Sidepodcast

Video Nearly Killed the Radio Star

Somewhere between the time we started Sidepodcast and present day, we manage to attract some fantastically creative individuals to the community here, and those people never cease to come up with endless amounts of brilliant ideas and together solve all sorts of unimaginably complicated problems. Those same people also ask a lot of questions.

Credit: Sidepodcast

Christine... on the Internet

Last week Christine and I, under the guise of F1 Minute, launched a short video trial, investigating into how the current F1 Minute audio podcast might translate to the small screen. It's a challenging problem to solve, because video production typically takes considerably more effort than audio production and Christine already manages to fill every waking hour with audio work. How in the world can an order of magnitude more work be squeezed into that same timeframe too?

The simple answer is, it can't.

This didn't come as a massive surprise, given we attempted to bring F1 Minute video to life at the beginning of 2008 before the real world got the better of us. Last week's trial almost slipped through our fingers too, had mother nature not kindly intervened and given us a couple of snow days to catch up with ourselves. We're ambitious, but ultimately held to account by the same invisible force as everyone else.

In a typically Sidepodcast fashion, we made and launched our video trial without any preconceptions or expectations. The shows could've been a worldwide smash hit, or they could've vanished without a trace. We were only really interested in figuring out how long each one took to make, assuming it was possible at all.

Then questions came from the smart people and we couldn't answer them. We didn't know how long we were planning to make them for. We didn't know when they would be available. We didn't even have a logo prepared should someone wish to plug the show.

You'd never guess we'd been doing this for three years already.

Now though, we are slightly smarter after the fact. We know roughly where we are, what we can do, and where we might be going... sort of. We know that making a daily 60 second video on the subject of F1 is possible, and that given the right finances they can be made mostly by one person on a part time basis. We also know we have most of the right equipment, but that a laptop really isn't the correct machine for the job.

Clearly we now know the initial run of shows would only last for five days although we probably assumed it would be more. We also know that there are other options to explore and that we're not done experimenting yet.

As discussed on the F1 Minute blog HD video is a priority, so to is optimising a tardy workflow. It's been requested that Christine feature more throughout each show, and while we originally filmed just the top and tail of the programme, a better model would likely look similar to F1 Rewind from days of yore (except in shorter form).

Looking around for the competition, only Autosport's autoplaying video channel appears to offer anything of a similar nature, and you'll need a magnifying glass to see that. GP Update have the occasional stab at video production, and Eurosport appear to occasionally put some F1 news content online. There really isn't anyone else out there doing something along these lines, and that's the main reason we wanted to have a go.

At it's current level the series isn't sustainable without an income. How we find an income stream for it is a problem for another day, in the meantime we have more to do and more to learn. Expect more F1 Minute video before the season begins.

If you had any thoughts, ideas, suggestions and questions this past week, now is a good time to throw them out there.

Heart Shaped Box

This year has provided unprecedented access to Formula 1, with drivers on Twitter and journalists giving us great insights into the paddock via blogs and social networking. One particular treat we enjoy on a race weekend is the 5live team and their relaxed attitude towards covering the event.

The team aren't afraid to interact with the audience as much as possible, and during the practice sessions, they'll read out texts and tweets from listeners, answering questions and pondering suggested topics. It's understandable they limit this to practice, as the other sessions are somewhat busier, but you wouldn't find this kind of access on TV.

Another added bounus during practice is Ted Kravitz. During his BBC TV stints, he dishes the facts, then hands back to Brundle and Legard, cool and professional as you like. On 5live, he is more relaxed, has a laugh and a joke, and it feels as though he gets more information that way as well. The two formats are clearly aimed at different people, but we think the 5live format should rule all.

Ahead of some race weekends, the crew will tweet and twitpic their way through road trips, providing glimpses of Ant behind the wheel, or filling up with petrol. Mundane,maybe, but do you get to see any snippets of Martin Brundle's life? No. During the weekend, the 5live team aren't afraid to describe their commentary box surroundings in glorious, or not so glorious, detail. This weekend in particular, Mr C got very excited when he saw some close up pictures of their mixing desk. We've also learnt that Singapore provide them with webcam access of the pits, because the boxes don't have the best views.

