http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070508/SPORTS0101/70508039/1149

Shawn

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070508/SPORTS0101/70508039/1149

Shawn
Great News! Maybe Michael Andretti will win it this year and we get to see his wife on the screen. I know who I'll be rooting for.

ft

For those who don't want to click the link:

The Indianapolis 500 is finally going to air in high definition digital television this year.

The technology has been available for nearly three years, but Indianapolis Motor Speedway and ESPN Sports officials have decided this is the year to switch equipment.

ESPN Sports, in conjunction with IMS Productions, delivers all the programming for the May 27 on ABC, plus shows on qualification days.

The change required a significant financial investment, perhaps as much as twice that of the standard equipment. Fifty-three cameras will be utilized.

Great News! Maybe Michael Andretti will win it this year and we get to see his wife on the screen. I know who I'll be rooting for.

ft


I hear ya man. It's like the Academy Awards. I don't want the best actress to win. I want the one with the biggest boobies to win.

That’s great news. I used to love Indy in the days when the only way you could follow it was to listen on the radio, when the lead announcer was a grouch named Sid Collins, who used to intone, “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing!” Sid could always be relied upon to say something offensive to the other announcers. The race was a big deal in the ‘50s and ‘60s when Sid was in his heyday.

It was nice when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway finally allowed the 500 to be televised, but the Speedway and ESPN are coming to the HD parade very late. Although Indy isn’t in automobile racing’s big leagues any more, getting to see it in HD will be refreshing.

[COLOR=Plum]The technology has been available for nearly three years, but Indianapolis Motor Speedway and ESPN Sports officials have decided this is the year to switch equipment./COLOR]

3 years, try more like 8 or 9 years. CBS did their first HD NFL game in '98

Wow, Milka in HD. And because of 16:9 we will be able to see all of her profile. ;)

Still, I wonder what took so long. Are these ESPN cameras or IMS cameras?

I always found it ironic that the Little 500 at Indiana University has been in HD on HDNET but not the Indy 500. I guess they are equal now (although I prefer bike racing).

I always found it ironic that the Little 500 at Indiana University has been in HD on HDNET but not the Indy 500. I guess they are equal now (although I prefer bike racing).

That's probably because Mark Cuban was an IU grad.

Did a bizzard go through hell and no one told me? It's about time it was in HD, looking forward to watchiing it.

threads merged

Fan-freakin-tastic!!! :D

Daryl L

Thanks, but it's just a thread merge. Nothing really that special.


Oh, wait. You mean the 500.


Never mind

Its about time. To be honest, its probally a side-effect of ESPN/ABC's coverage of NASCAR Busch Series (and Cup Series this fall). IMS didin't want to look too much like luddites. Its only been since 1986 that live coverage has been televised, and IMS has never been ahead of the curve on broadcasting trends.

My eyeballs are smiling!

Plus if the F1 race this year is also in HD, then that would have left the IRL 500 as the only race at IMS that was not in HD this year.

Bring back The Champ Cars!

It was nice when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway finally allowed the 500 to be televised, but the Speedway and ESPN are coming to the HD parade very late.

Don't blame ESPN for this one. From what I've read here, IMS is to blame. They've been cheap luddite bastards the past few years. Now that they've lost their fans to NASCAR, I think they've been embarrassed into finally providing the Indy 500 in HD.

quote #1 Although Indy isn’t in automobile racing’s big leagues any more, getting to see it in HD will be refreshing.

quote #2 Bring back The Champ Cars!

quote #2 would help quote #1

Daryl L

Thanks, but it's just a thread merge. Nothing really that special.


Oh, wait. You mean the 500.


Never mind
LOL, good one. Yep I men't the 500. Especially since the picture quality of the last two races looked terrible on ESPN/2.

