It's fair to say that we at Sidepodcast like to stay ahead of the curve. Which is why, starting today, we're bringing you F1 videos filmed in high-definition (or HD if you prefer).

As far as we know, Sidepodcast TV is the very first F1 podcast to offer HD video content, and your starter for ten is the GPlive event we attended back in May. Because the resolution is big, it won't play on an iPod, but it looks fab on an AppleTV.

If you subscribe to our main feed you'll still get the standard resolution we've been delivering all year and this will still sync to your portable device, so no-worries there. To get hold of the HD goodness you'll be needing the video feed, as this is where all high-def video will appear in the future.

The future you say? Oh yes, today is just the start of the F1 television revolution, we have plans to release some brand new shows in glorious HD format, and you'll be seeing some of these appearing soon. Sadly we can't do anything about the race previews because we get given the 3D track footage in standard definition, and at the moment, that's out of our hands.

Getting technical

A couple of thoughts on the latest video - we recorded it a while ago, and it was our first proper outside broadcast (with microphones and stuff), and we've got a lot better since. Also the weather was slightly overcast and we didn't have any portable lighting gear, so occasionally the quality suffers. Finally, whilst we remembered to take the tripod this time, it wasn't a very professional one. I'm trying to convince Christine we need to invest in a set of sticks with a fluid cartridge (for some super smooth panning action), I don't fancy me chances though.

Quick geeky aside: The technically minded will have noticed that the download is formatted in 720p rather than the ideal 1080p. There is a pretty good reason for that - while our camera is perfectly capable of recording pictures in the 1080 pixel resolution, the lens that comes attached doesn't really make the best use of those extra pixels. We've extensively tested output in both formats and even on a gigantic television the difference is imperceptible. So unless someone convinces us otherwise, 720p is what we'll stick with for the time being.

Please do let us know your thoughts, ideas and criticisms, we're always listening. Heck, if nothing else, we're always trying!