This year BBC TV build up coverage is way better than anything we've seen before, and Jake does an fanatastic job of controlling the people he has to work with. Jake's also a keen blogger, uses Twitter plenty and provides pictures as well. It does feel like he is the only one though, who is trying to keep up with the times. Legard has a blog, but... have you ever read it?

The 5live crew are, for us, the heart of an F1 weekend. We get to see, read and hear so much more than we ever would just watching the few sessions of TV coverage, and the way they approach the sport appeals to us in every way. Already this weekend, we've seen more of Singapore than ever before, particularly from a commentators point of view.

We've collated some of the photos from the 5live Twitpic marathon session this morning. We're hoping for more, and I don't think we'll be disappointed.

• Interactive web cams
• View from the commentary box
• Lovely, lovely cables
• Twitter on the laptop
• Video feed, live timing and audio cue screens
• Croftie and Sir Jackie

_{Photograph via @5LiveF1.}

Sidepodradio - Whose Start Line is it Anyway?

Although the deadline for submissions has now passed, there are still small ways in which you can help. An idea here and there will help the Sidepodradio day run much smoother. Here is Nick to tell you more about his show.

The jewel in the crown of Sidepodradio needs you! Yes, reader/ lurker/ regular/newcomer that means you! Don’t worry, I just need a suggestion or 2, it won’t require any effort other than a couple of ideas.

I guess firstly I should explain what the show is however, and how you cant afford to miss it. Many of you will be familiar with the TV show “Whose Line is it Anyway?”, and this show is essentially based upon that idea. In the TV show 4 contestants are asked to perform improvised sketches, based upon characters and scenarios suggested by the audience.

This show will be F1 themed, with scenes being acted out by my five trusty volunteers: Steven, Alex, Lukeh, Bassano, Gavin and Mr C. I will be giving them a scenario in which 2 or 3 of them will be involved, and then hand out roles in the scenario at random.

This is where I need your help! I need suggestions for scenario’s which can be acted out, and the characters who are in them. Although there are five eager contestants I am looking for ideas which will involve just 2 or 3 of them to keep the show running along smoothly. The only requirement is that the ideas involve people in the F1 Paddock. They can be real life scenarios such as the FOTA meeting where Williams were re-admitted, or completely fictional such as Flav, Nelson Piquet and Pat Symonds having a day out at the funfair. I am hoping to have about an equal mix of both.

So get creative, think funny, and try to use people from all across the paddock (that we have heard of!) and send in your suggestions.

And make sure you don’t forget to tune into Sidepodradio at 10:30pm on Sunday the 20th of September for what I am sure will be a very entertaining show!

Germany 2009 - Schedule

It's been a while but Sidepodcast swings back into action as the racing turns up to Nurburgring for the first time since 2007.

Despite the fact that Formula 1 is slowly imploding, we'll be keeping it together by attempting to stick to these two schedules. The first is the BBC coverage, which will dictate when the live threads will start. The second is an estimate of when each podcast will come out throughout the weekend.

TV Schedule

As ever, it's the BBC online streaming and radio 5live for us, let us know how you are tuning in.

Podcast Schedule

Here are rough estimates of when the shows will be released over the coming few days:

Join us for live commenting each and every session if you can, and above all else, have a great weekend.

My Number 1 Star

Just recently, the pair of us have been feeling under the weather and watching more TV than we usually would. This happily coincided with the debut of Roary the Racing Car in the iTunes Store. A couple of downloads later and we were ready to indulge in some mindless, colourful, children's fare.

Personally, I really liked the episodes, and we managed to watch all of the available output from Apple in one sitting. It's bright and lively, with larger than life characters, and plenty of giggles to attract children to the world of racing. It's obvious that kids will begin to pick up information about motorsports that they might never have known otherwise. The merchandising and toys bring the characters and cars right into their homes, and I imagine there are lots of pretend races going on as each episode is played out.

However, the pedigree behind Roary the Racing Car means that there are a lot of subtleties that the, eh-hem, older viewers can get a lot from as well.

Keith Chapman is the brains behind the outfit, drawing on his experience from Bob the Builder, and he teamed up with David Jenkins, who worked in management at Brands Hatch for a good few years. The latter had spent much of his young child's early years telling engaging stories about racing cars, to try and explain what was happening "where Daddy worked". For Chapman and his new entertainment company, it seemed like a natural progression from the world of building materials to the world of circuits.