Don't blame ESPN for this one. From what I've read here, IMS is to blame. They've been cheap luddite bastards the past few years. Now that they've lost their fans to NASCAR, I think they've been embarrassed into finally providing the Indy 500 in HD.
Good point. The Hulman family, which has owned the IMS for generations, have made a lot of stupid decisions. It was Tony George, the old man’s grandson, who in 1994 foolishly formed the IRL and even more foolishly in 1996 changed the starting position rules for the 500 in order to punish CART. CART promptly withdrew from Indy and did not return for four years. It seems to me that CART’s withdrawal from the 500 marked the point at which US open wheel racing was doomed to auto racing’s minor leagues in perpetuity.

Good point. The Hulman family, which has owned the IMS for generations, have made a lot of stupid decisions. It was Tony George, the old man’s grandson, who in 1994 foolishly formed the IRL and even more foolishly in 1996 changed the starting position rules for the 500 in order to punish CART. CART promptly withdrew from Indy and did not return for four years. It seems to me that CART’s withdrawal from the 500 marked the point at which US open wheel racing was doomed to auto racing’s minor leagues in perpetuity.
There's plenty of blame to go around. Too many stubborn old men, unwilling to compromise. CART felt that the "stars and cars" would be enough to carry them without the 500. IMS felt that the "tradition of the 500" would be enough to carry it without the stars.

Both were wrong ... and with the 800-lb gorilla known as NASCAR quietly growing their fanbase, open wheel racing in the US was doomed.

I thought that Chris Pook would have been the unifying force to get everyone back, but he did nothing. Then Bobby Rahal was supposed to be the one, but the lure of Formula One put his stewardship of CART on the back-burner.

Now, we have two series' that lack the true stars of the 80s and 90s. Would a Nigel Mansell ever consider driving in ChampCar or IndyCar now-a-days? Heck, I doubt an Alex Zanardi would consider it. ChampCar has lost its status as the top series outside of F1. The IRL is soon becoming a feeder series to Nascar.

I am very bitter about the whole deal. I've been stewing for over 10 years. My desire for racing is nowhere near where it used to be. It seems like so long ago that Memorial Day Sunday was THE DAY for auto racing. Monaco in the morning, Indy 500 in the afternoon, Charlotte 600 in the evening. WOW!!! Now, I'm just looking forward to a few burgers and a couple of hot dogs. Memorial Day no longer means anything to the racing enthusiast in me.

ft

BTW, I'll probably watch the Indy 500, if only to see how Michael Andretti does. I'll be pulling for him, like I always do. He came so close last year (even if it was because of fuel strategy).

BTW2, if the ALMS ever got a decent TV package together, they might be able to develop a fan base from the old CART fans.

This always amazed me. NBC would broadcast the Brickyard 400 in HD but nobody would broadcast the Indy 500 in HD?! I can't believe they let it go this long before stepping up.

There's plenty of blame to go around. Too many stubborn old men, unwilling to compromise. CART felt that the "stars and cars" would be enough to carry them without the 500. IMS felt that the "tradition of the 500" would be enough to carry it without the stars.

Both were wrong ... and with the 800-lb gorilla known as NASCAR quietly growing their fanbase, open wheel racing in the US was doomed.

I thought that Chris Pook would have been the unifying force to get everyone back, but he did nothing. Then Bobby Rahal was supposed to be the one, but the lure of Formula One put his stewardship of CART on the back-burner.

Now, we have two series' that lack the true stars of the 80s and 90s. Would a Nigel Mansell ever consider driving in ChampCar or IndyCar now-a-days? Heck, I doubt an Alex Zanardi would consider it. ChampCar has lost its status as the top series outside of F1. The IRL is soon becoming a feeder series to Nascar.

I am very bitter about the whole deal. I've been stewing for over 10 years. My desire for racing is nowhere near where it used to be. It seems like so long ago that Memorial Day Sunday was THE DAY for auto racing. Monaco in the morning, Indy 500 in the afternoon, Charlotte 600 in the evening. WOW!!! Now, I'm just looking forward to a few burgers and a couple of hot dogs. Memorial Day no longer means anything to the racing enthusiast in me.

ft

BTW, I'll probably watch the Indy 500, if only to see how Michael Andretti does. I'll be pulling for him, like I always do. He came so close last year (even if it was because of fuel strategy).

