The Virgin Media Television thread

JDxtra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120490576#Comment_120490576

Nothing can be improved here - it’s down to the stream they are providing. it is better than Soarview of course though!

The Man City match this evening is streaming on VM2 and BT Sport (Now TV). Using the same TV and devices, the BT stream is definitely superior - sharper and smoother with no dropped frames.

JDxtra

I also have access to the Virgin TV Anywhere app. I casted the game on VM2 to the TV and that is perfectly fine, equivalent in quality to the BT stream.

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120497153#Comment_120497153

I'm seeing less clarity on BT Now during wide tracking shots, with framing artefacts of the background as it moves by, or rather jerks by. That effect is present also on VM player, but more clarity on the tracked players.

On medium and close shots there's little to choose from, though on BT I'm seeing some 'haloing' pixelation of the fringe pitch background to a moving player, minor sparklies of green. VM seems more filtered on these shots, a more smoothed out though less sharp green background. I've not noticed any dropped frames on my VM, maybe I've got a less contentious connect to the VM stream.

At the end of the day, I prefer the native commentary of the VM lads, better by far than the blokey brit accents. Post match I'd much rather listen to Richard and Brian in studio.

iseegirls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120497121#Comment_120497121

I think it can be obvious at times that they aren't there. There is never any reference to anything that is not happening on the main screen. There could be times when they state it's a corner, and then we're showed a replay, and then when it's returned to the live play, the keeper has it for a goal-kick. And they don't even bother correcting themselves.

Also never a reference that there are subs getting ready - unless clearly shown on camera. At least with RTE the other night, you know they are there - due to the fact they talk about being in that atmosphere, looking down at the two managers, seeing subs getting ready, viewing things that aren't evident on the camera.

Virgin Media also swap so many of the co-comms around on euro qualifier nights. Brian Kerr, Dunne would be in the studio one night, and then doing co-comms the next night. No way they are flying them out to the Spain, France, Portugal games.

RoTelly

VMTV FOUR going to Sky on Apr 27

https://cleanfeed.thetvroom.com/17538/news/virgin-media-four-launching-on-sky-ireland/

zeebre12

At the end of How to Buy a Home it says it was funded by the licence fee. Does Virgin receive funding from the licence fee for some programs or how does it work?

icdg

The Media Commission distributes a portion of license fee finding through the Sound and Vision scheme, VMTV can apply like anyone else.

iseegirls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120508849#Comment_120508849

Launching on Thursday, and it's big ticket item is the UEFA Youth League final match, which is in fact on today (live on VM More)

Dodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120499617#Comment_120499617

Neither Irish commentary team were in stadium this week. RTE might have talked about atmosphere but they were spoofing

Virgin have never sent commentators to the games. RTE have severely cut back. For the last World Cup, for example, they had 2 crews on site and used 6 different commentators

deezell

If that's the case I can only assume they are using the multi camera feeds that are part of modern ob distribution, and the commentary pair are sitting in front of a bank of monitors, possibly with a 4K feed of a fixed overview, which would give some kind of stadium feel to watching and commentary. Certainly in analogue days with a single match feed, it would be extremely difficult to spoof the action on the pitch if you were only getting the same view as the viewer. I can't believe costs are so tight that they wouldn't fork out for a pair of mostly day return flights. With VM doing 4 matches some nights, they're obviously not covering everything themselves.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120512960#Comment_120512960

CnaM (Coimisiún na Meán) run the sound and vision fund which is funded through the license fee, FTA broadcasters and community broadcasters have access to it. From social media it looked like a purely BoI funding programme. Was their a heavy amount of BoI lead content within the show itself?

s&v fund was established in the late 2000s.

https://www.cnam.ie/sound-vision-broadcasting-funding-scheme-round-49-open/

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120514270#Comment_120514270

RTE was Chelsea v Real wasn't it? Ray Houghton was cc so either they paid for a flight/accommodation for Houghton to get to Dublin to work off a bank of screens, or else paid for the main commentator to go to London.

Assuming both of those options are roughly the same cost, then it seems likely to me that both were at Stamford Bridge.

