SpeedTv
Latest
Fox Sports 1 comes to 'all major distributors' Saturday, mobile app on hold
Saturday morning at 6AM Speed TV turns out the lights for the last time as Fox replaces it with a new 24-hour sports channel: Fox Sports 1 (FYI: Fuel TV will become Fox Sports 2, and FXX launches September 2nd as the new home of Always Sunny, The League and Totally Biased). Why? Because every network needs its own sports channel to fill out the package, like Disney / ABC including ESPN and Comcast / NBC Universal's NBC Sports. Negotiations this week wrapped up last-minute deals with holdouts DirecTV, Dish and Time Warner Cable, ensuring the channel will be available on all "major" distributors (about 90 million homes) across the country. What isn't quite ready for prime time is the accompanying Fox Sports Go app, its attempt at a TV Everywhere experience akin to WatchESPN and NBC Sports Live Extra. Rep Chris Bellitti tells Variety that "one of the most complex TV Everywhere apps ever created" just needs a little tweaking before it arrives on the web, iOS and Android. It will have live streaming video, plus scores, news and more for sports fans. You can check after the break for a list of the content FS1 will carry -- UFC: Shogun vs. Sonnen caps Day 1 -- and a preview trailer, or hit the link below to doublecheck its channel on local providers.
Formula 1's on-board cameras may switch to HD next season
As we enjoy our first F1 action in the US since 2007 we're glad that it's in HD this time, however it still falling short in one area -- in-car camera shots. Although the racing series belatedly made the jump to high definition broadcasts last year, protests from the teams over weight and space issues caused it to stick with standard-definition cameras for the on-board shots. Now that a couple of years have passed and presumably the technology has improved, that may be addressed next year, at the same time US broadcasts of the series move from Speed/Fox to NBC Sports. Formula One Supporters Association caught up to F1 journalist Christian Sylt who got a peek at future plans that include the possibility of HD in-car cameras, multi-channel formats offering different views of the track and an interactive 3D replay feature. We'll have to wait and see how much -- if any -- of that is actually implemented any time soon, but if you'd like to check out the technology in use today, Speed TV has a live stream from several of the cars currently racing around the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
Formula One Management makes it official: 2011 season will be the first in HD
After many years of waiting we'll finally get to experience Formula 1 racing the way we should, in high definition. Sky Deutschland and the BBC have already confirmed they will carry the new HD feed, and formula One Management has confirmed it will be available to all host broadcasters and will include all track sessions in 42 Mb/s MPEG-2 form. The widescreen PAL feed we've been watching has been good enough to fool a few into believing what they saw on Speed HD and others was true HD, but we can't wait to see the difference when the season kicks off. Update: Speed TV has also officially announced it will carry the HD signal for US viewers this season starting with the opener in Bahrain March 13 and installing 'continuous fiber service' to guarantee the best picture quality.
Forza's Showdown airing tomorrow night
Tomorrow night the debut of Forza Motorsports 2 Showdown will be airing on SPEED TV at 11:00PM EST. Showdown will feature six competitors going head to head in weekly events to ultimately win the final race and take home a sweet $100,000 prize. Every week we'll be treated to an insider look at the development of Forza 2 as well as get information on new features and never before seen footage from the game. Also, be sure to enter the Showdown sweepstakes for a chance to win a nice gaming bundle or a free copy of Forza 2. If you're a Forza fan be sure to tune into SPEED TV Wednesday evening to get your weekly dose of Forzanicity.[Via TeamXbox]
