Best and Worst Camera Crew?

[BIG49010]

I think Gulfstream gives you the best look at the horses, followed by the NYRA tracks for sprints, routes?

California is good, but I don't follow those tracks very close, Oaklawn which I don't play either seems good.

Turfway absolute worst!!!

Any comments

[Greyfox]

Too many tracks follow the winner across the wire and focus on it down the stretch.
Tampa Bay gives you an opportunity to see how every horse finishes.
More tracks should follow their example.

[ManeMediaMogul]

Keeneland does an excellent job. Their TV man, G.D. Hieronymus is one of the best in the business.

[FlyinLate]

Too many tracks follow the winner across the wire and focus on it down the stretch.
Tampa Bay gives you an opportunity to see how every horse finishes.
More tracks should follow their example.

Agreed. Myself, like many others I'm sure, like playing exotics. When I have the winner on top win by 8 lengths I don't like waiting at the wire and hoping my second runner crosses. I enjoy seeing the battles for minor rewards.

[ny0707ny]

The cameras are OK for the most part. What I don't like is in the fog you can't see anything. This is a huge problem in NY. I wish they would set up a special camera that would be near the rail so we can actually see the race.

This isn't that hard really is it? Just get a guy out there with some camera. You can see the horses in the fog if you are closer to them when they are racing. Even if he can just pick up a couple horses. It is better than nothing.

[cnollfan]

Don't like Sam Houston -- the horses are far away for some reason.

Don't like Pimlico -- the camera is too low so there is no depth perception in the stretch. (That said, the camera is about the best thing going at Pimlico, save Rodman.)

Like Keeneland, Belmont, Oaklawn.

[ny0707ny]

One race I saw the camera was just on the front horse that was winning and I had no idea who was behind him.

A quick question. How come the cameras on TV never mess up on the sitcoms and other TV shows? :bang:

[Oddzilla]

The cameras are OK for the most part. What I don't like is in the fog you can't see anything. This is a huge problem in NY.

I noticed that in the Gotham (http://horseracingfans.net/videos/id_19/title_visionaire-gotham-stakes-3-8-08/). Did you see it? I didn't it.

The camera work over in Dubai is kinda cool, with the camera trucks following around inside the track.

Horses disappearing behind the electronic toteboard, like at Santa Anita, is kind of annoying. It would be funny if the camera really, really crawled past it as Trevor Denman started to describe really bizarre trips going on behind it... "and El Gato Malo is making a quick detour to set his TiVo at home, two lengths back Colonel John and Bob Black Jack are picking up their dry cleaning..."

[Greyfox]

The camera work over in Dubai is kinda cool, with the camera trucks following around inside the track.

.."

I'm glad somebody liked Dubai' s camera work. The only race that I saw, the truck was in front at an angle to the lead horse. I don't know how anyone could tell where their horses were running for the majority of the race. Maybe other races were shown differently.

[Zman179]

No racetrack is worse than Suffolk Downs when it comes to camerawork. OMG, I need two Tylenols after watching a race there with all the camera shaking.

[Marshall Bennett]

New York & Philly Park ( no split screen ) . :cool:

[InsideThePylons-MW]

Best......Meadowlands


Worst.....Not even close....Presque Isle Downs


Best graphics and picture.........The Red Mile

[BIG49010]

I can't remember Keeneland's coverage, I look forword to seeing it on Friday.

Last year TVG did a good job I believe, and Jill is usually spot on with the baby racees.

My main focus is the post parade and pre-race, I really hate it when you can't get a look at the horses.

[BombsAway Bob]

No racetrack is worse than Suffolk Downs when it comes to camerawork. OMG, I need two Tylenols after watching a race there with all the camera shaking.
The 50-year-old wooden camera towers are shaking from the Jets zooming 200 feet above them while landing at Logan all afternoon! :eek:

[juanepstein]

the worst!

mountaineer

they have a web cam mounted in the corner of their paddock so you only catch glimpses of horses as they pass by. when they hit the track now your looking out a camera that seems like its mounted on the roof. on top of it all they give you a backwards post parade. if its sprint races they move out to the left but all you see is the aszes of the horses.if you were betting the outriders you would do okay. when there is two turn races they move to the right but they come out so fast and the cameraman looks at the horse so long that after the third horse hes zoomin on the horses aszes as they trot away.

i just dont get that place at all.

[boomman]

Best: Hawthorne they do an excellent job of panning out and showing you the entire field in that long stretch

Absolute worst: Evangeline they zoom in on the top horse nearing the wire and in 14 horse fields, (other than listening to John McGarry, who is extremely accurate in his racecalls) you have NO CLUE who is running behind the winner or horses in the win photo!!!!