Brock Turnpike

VM1 randomly showing highlights of the Wells Fargo golf championship tonight. Is this a one off or have they announced they will be showing good highlights on the regular?

icdg

its a regular thing apparently, started last week with the Mexico Open.

https://twitter.com/virginmedia_tv/status/1652394822525931520?s=46&t=fR3aq5_Tiburuz2NuiBouQ

RoTelly

The GAA GO controversy kind puts VMTV/TV3 and their business model into the light, I think we all suspected as much here.

VMTV were clear that their model was not to acquire rights but rather to acquire ‘ready to go’ packages ie productions which don’t require outside broadcast set-ups for live match coverage.

https://www.gaa.ie/news/gaa-corrects-record-on-vmtv-statement/

iseegirls

Virgin Media announcing 5 more live League Of Ireland games for the rest of the season today.

You'd wonder how live games are chosen. Do they just take ones which RTE don't show, as I presume they have first choice?

Brock Turnpike

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581239#Comment_120581239

Well RTE have very few LOI games so there's plenty for VM to choose from. As with the post about GAAGO by RoTelly, I expect VM will just reuse the LOITV production as opposed to doing an OB (same as what they done for the first LOI game they showed). The bare minimum.

icdg

That’s an odd arrangement though? Means the not-exactly-flush-with-cash League of Ireland is basically subsidising the broadcast by VMTV of their games? Works out well for VMTV but can’t see what’s in it for the League though. Who is their production partner on LOITV? They dumped the former GAAGO operated service, WatchLOI a few years back.

The fact that they’d have to do host broadcaster duties didn’t stop them acquiring Six Nations rights, though I appreciate not doing host broadcaster makes things a great deal cheaper for them.

Dodge

LOI TV has differing local producers for each team. The same company does all Dublin clubs but its name escapes me now. For the first game Virgin added a drone camera and “scaled up” the cameras apparently.

RTE is contracted for 18 games per season but effectively abandons the LOI during peak GAA season. Initially the LOI approached Virgin to cover the Bohs/Rovers game as a) RTe were showing rugby and b) they got stick last year when the same game wasn’t on TV

Clearly Virgin are happy to have relatively cheap content (no rights, no outside broadcast) and the league is happy with the exposure (games promotors throughout the Virgin network of programmes, social media). Most LOI TV watchers have season passes so what they’ll lost out on individual match passes is covered by the extra exposure

lgs 4

I have said this many times before .The new broadcasting authority should give Virgin media an ultimatum go HD with all there channels . Or suffer heavy financial penalties or have there broadcasting licenses being revoked .

Get tough.

icdg

Even with the new changes, the same split still remains. The Media Commission have responsibility for content, Comreg have responsibility for standards. The Media Commission have no jurisdiction over what standards VMTV use to broadcast. Comreg are required to grant the Media Commission a license for VMTV’s channels.

Mickey Mike

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120585354#Comment_120585354

Absolutely 100% correct, its awful in this day and age that we are looking at matches for instances in 70s and 80s style definition, they too must surely think its sh1t. Its amazing to think there's no one to tattle this area.

deezell

The only few times I viewed LoI streams a good while back, they were far worse than VM Saorview quality, so if this is what VM are using, it won't be degraded any worse. If, otoh, they have subbed the local producers proper HD cameras and links, then it will be as good as any VM ob can be on Saorview, and should be in HD on VM player, as was the West Ham Conference League semi final first leg last night. David Moyes' repressed anguish looks much better in HD, even after the final whistle when they won 2-1.

lertsnim

The last LOI game Virgin showed looked fine.

deezell

I'll tune in (or stream in?) to Shels and Pats next Friday, Duffer is always good value on the sideline, the Pats crowd super noisy in the shed, so a good atmosphere. As important as the football itself.

Dodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120586177#Comment_120586177

Yeah. Absolutely no issues with it at all (in HD)

thesultan

Virgin's Wong do outside broadcast hence they won't do the GAA

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611000#Comment_120611000

??

iseegirls

Interesting to see the figures for the 1st League Of Ireland game wasn't groundbreaking, but good to see them airing more matches

VM2 - April 2023

185,000 UEL: Sevilla v Man Utd

171,000 UCL: Manchester City v Bayern Munich

167,000 UCL: Real Madrid v Chelsea

125,000 UEL: Manchester Utd v Sevilla

58,000 Womens6N: Scotland v Ireland

43,200 UECL: Gent v West Ham

42,400 LOI: Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120616100#Comment_120616100

Similar kind of audience to what RTÉ2 was getting for LoI.