The show was first aired in 2005, and the target demographic is two to six year olds. This seems about right, because when I posted a Twitter message about our viewing choice for the evening, I had a lot of messages saying: "My young son loves that show!" A new generation of motorsport fans are being cultivated, even if they don't know it yet.

As I mentioned, some of the names and characters within the show are a wink and a nudge for current fans, and perhaps a helping hand for kids to make the transition easier. The voiceover at the beginning and end of each episode is Sir Stirling Moss in the UK. The circuit is called Silver Hatch - a mashup of Silverstone and Brands Hatch. The owner of the track is a flamboyant, grey-haired Italian. Another mole-shaped animal character is called Molecom, perhaps named after the Goodwood corner - Molecombe?

My particular favourite in the show is Marsha the Marshal. Firstly, she and Big Chris single-handedly run the day to day goings on at the track, and in fact, Marsha is usually the one that gets things done, reinforcing that marshals are pretty important. Secondly, she is the main female character in the show (well, the one who's not a car, anyway), and she's not afraid to put the hours in, get muddy, or run around the track. More females in motorsport, please.

Each episode has a moral, as most good children's shows should, and that may not translate particularly well with how the Formula 1 world is behaving at the moment. However, we've started to see Big Chris and others appearing at various motorsport events, so it won't be long before we're faced with a whole new generation of racing drivers, and keen fans, ready to prove they've got what it takes.

Malaysia 2009 - Schedule

It has only been a few minutes since the last race, or at least it feels that way. What with all the penalty shenanigans, and not knowing the actual results of the Australian GP until today, I am completely unprepared for the weekend ahead. However, it's going to be brilliant, whatever happens, so here's how it should stack up.

As ever, the schedule is just a guide, and we cannot be held responsible for not meeting any of the times, because chances are, we won't. All the times are to BST, as we are now fully into summer time... apparently.

TV Schedule

I realised last time that perhaps I wasn't clear enough in explaining what the schedule actually shows you. This TV schedule tells you when the live commenting thread will open, which is usually half an hour or so ahead of when the BBC coverage starts. That is the second time in the table - so don't use this schedule to cut things fine around race or qualifying, as we are blessed to have an hour's buildup.

Podcast Schedule

We're starting to get into a routine with the podcasts again, but I am not yet brave enough to put in any timings for the shows as yet.

Once again, I have to point out the lack of Parade Lap. It's coming, we promise. Just not yet. Also, there is no Sidepodpanel this week, as it takes a break until the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.

Please join us for the live commenting sessions because we had serious fun last weekend, despite everyone being pretty exhausted by the time the race rolled around. It adds a lot to the experience to hear other points of views. Also, remember, you can post your very short summaries after each session and they might make it into that days F1 Digest.

Have a great weekend, and join us when you can!

Refreshing F1 Torrents

Way back in August of last year, we announced plans to make every Sidepodcast show available for download via peer-to-peer networks. At first we started slowly to ensure it was a viable and effective means of distribution and then as we've grown more confident with the tools, we've integrated them better into our work flow.

Each time we upload a new show nowadays, we'll release a corresponding torrent file at the same time. Additionally, after much effort on Christine's part, we've also managed to make the entire back catalogue distributable via P2P too.

Synchronicity I

One of the suggestions we received from Alex after originally announcing plans to support file sharing, was to provide a subscription feed for shows available in Torrent format.

This gave us headaches for a while, but we've now found a way to sync the Torrent feed with the traditional podcast feed, meaning subscribers will now be able to receive the latest show via P2P at the same time as iTunes users download directly.

Torrents are becoming a key part of our distribution solution, and if you've never tried subscribing in this way before, we highly recommend giving Miro a try.

The software runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. It can be downloaded for free and our podcasts sync and play seamlessly. We originally promoted the software back in 2007, but that was before Scott informed us it doubles as a peer-to-peer client too.

Synchronicity II

One thing we can do with torrents that we're constrained by within the Apple / iTunes ecosystem, is put out larger video files. Currently iPods are limited to a 640x480 pixel screen resolution and if we want people to be able to watch videos on the move, we can't go any larger.

No such restraint exists with desktop software though, so if you subscribe to the Sidepodcast Torrent Feed you'll be able to grab the 2008 Season Review in 720x405 pixel resolution. Bigger than you'll get on this site, or on iTunes.