Boomer

[rufus999]

any track... anytime... anything they want to give me... all they have to do is show up and stay awake... pretty much like the women I date.:cool:

rufus

[ny0707ny]

So after reading this, I think we all agree we need a movie director to come in just so we can get a good shot of the races?:lol:

I didn't think it was a science. I guess I was wrong.

[mannyberrios]

I like the close ups at Calder.

[wonatthewire1]

Keenland's chiclets with all the horses by position is nice; Woodbine's (coming back today) is not bad either considering that they are color-coded to the saddle cloth despite being small in size

Tampa's is good - tight but not restrictive

GP too close on the front runners even w/tiny fields

The closer up shots should be on the night tracks with relatively poor lighting - though PEN's has gotten better with the slot money coming into Grantville

;)

[BIG49010]

What is the deal with HRTV, the picture on my TV with Dishnetwork stinks.

It looks like they record the races with an old VCR? :ThmbDown:

TVG has much better quality to the races both live and recorded.:ThmbUp:

[eastie]

what if one station broadcast all the races in hd, and it's like the nfl sunday ticket where you can watch whatever you want...

[Chris Longshot]

Worst.....Not even close....Presque Isle Downs


good call, its not even debatable!!!!!!

[Harvhorse]

I hate NYRA, very often during post parade, the outriders horse blocks view of blinkers and bandages. Camera should be in position not to block full view of hors,

[cnollfan]

Keenland's chiclets with all the horses by position is nice; Woodbine's (coming back today) is not bad either considering that they are color-coded to the saddle cloth despite being small in size


;)

I love Keeneland's chicklets and hate Woodbine's. Woodbine's try to do too much -- besides showing position front-to-back position they try to show inside-outside position. As a result, the chicklets bob and weave and are hard to read. Then when they go around the corner they reverse the chicklets so that what was in front is now in back. Dizzy and confusing, and they take up too much space on the screen.

Keeneland's chicklets are great. It's easy to figure out which horse is which, and they are unintrusive at the bottom of the screen, not taking space away from the actual horse race.

[ryesteve]

... and I'll say just the opposite. I like Woodbine's because there's a spatial element to it. It's much easier for me to associate the chiclet with the horse, because it's giving me a lot more information. I don't see what's so great about Keenelands. It's barely an upgrade over the 4 numbers on the screen you get at any other track.

[cnollfan]

... and I'll say just the opposite. I like Woodbine's because there's a spatial element to it. It's much easier for me to associate the chiclet with the horse, because it's giving me a lot more information. I don't see what's so great about Keenelands. It's barely an upgrade over the 4 numbers on the screen you get at any other track.

That's what makes racing so much fun -- I love the #1 and hate the #2, and vice versa!

[cnollfan]

... and I'll say just the opposite. I like Woodbine's because there's a spatial element to it. It's much easier for me to associate the chiclet with the horse, because it's giving me a lot more information. I don't see what's so great about Keenelands. It's barely an upgrade over the 4 numbers on the screen you get at any other track.

To defend the Keeneland chicklets a minute, I think they are a major upgrade over the 4 numbers on the screen at other tracks rather than a bare upgrade because 1) they show you the whole field, and 2) the 4 numbers are often way behind what's actually happening, while the chicklets are real-time.

[ryesteve]

the 4 numbers are often way behind what's actually happeningGood point... I never understood why they could never figure out a way to update those faster...

[Tom]

I hate NYRA, very often during post parade, the outriders horse blocks view of blinkers and bandages. Camera should be in position not to block full view of hors,

You know, this is such an obvious annoyance, and such an easy fix.
I guess they need to hire a few rocket scientists to figure out this complex stuff!

Oh, wait they hired one - he's upstairs cleaning bird poop off the chairs! :rolleyes::lol:

[46zilzal]

All of the camera locations are set: in the towers, on the roof and in the stands except the gate camera. That is the only one mobile. These are large cameras stuck in the view they show.

[Tom]

Ok, see here is where the rocket science comes in.

Move one! :rolleyes::bang:

[BIG49010]

I don't understand why in New York, on route and turf races they leave the padock and then who knows what is going to happen. Sometimes you get a normal post parade, other times you get the horses moving the opposite way so you have a pony and outrider between the horse you want to look at and the camera. Some post parade that is!

You know the sharp money bets the best looking pony, forget the horses in the race. :bang:

[delayjf]

I don't know why but NYRA's signal seems to be of better quality picturewise, most of the other tracks picture looks grainy. I personally do not like the split picture but prefer NYRA's full screen view of the race.

[BIG49010]

This new look for Belmont makes the odds & exacta's a little too large, and the horses a little too small. I might have to get a larger TV.