toop 100.
Is Top 60 now the basic package?

[ranchwest]

Yahoo!!!

This is great news! Two racing channels!

Shhhhhh! Don't tell my wife. :)

[Hosshead]

For all the Magna boycotters (left), this is the Devil's temptation.
Expressbet is the apple. :cool: Wanna bite? :D

[JustRalph]

Originally posted by Hosshead
For all the Magna boycotters (left), this is the Devil's temptation.
Expressbet is the apple. :cool: Wanna bite? :D

That is what bothers me about this move.

[garyoz]

This is a substantial development in terms of deciding what DBS service to go with. DirecTV is unlikely to ever carry HRTV unless the dispute between TVG and Magna is ever resolved. DirecTV is owned by News Corp (Rupert Murdoch) which also is the majority shareholder of Gemstar-TV Guide, the parent company of TVG.

It is a dilemma for me because only DirecTV has the NFL package of all the games. Personally, I also prefer the DirecTV service, user interface, etc. I'll probably end up getting both DirecTV and DISH again. I did that for the 3 years or so that TVG was only on DISH.

[BillW]

.

[BillW]

Interesting contrast: TVG has a "clomp" track running during a race (I wonder if it really IS some guy banging 2 coconut shells together :)) and HRTV has the scream of a dot matrix printhead complementing their races.

[sq764]

So what is the best way to get set up with Dishnetwork and with the package you need to see HRTV?

[ceejay]

http://www.dishnetwork.com/ has a link to find a retailer.

America's top 60 package has it. BTW, you can save a little $$ if you pay annually rather than monthly. http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/packages/at_50/index.asp?viewby=1&packid=10049&sortby=1

[Pace Cap'n]

I have been so wanting to see Vallejo...

[BillW]

Originally posted by Pace Cap'n
I have been so wanting to see Vallejo...

TVG carries it too.

[pasco]

Its on 404 next to TVG..All for the basic 24.99 mos..About time

tracks a little weak.Better sharpen up on MOMOUTH,LOUISIANA..

Vallejo replays at 8am in the east currently...Pas

[JimG]

For those of you with access to TVG and HRTV via the dish network, how do they compare? Which network does a better job of presenting horse racing and why?

Jim

[The_Knight_Sky]

Hi Jim -

We just had a thread on this on TB champs.
Rather than rehash what I said there, allow me to state two key points.

1) TVG carries way too many shots of "beautiful people" at Del Mar.
Show the darned horses! The race is the thing.
To start out a Calder card showing the early races and finishing up
by not showing the latter Calder races does not sit well with me.
The same phenomena occurs when they show The Stretch Call
at lesser tracks like Emerald Downs. All because they had to have
lovely people ramble on behind the podium
Apparently it's a crime to them
if they show an additional 30 seconds of what
happened from the gate. Even if they could on a tape-delayed basis.

2) Oh the HRTV front, I find the colorful odds boards
a bit distracting. They usually have two different set of odds.
One on the left and on the right of the screen.
With the live action in a rather miniscule window in the middle,
up until post time, when the entire monitor is cleaned
for the presentation of the race. The plethora of colors
would be better off eliminated. I do approve of them showing
the minutes-to-post for the track and actually delivering the presentation
of the race in a timely manner.

Hope that's food for thought.

[JustRalph]

Originally posted by JimG
For those of you with access to TVG and HRTV via the dish network, how do they compare? Which network does a better job of presenting horse racing and why?

Jim

so far, TVG has better tracks in my opine. But in the winter, it will probably be the other way around. On HRTV They don't do any real joking around at all. It starts to sound very monotone after a while. I do like Pincay's kid. He seems to be pretty good. I just am not into those tracks they carry. The TVG stuff is a much lighter brand of presenting the races. I do like the pre and post race graphics on HRTV. They are way ahead of TVG in presenting data in a timely manner. But they are "all business" and if that is what you are into, you would probably love it.

I am not a great fan of some of the Bullshit they do on TVG. I just mute the channel when TVG's antics get to be too much. But so far, I don't have to mute the channel on HRTV. In a short while it starts to sound like background chatter and I can ignore it easily. It reminds me of trying to study the form at the track and not paying attention to the noises around ...........

[ranchwest]

Both HRTV and TVG fail to commit to post parades. I believe handicappers would best be served if certain tracks were identified as primary coverage and then show both the post parade and race from the primary tracks for every race. Other tracks would receive bonus coverage and would be catch as catch can. As it is, you can never count on seeing a post parade.