As ever, do let us know if there are other delivery formats we should be considering. Falcon let us know this week that we're sort of accessible via a TiVo box in the US, even though we've never seen one before, nor have any access to one.

There's bound to be other formats and platforms we've yet to come across and we're always keen to throw more into the mix.

Formula 1 in HD, Courtesy of Toyota

Formula One teams have been dishing out corporate videos for years. They're almost always designed to push the "message" in the most unsubtle and unoriginal way imaginable. We try and avoid these full length promos as much as possible, but just this once we're going to capitulate and play a clip unedited, and in its entirety.

We're doing it because this trailer from Toyota is special, this one was filmed in high definition.

• Length: 01:22 
• Size: 30.7 MB 
• File: toyotatf109debut.mp4 
• Transcript: toyotatf109debut.pdf 
• Torrent: toyotatf109debut.torrent 

When Toyota Motorsport announced that the debut of their 2009 challenger would be accompanied by a blockbuster movie trailer, we may have laughed at the idea once or twice. After all, if you're going to bring Hollywood to Formula One you'd better do it right, but with this short film I think the team have delivered.

It may be the wrong side of cheesy, and the drivers clearly aren't missing their vocation in life, but what we have here is a team stepping up to the plate, and doing what the BBC either can't or wont do, and that is deliver F1 video in glorious 1080p widescreen.

If you're watching in your browser, make sure you hit fullscreen and turn that volume up!

BBC Pushing F1 at Every Opportunity

A most unlikely guest appeared on Jools Holland's annual New Year's Eve television show - none other than McLaren's very own Ron Dennis.

To call it a surprise is something of an understatement - our live reactions (in uppercase no less) when he appeared, tell you all you need to know. So what’s the deal? Was Ron invited to see in the new year on a popular music television show just because we now have a British Champion? Or is there more to it?

I was first made aware of the BBC’s desire to cross promote their newly acquired sporting rights last April, when Shaun pointed out Chris Molyes’ new found appreciation of motor racing. Is it a coincidence that F1 is linked with music on both television and the radio? Maybe it’s simply an attempt to target a younger audience.

More recently, the ever popular Top Gear Blog created their very own Formula One section, despite not having much reason to do so. While a video interview with Max featured heavily on the BBC News website, not so long ago.

No doubt this is great news for Formula 1. It needs all the promotional support it can get in the UK, where other sports currently dominate the majority of television bulletins and newspaper column inches. I do wonder though, if the BBC in part, aren’t having to increase the public’s perception of motorsport in order to prove it’s in the nations interest to spend large amounts of licence fee payers money to line Bernie’s pockets (or pay off CVC’s interest repayments, depending on which way you look at it).

There will, I’m sure, be increased amounts of media synergy coming from the Beeb in due course. Watch out for future appearances of Bernie on Cash in the Attic, Jean Todt in Grumpy Old Men and Nakajima on The Weakest Link.

Seriously though, we can’t knock the channel for plugging this wonderful sport. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more random appearances, and please let us know if you spot any F1 stars appearing on (or names being dropped into) other BBC shows any time soon. Also, we’d love to hear your suggestions for more famous Formula One faces paired with classic television shows. Heidfeld subbing for Rolf Harris on Animal Hospital maybe?

Daily: 26th December 2008

Boxing Day is traditional for sitting around, eating leftovers, and watching dodgy Xmas television. If you're near to your computer while all that is going on, then Sidepodcast.com is a brilliant place to hang out. Here are some of the things we've been discussing in the absence of F1 news:

• Shameless plug: The Sidepodcast Alternate Christmas Message is now available. A special tribute to a departing driver, with a well known story told a different way. It also spurred on the idea that I look like a Flump. Harrumph!
• We, as podcasters, tend to stick to all things online, and therefore have caused a debate over DVDs and CDs are comparable to mp3s and iTunes. Plus whether we prefer books or a Kindle.
• The above conversation started with the plethora of iPods given as gifts this Christmas. Let us know what you got, if you haven't already, especially if it will help you listen to Sidepodcast more often!
• Steven Roy found a DC quiz, so have a go and let us know your score. I got 3, which is pitiful, and I must do more research.

I've given up with the record for the latest posting of a Daily thread, my guess is that at some point this year, the post will go up minutes before the day runs out! Nevertheless, this one gives us plenty of time to chat, so I'll see you in the comments.