BTW2, if the ALMS ever got a decent TV package together, they might be able to develop a fan base from the old CART fans.

YES! I too miss the Memorial Sunday trifecta. Used to be so worth looking forward to. At least we get 2 of the 3 in HD this year, that is some kind of consolation.

There's plenty of blame to go around. Too many stubborn old men, unwilling to compromise. CART felt that the "stars and cars" would be enough to carry them without the 500. IMS felt that the "tradition of the 500" would be enough to carry it without the stars.

Both were wrong ... and with the 800-lb gorilla known as NASCAR quietly growing their fanbase, open wheel racing in the US was doomed.
All quite true. In addition to “stubborn” to describe the people who doomed US open wheel racing, I would add “arrogant” and “out of touch.”

Nascar is so much more fun to watch. I'll watch the Indy 500 and root for Danica if she is racing. Then I'll go back to the Busch series for the thrills and spills and Nextel for the drama.

My wife can't understand how I can spend two or three hours watching a 'stupid' race. Hmm, I can't understand it either. The Kentucky Derby was as exciting as any NASCAR race and only lasted a couple of minutes. Well, I mixed up a batch of Mint Juleps for the race. That helps.:)

That’s great news. I used to love Indy in the days when the only way you could follow it was to listen on the radio, when the lead announcer was a grouch named Sid Collins, who used to intone, “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing!” Sid could always be relied upon to say something offensive to the other announcers. The race was a big deal in the ‘50s and ‘60s when Sid was in his heyday.


You must not be a real fan if you are touting Sid Collins and not Tom Carnegie. ;)

This always amazed me. NBC would broadcast the Brickyard 400 in HD but nobody would broadcast the Indy 500 in HD?! I can't believe they let it go this long before stepping up.

Thats because NASCAR produced the event and everything they produce is in HD, even all the crap that is downconverted to SD for Speed TV.

Thats because NASCAR produced the event and everything they produce is in HD, even all the crap that is downconverted to SD for Speed TV.
The decision to broadcast the races was still up to the networks. The networks, not NASCAR Images, has and still do produce the races. NASCAR Images provides production support to the networks for their live races. NASCAR Images does however produce some of the support programming seen on SPEED and more recently on ESPN2.

Thats because NASCAR produced the event and everything they produce is in HD, even all the crap that is downconverted to SD for Speed TV.

That's the HOW. I still don't understand the WHY.

WHY would Indy let Nascar come into their own backyard and showcase an event (for several years) in HD yet not air their own premier event in HD?!

That's the HOW. I still don't understand the WHY.

WHY would Indy let Nascar come into their own backyard and showcase an event (for several years) in HD yet not air their own premier event in HD?!
Maybe it's because the Indy 500 isn't the premier event at IMS anymore. It's been overshadowed by the Brickyard 400. I will still give the 500 the nod over the USGP.

ft

Maybe it's because the Indy 500 isn't the premier event at IMS anymore. It's been overshadowed by the Brickyard 400. I will still give the 500 the nod over the USGP.

ft


Uhh, no. The Brickyard does not overshadow the Indy 500 at the IMS. There is no question that the 500 is still the premier event here in Indy. The 400 may overshadow the 500 in terms of viewers and fans outside of the state, but not here.

The indy 500 is still a BIG event but ticket prices do not command a premium (as they used to). If you check ebay and Craigslist ticket prices are selling well below face for the Indy 500 (I still think they being the IMS still have tickets for sale) but not so for the Brickyard 400. This is true even though the Brickyard 400 is broadcast live and the Indy 500 is not locally braodcast. One other telling factor is the qualifying speed difference between the pole and last car in the field. Indy 500 will probably be around 10mph while Brickyard (with more cars 43 vs 33) will be 3 to 5 mph. We are fans of BOTH races but the Brickyard 400 is the favorite.