For me, the information that is on the screen on HRTV would be useful if I could quickly and easily decipher what it was. Sometimes the odds on the left do not match the picture being shown and then there's the odds on the right which seems to match to the track listed on the bottom except that it keeps rotating so that I have to look at the bottom and then the right constantly and then start ignoring what's happening on the left and in the picture. Why not have the track initials over the odds on the right? Confused? Hey, I know I am.

As previously noted, TVG has too much dumb chatter, though not as much as, say, a year ago. When Exactor Man and Mr. Lucky were on together, it was unintended comic relief, really sad.

TVG has a few people who are really good handicappers. Unfortunately, they also have some walking stiffs who pick the chalk every single race and then act, in their robotic style, mildly surprised that their pick didn't come in.

Overall, there is more intelligent commentary on HRTV.

[BillW]

Damn you guys are asking a lot. I'd be happy if they would just notify viewers of changing track conditions in a timely manner and inform us when a distance change occurred as a result of a surface change (OK, this is academic, I already know about distance changes), It wouldn't hurt if Joanne would undo one more button either. :D

Bill

[lefthandlow]

I e-mail them all the time and I guess they just delete them.I'd like to send them Ranchwest's post above.
Does anyone else e-mail them??maybe if we all do they may at least read some..LL

[Tom]

HRTV seems to show more races than TVG.
Track quality will swing depending on the season - no sense both having a good product all year long!
But what really amazes me is that between two full time racing channels how little real information is ever generated! Both get an F on horse racing. frankly, nieht one needs any people at all to do any talking ever. All these talking heads do is suc up money that could be spent on making a bettor product. And slow more races. I really have no interest at all in what pic4 Todd Shrupp is playing. Although I would love to him jump off a bridge.
Do either channel really think that either one of them will ever draw one new fan to the sport? What is the logiv in featuring morons over racing? these jerks are the Off Topic section of racing. Zero contribution.
:mad:

[lefthandlow]

well said..Ditto for corey black he should give up on handicapping

[rrbauer]

Do you want to play the horses or do you want to be entertained?

If you want to play the horses, you work from the simulcast feed so you can see the paddock activity, watch the full post parade and see the warmup activity and finally the move up to the gate and the loading. At some tracks, included in the simulcast feed is some handicapping analysis from one or more of the track-employed handicappers. And, after the race, a full replay.

You get the simulcast feed from an account-wagering outfit that provides it. (Or, in the case of Del Mar you can get it straight from their web site.)

Video reception on broadband internet hookups is decent (not as good as TV). Delay from real time is from 30 seconds to over a minute depending on the track and the speed of your internet connection.

I have one PC that does nothing but serve streaming video connections.

It doesn't matter what you want. It only matters what you have to choose from.

You can bitch about TVG or HRTV until the cows come home. They're not listening.

[lefthandlow]

richard
what v feed do you use?

[cj]

Originally posted by lefthandlow
well said..Ditto for corey black he should give up on handicapping

The funny thing about Corey is he admits he doesn't even bet. Who the hell wants advice from a guy that doesn't bet?

[Valuist]

Way, way too much Pic 6 talk. I'd like to see what percentage of the public plays it. I bet it isn't high.

Do we really need remotes from SoCal every day? You have arguably the best meet of the year going on and I don't think they'll be there at all. Actually, I don't know why they need any remotes. For all the talk of their "selections", we never see any record w/ROI or win percentage so why bother??

[ceejay]

At TVG "Todd" just bugs me. I think he is arrogent and condesending to the viewers. I even heard one of his co-workers yesterday say that Todd says, "I don't pick favorites, I make favorites." Not that I'm a Magna fan, but at least I will say the names "Gulfstream" or "Santa Anita" rather than a major racetrack in South Florida or Arcadia, CA. He once said on-air that he did not know who bought Remington Park. I "believed" him and sent an e-mail to them informing him that it was Magna. His on-air reply was something like "of course we know, we just did not want to say."

I like Corey's picks because hey are usually "play against" for me....

[JimG]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I like the live remotes from the racetrack. Makes me feel like I'm there. I also like the interviews of different trainers and jockies. Sometimes it provides some insight into the races. I wish they would do live remotes from Saratoga as well. I imagine Jill Byrne and Matt Carrothers would not mind a trip there.

Jim

PS...Todd, Frank Lyons, and Matt Carrothers are my favorite personalities on there.

PPS...Regarding Corey Black, he is the master of hindsight. Does not add much to the broadcast. Ditto for most of the other TVG personalities.

[JimG]

Originally posted by cjmilkowski
Who the hell wants advice from a guy that doesn't bet?


CJ,

Good point. And, I suspect a number of tip sheet authors as well as racing book authors rarely bet as well.

