Death by 1000 paper cuts
 

If you go by importance, this one is probably item #173 on the list of the 1000 little things racing needs to address - but never does.

Item #173. Volume for individual track video signals --

Over the past 45 minutes or so I've been playing BEL-BTP-GPX-PIM via ADW:

• The volume for Belmont track video is pre-set (not by me but I'm guessing either by the track or by somebody at Roberts) to "barely hear it."
  
• The volume for Belterra and Pimlico video are pre-set (again not by me) to "about normal."
  
• The volume for Gulfstream video is pre-set (again not by me) to "BLAST O' MATIC."

Meaning that:

• If I watch a race at Belmont I have to turn the volume way up in order to hear Larry Collmus.
  
• If I then switch over to Gulfstream I have to turn the volume way down... otherwise: "BLAST O' MATIC."

Is there any reason not to have somebody (maybe at Roberts) set all track video signals (on a regular basis) to the same damn volume?

Seriously, this has been going on for years, and I for one find it annoying as hell.

Signed,

A guy who (for some strange reason) is still betting a decent amount of handle (5 days out of 6) into your pools.



-jp

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This is why I always say racing has no freaking idea who their customers are.

One would thing racing could fix all these small things because the
game is run by such small minds. :lol:

Of course Gulfstream would be the really loud one. Just saying...

They would still be circling behind the gate.

#174. Track maintenance info --

Note that at the bottom of the screenshot at the bottom of this post, Woodbine is not just letting players know when the track surface is going to be harrowed --

They are also letting us know how deep the harrows are going to be - in this case 1.5 inches.

Imo, this info is worth noting. Depth of harrows can vary from one day to the next and yes it can have an effect on track bias.

Here, Woodbine gets it right. Kudos to them for the transparency.

Now what about all of the other tracks?



-jp

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I've had the same problem, some tracks feel compelled to crank up the volume like a late night commercial trying to wake you up from your slumber on the couch. As you said, #173 on the list, too many other priorities to complain about - haha

Love what Woodbine is doing, don't expect it from a U.S. track.

Yes, it seems like such an easy fix.
Roberts should adjust the volume for each track.
Unless all the signals go through one volume control which is probably what they would like us to believe.
But what about the tracks themselves, do they have the ability to adjust their signal volume? I don't know.
But I do know that the tracks are consistent in either too low or too loud.
So it seems that a one time adjustment could be made (somewhere) to at least get it close.
If they cared a little about the customer.

This is the same problem I have with cable TV.
I cannot believe that they don't have the ability to adjust the volume for each channel.
But I can believe they're just too damn lazy to do so.

I talked to a cable rep ( the ones at the customer service counter that don't know anything) one time about this and he said that the volume for each channel fluctuates too much.
BS. Channels that are too low volume are ALWAYS like that and vice-versa.

..

Had to turn the sound all the way up for Belmont yesterday.

My biggest pet peeve is production. You have a clear winner, but there is a hot photo for 2nd or third. Instead of showing that replay, tracks still think we care about the handle, the tote, the winner galloping out...you get my drift here.

Woodbine used to have a really excellent page on the website detailing all the track maintenance, and an explanation of what it meant. then they switched it to Twitter and I quit following. I used to copy and paste the info into a spreadsheet so I could track how the races were affected. Now with Twitter, if that is still goin on, it is too much work to do it. So have not played WO in several years. What good is spot in of if you cant' analyze it? Just trying to be cool and use twitter.

Like said, small minds.

Flash
 

You can tell Roberts that ADOBE FLASH is dead and they should move on towards a modern video format. (I am tired of having to keep a flash plugin installed in my browser only to watch races).

Roberts has already implemented a full HTML5 video solution that works quite well. All sites will be forced to switch to it by years end.

#175. Figuring out ways to not show the horses --

The screenshot below was taken today (Sat 05-11-2019) and illustrates one of the many ways tracks have figured out how to not show the horses.

The screenshot shows a race at Golden Gate close to post time.

Instead of allowing players to see close ups of the horses approaching the gate - which is certainly a critical time:

Somebody decided it would be better for players to hear the announcer say "The horses are approaching the starting gate and the red light is flashing," and keep the camera focused on a red light atop the starting gate.

I used a stopwatch app on my phone and timed it for R8 today at 28.55 seconds.

That's nearly 30 seconds when the camera could have been showing close ups of the horses at a critical time. (Ugh.)

Imo, this is just one more example of a seemingly never ending series of bad decisions made by people in racing who do not bet.

As a result, even though I was making an effort to watch your track signal, I did not bet as much handle at Golden Gate today as I otherwise would have.

Here's how track management can fix this:

• It's perfectly ok if your track announcer says "The horses are approaching the starting gate and the red light is flashing."
  
  
• But if you absolutely must show a starting gate with a flashing red light on top of it: Show the gate for a split second only and immediately cut to close ups of the horses approaching the gate.

Signed,

Someone who actually bets.


-jp

.

#176. Display of Horse Weights --

In the screenshot below, Golden Gate is giving players information that isn't being collected (let alone displayed) by a lot of North American tracks.

Fyi, they've been displaying the info in a consistent fashion. If you're watching their track signal, a screen like the one below usually appears (and stays put long enough so you can read it) a few seconds after each of their post parades.

Imo, this info is worth noting. Weight of the horse can vary from one race to the next - and can be a good indicator of current condition.

Here, Golden Gate gets it right. Kudos to them for the transparency.

Now what about all of the other tracks that aren't even collecting the info - let alone disseminating it?

Signed,

Someone who actually bets.



-jp

.

#175. Figuring out ways to not show the horses continued --

In this post I'll focus on Monmouth.

The screenshot below is what Monmouth showed while the horses were approaching the gate for R8 on Sunday 05-12-2019.

After watching this shot for nearly a minute and a half - and being unable to see the horses at all during a critical time, these are my thoughts:

• Has Monmouth forgotten how to televise races?
  
  
• I'm guessing at least 85 percent of Monmouth's handle is bet from somewhere other than on track.
  
  
• Like many players, I'm using an ADW where pool amounts, matrices for Exactas, Doubles, Pick3 will pays and the like can be had with a mouse click. (When I want that info, I prefer to use the interface provided by my ADW to see that info.)
  
  
• The last thing in the world any track should be doing is completely blocking out the view of the horses with their graphics!

Here's how track management can fix this:

• Change your graphics! Make showing the horses a priority instead of an afterthought!
  
  
• Use a transparent background (so that players can see the horses through your graphics!)
  
  
• Resize your graphics so that they take up minimal screen real estate!

C'mon Monmouth, you've been broadcasting your track signal for how many years and this is what you've come up with? (You're better than that, aren't you?)

Signed,

Someone who actually bets.



-jp

.

No matter what track employees tell you, bottom line is they have no idea who the customer is and what he wants or likes.

What you show in this thread, the screens shots ARE the product the tracks are giving us. The CEO of each track should be watching that and understand WHY his employees are idiots.

Never happen.