Uhh, no. The Brickyard does not overshadow the Indy 500 at the IMS. There is no question that the 500 is still the premier event here in Indy. The 400 may overshadow the 500 in terms of viewers and fans outside of the state, but not here.
I agree. The Brickyard 400, whose correct name these days is the “Allstate 400 at The Brickyard,” isn’t even the biggest deal in NASCAR, Daytona is. NASCAR is a far bigger deal than any of the racing organizations whose members run cars in the Indy 500, of course. Nevertheless, with the possible exception of Daytona, “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is still the biggest single race there is to most Americans who are not hard core NASCAR fans.

Wow, this is a long time coming. So, Sunday of Memorial day weekend we will have what, 10 or so hours of HD racing coverage?

Is there a major sporting event that does not have some or all HD coverage now? I know, I even see at least some HD commercials pretty much every time I watch TV. I even have seen HD commercials during an SD broadcast.

For the record...for many years, IMS was providing the host coverage for the world. ABC has supplemented that coverage with their own cameras. IMS was not providing HD until now.

Pole Day in HD on EPSN2!

Will future IRL races be broadcast in HD or is Indy the test for possible future IRL races in HD?

Will future IRL races be broadcast in HD or is Indy the test for possible future IRL races in HD?

The (time trials) today are in HD on ABC! Finally some open wheel racing in HD...

Is there a lipsync problem?

WABC-DT NYC FIOS TV.

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Pole day looked fantastic in HD here in Rockford, IL (Insight Communications).

-Carter

Loved the HD shots, but hated when they boxed it with all the graphics

I guess I should be excited after years of waiting for the 500 in HD. But my enthusiasm for open wheel racing has waned as each year goes by. The NASCAR influenced IRL is a poor replacement for the excitement that once was open wheel racing in this country. I agree a bunch of greedy old men killed what i once loved.

I caught a bit of qualifying and the picture quality was soft and the production was pretty badly done. I'll watch but I am not expecting much.

Any chance of HD in car cameras?

I'll be rooting for #33, John Andretti, Panther Racing's third entry.

Rusty said he was going to work the Indy 500 this year. Having Rusty do color commentary for an IRL race is like having a hooker chaperone a high school prom. It's just not right.

ESPN/ABC had him in the booth for 1st and 2nd day qualifying last week. This week for 3rd day qualifying and Bump Day he's AWOL.

Did ESPN/ABC get smart and decide to let an open wheel veteran like Scott Goodyear provide analysis and commentary and leave the NASCAR guy to do NASCAR?

(I follow NASCAR, but having Rusty do IRL commentary is just wrong as last year's 500 proved).

WABC-DT NYC FIOS TV.

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Where is Derek Daly when you need him. :D

As far as rooting for John Andretti, If his car doesn't have Marlboro or Target on it, he's already out of luck.

As far as rooting for John Andretti, If his car doesn't have Marlboro or Target on it, he's already out of luck.

That may be true, but it's not why you root for one driver over another. At least it shouldn't be, IMHO.

Did ESPN/ABC get smart and decide to let an open wheel veteran like Scott Goodyear provide analysis and commentary and leave the NASCAR guy to do NASCAR?

...and the answer is NO. Rusty Wallace is at Iowa Speedway, which I believe he's a co-owner of, for the Grand National East-West race which is carried live and in color on HDNET today.

Great news!


]**snip** [/I] Nevertheless, with the possible exception of Daytona, “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is still the biggest single race there is to most Americans who are not hard core NASCAR fans.

Agreed. I watch two races a year...Daytona and Indy.



Still pissed at the nutjobs that ruined open wheel. Bring back methanol, and turbochargers...would like to see what the engineers could do with the gloves off.

Build F1s maybe? :)

Three HD sets in my house and I'll be helping my friend move with NO HD on Sunday. Ugh.