Horse Racing Forum - PaceAdvantage.Com - Horse Racing Message Board

Go Back   Horse Racing Forum - PaceAdvantage.Com - Horse Racing Message Board > Thoroughbred Horse Racing Discussion > General Racing Discussion


Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread
Old 05-10-2019, 03:00 PM   #1
Jeff P
Registered User
 
Jeff P's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: JCapper Platinum: Kind of like Deep Blue... but for horses.
Posts: 5,258
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

.
__________________
Team JCapper: 2011 PAIHL Regular Season ROI Leader after 15 weeks
www.JCapper.com

Last edited by Jeff P; 05-10-2019 at 03:11 PM.
Jeff P is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-10-2019, 04:48 PM   #2
Tom
The Voice of Reason!
 
Tom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Canandaigua, New york
Posts: 112,467
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.
__________________
Who does the Racing Form Detective like in this one?
Tom is online now   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-10-2019, 07:41 PM   #3
cj
@TimeformUSfigs
 
cj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Moore, OK
Posts: 46,816
Of course Gulfstream would be the really loud one. Just saying...
cj is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-10-2019, 08:05 PM   #4
woodbinepmi
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Baton Rouge, La
Posts: 1,782
Quote:
Originally Posted by cj View Post
Of course Gulfstream would be the really loud one. Just saying...
They would still be circling behind the gate.
__________________
@ShaTinRacing
woodbinepmi is online now   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-10-2019, 08:56 PM   #5
Jeff P
Registered User
 
Jeff P's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: JCapper Platinum: Kind of like Deep Blue... but for horses.
Posts: 5,258
#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

.

Attached Images
File Type: jpg WOX-HarrowInfo.JPG (45.6 KB, 37 views)
__________________
Team JCapper: 2011 PAIHL Regular Season ROI Leader after 15 weeks
www.JCapper.com

Last edited by Jeff P; 05-10-2019 at 09:00 PM.
Jeff P is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-10-2019, 10:23 PM   #6
Niko
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,042
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.
Niko is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-11-2019, 06:12 AM   #7
Hosshead
It's A Photo-Ying & Yang
 
Hosshead's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,294
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.

..

Last edited by Hosshead; 05-11-2019 at 06:14 AM.
Hosshead is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-11-2019, 08:48 AM   #8
wisconsin
Registered User
 
wisconsin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Mukwonago, WI
Posts: 3,196
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.
__________________
"I don't always frequent message boards, but when I do, I prefer PaceAdvantage."
wisconsin is online now   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-11-2019, 08:57 AM   #9
Tom
The Voice of Reason!
 
Tom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Canandaigua, New york
Posts: 112,467
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff P View Post
#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

.
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.
__________________
Who does the Racing Form Detective like in this one?
Tom is online now   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-11-2019, 10:04 AM   #10
michiken
Registered User
 
michiken's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Last One Standing in MI
Posts: 1,177
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).
__________________
Pace Engineer
michiken is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-11-2019, 02:09 PM   #11
Gorrex
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Louisville
Posts: 278
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.
__________________

Jason Martin
IT Director
AmWest Entertainment - AmWager
Gorrex is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-11-2019, 08:25 PM   #12
Jeff P
Registered User
 
Jeff P's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: JCapper Platinum: Kind of like Deep Blue... but for horses.
Posts: 5,258
#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

.

Attached Images
File Type: jpg GGX05112019R5_StupidIdea.JPG (44.1 KB, 17 views)
__________________
Team JCapper: 2011 PAIHL Regular Season ROI Leader after 15 weeks
www.JCapper.com
Jeff P is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-11-2019, 08:35 PM   #13
Jeff P
Registered User
 
Jeff P's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: JCapper Platinum: Kind of like Deep Blue... but for horses.
Posts: 5,258
#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

.

Attached Images
File Type: jpg GGX05112019R5_Wts.JPG (41.2 KB, 29 views)
__________________
Team JCapper: 2011 PAIHL Regular Season ROI Leader after 15 weeks
www.JCapper.com
Jeff P is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-13-2019, 04:23 PM   #14
Jeff P
Registered User
 
Jeff P's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: JCapper Platinum: Kind of like Deep Blue... but for horses.
Posts: 5,258
#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

.

Attached Images
File Type: jpg MTH05122019R8ApproachingTheGate.JPG (58.2 KB, 21 views)
__________________
Team JCapper: 2011 PAIHL Regular Season ROI Leader after 15 weeks
www.JCapper.com

Last edited by Jeff P; 05-13-2019 at 04:36 PM.
Jeff P is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 05-13-2019, 05:02 PM   #15
Tom
The Voice of Reason!
 
Tom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Canandaigua, New york
Posts: 112,467
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.
__________________
Who does the Racing Form Detective like in this one?
Tom is online now   Reply With Quote Reply
Reply




Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

» Advertisement
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:59 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 1999 - 2023 -- PaceAdvantage.Com -- All Rights Reserved
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program
designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.