Jim

[JimG]

Originally posted by Valuist
Way, way too much Pic 6 talk. I'd like to see what percentage of the public plays it. I bet it isn't high.

Do we really need remotes from SoCal every day? You have arguably the best meet of the year going on and I don't think they'll be there at all. Actually, I don't know why they need any remotes. For all the talk of their "selections", we never see any record w/ROI or win percentage so why bother??

I agree with you regarding pick 6, except when there is a nice carryover. Regarding selections, if they are going to provide, they should give them out for the entire card in advance, maybe on the web site, rather than the last minute rushed pick as the horses are loading into the gate.

Jim

[kingfin66]

TVG has had some interesting guests in the studio lately who have offered valuable insight into racing. One of the guests was Ron McAnally. He noted that many players hammer horses down based on their Hollywood Park form even though they are now running at Del Mar.

As for the talking heads, much has been written about this. If I were TVG, I would build the main programming around Ken Rudolph. He is a major talent in my opinion. In fact, he's so good I don't understand why he isn't working for a major network or ESPN.

TVG seems to think that their viewers want to hear the analysis rather than just seeing the races. Is PA a microcosm of TVG viewers? I believe it is. If you're watching and wagering through TVG, you're a horseplayer and don't need the analysis. We especially don't need to see the check mark or name next to the horses that the analysts like.

All in all, I like TVG. Have never seen HRTV, but would certainly watch if it was added to DirecTV.

[andicap]

I agree with Richard -- I haven't had TVG for several months and my Internet connection is a decent replacement.
Although the video is not nearly as good as one TV, at least I have control over what track to watch, have a birds eye view of the odds at every track I'm playing all the time and can bet that track in 20 seconds at the touch of a few buttons.
and the quality is improving all the time. (Compare it to what it was a couple of years ago).

Best of all, I can listen to what the on-track announcers are saying or turn it down. And I get the latest info on changes because I'm plugged into the simulcast feed.

Nope, don't miss TVG one bit.

Did I mention I get to see every race in full not just the stretch call unless two tracks are going off at once which infuriatingly happens a lot.

I still love going out to the track and soaking in the ambiance and the fresh air, but this sure as hell beats going to the Yonkers Raceway off-track simulcast (they have to have the dumbest and loudest horseplayers anywhere) and I can pretend I'm working.

[rrbauer]

lefthandlow wrote:


"richard
what v feed do you use?"




Right now I'm playing mostly Del Mar. I always check
the feed from the track's website because sometimes
there isn't as much delay from real time as there
is on Ubet. Del Mar cut down on their service this year
so sometimes the feed gets "jerky" and there are frequent
pauses to let the buffering catch up.

Fairplex has been offering video from their web site in the
past. Have to see what they do this year.

The others: Oak Tree and Hollywood do not offer streaming video so you have to go with one of the a/w outfits.

When I play Tampa Bay, I always check PhoneBet's site because
sometimes they let TB run (on Tuesdays) full time on one of
their channels. Otherwise, I use Ubet.

FWIW
I have heard that with the appropriate "C-band" satellite gear that you can get the feeds directly from one of the birds that the tracks beam their signal to. I understand that the signal requires descrambling....and I understand from some people who claim to know all about that stuff that receivers with the appropriate descrambling plug-ins are available on Ebay....I looked there once but never found anything. That said, I'm not interested in putting up one of those humongous C-band dishes anyway!

[ceejay]

But it always seems to me like those internet feeds drop out as the horses turn for home (if mine are in contention).

[lefthandlow]

richard thanks for you info and ans my? ? .LL

[ranchwest]

I agree that the actual track feed from the internet is far more reliable for the most part, I happen to have a very nice television and can see the horses much better on the television. Unfortunately, I just can't depend on being able to see what I want to see.

I like Matt Carothers. I don't think he knows much about physicality, but he's not afraid to pick longshots and sometimes he hits them.

As for Randolph, when he first went on the air, he knew almost nothing at all about horse racing. He has learned a lot and he does have a great voice.

[ranchwest]

Oops, meant Rudolph.

[sq764]

What ever happened to that other racing channel that used to show live feed from the tracks? I cannot remember the name..

[Hosshead]

Originally posted by rrbauer



Del Mar cut down on their service this year
so sometimes the feed gets "jerky" and there are frequent
pauses to let the buffering catch up.


If you don't mind watching the race a few seconds (30sec.?) later, you can set the buffer on WinMedia Player an extra 30sec. or so longer, and at least you can often watch the race without interruption.

[plainolebill]

I've got my buffer set for 60 seconds, cable connection and still have problems with the Dmr feed. :confused: