17-days of euphoric patriotism...was it worth it?

[idunno]

I thought CTV did an amazing job of olympic coverage and definitely brought them up to par with CBC's apparent level. I do think that CTV will have better ratings in the long run because of it. What I did watch of NBC was amazing too - so many panorama shots and great detail - overall great (north american) tv sponsors

[ozonemania]

Originally Posted by idunno

I thought CTV did an amazing job of olympic coverage and definitely brought them up to par with CBC's apparent level. I do think that CTV will have better ratings in the long run because of it. What I did watch of NBC was amazing too - so many panorama shots and great detail - overall great (north american) tv sponsors

No way putting down CTVs work on these games, they were very good.

But I think CBC would have been able to do some pretty amazing things with these games, in terms of coverage, scope and quality. I've always thought that CBC could have surpassed CTV if given the opportunity, but that we will never know.

I feel bad for the local CBC crew on having to report from the sidelines... but that does not excuse some of the sourpuss journalism I have chanced to observe from them.

[ozonemania]

Originally Posted by cabotp

Question to everyone.

If before the start of the games someone had shown you a picture of how people were reacting during the games and towards the end. Would you have believed it?

I would not have believed it. Not for a second. I was quite worried about it. I can't really recall much in the media being very positive on the outlook of the games. It was pretty gloomy and leaning on the negative. Most people I think were hopeful but it is (was?) the Canadian way to feign apathy.

In my circle of friends and family, I was surprised by the number of people that claimed to not like or not care about the Olympics. I didn't share that feeling... but I always have known that I'm a dreamer so I accepted that my view may not really reflect the reality of it.

Of course this has all changed. My first whiff of this change was when the Olympic torch entered the city. I still find this very weird, on how much impact that thing had.

Comparing the before and after snapshots of this city, this country... it's quite amazing really.

[Prometheus]

I thought CTV did a great job too. However, with respect to all their figure skating coverage, the sound quality of the performance music was outrageously horrible. You could barely hear it! It was like listening to a distant echo in mono. NBC, by contrast, seemed to patch the music directly into their broadcast, allowing the viewer to listen to the music in all its auditory, surround-sound, stereophonic richness.

[Yume-sama]

CTV did an EXCELLENT job. Absolutely 100% first class. CBC is making itself more and more irrelevant.

I enjoyed the major F.U to CBC when the orchestra played the old Hockey Night in Canada theme that they let go (and CTV bought), during the Closing Ceremony.

Talk about a low blow.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I thought CTV did a great job too. However, with respect to all their figure skating coverage, the sound quality of the performance music was outrageously horrible. You could barely hear it! It was like listening to a distant echo in mono. NBC, by contrast, seemed to patch the music directly into their broadcast, allowing the viewer to listen to the music in all its auditory, surround-sound, stereophonic richness.

I found a similar issue with the sound in Canada Hockey Place. The announcers would talk about how loud it was (and friends said the same) yet you didn't really get that impression compared to the average Canucks game on Sportsnet. Too bad.

[Yume-sama]

Canucks games aren't loud at all. Even the Flames are louder, and the Saddledome is often compared to a library.

My ears were literally ringing after each Canada game, and I had to take some tylenol after the Gold Medal game. I heard something rumbling and thought the roof was gonna fall lol

Keep in mind that all of the equipment is that of the OBS (Olympic Broadcasting Service) and not the equipment of CTV, etc. Every Country gets the same feed. Perhaps their sound is... different.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

Canucks games aren't loud at all. Even the Flames are louder, and the Saddledome is often compared to a library.

My ears were literally ringing after each Canada game, and I had to take some tylenol after the Gold Medal game. I heard something rumbling and thought the roof was gonna fall lol

Keep in mind that all of the equipment is that of the OBS (Olympic Broadcasting Service) and not the equipment of CTV, etc. Every Country gets the same feed. Perhaps their sound is... different.

Actually, CTV and NBC were allowed to bring in their own cameras to broadcast the events. CTV, paying a large amount for the host nation of just 33-million, and NBC always brings in its own cameras because it pays a gazillion for the rights.

[Yume-sama]

Well, I didn't see anybody aside from still photographers who were wearing anything but an OBS jacket, or cameras that had anything but an OBS logo on them.

The only TSN / RDS cameras I saw were in their broadcast booths.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

Well, I didn't see anybody aside from still photographers who were wearing anything but an OBS jacket, or cameras that had anything but an OBS logo on them.

The only TSN / RDS cameras I saw were in their broadcast booths.

Oh trust me, they were there. There weren't many, but they were there.

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by mr.x

Oh trust me, they were there. There weren't many, but they were there.

I loved the presence of the TSN/Sportsnet panel six rows up from behind the goalie. I was right behind them for one of the games and it added some really great atmosphere and excitement. (they were mingling with the crowd, signing autographs, etc).

What I didn't like was the hashing out of all the old Canucks game songs, horns, etc. This is Olympics hockey, not an NHL game, and it should have been treated as such.

The Olympics does not need packaged noises and crappy music to enhance the "fan experience". The crowd more than sufficed, thank you very much.

[twoNeurons]

It's mix of cameras. There are some feeds which are pushed out to all stations. For example, during speed skating, there is only one Rail Cam. The Event Cameras were all general use cameras. However, each Network also had their own camera as well. That way, when an American a Czech and a Canadian all finish on the podium, each network can interview their respective country's athletes.

That's why when Jenn Heil won the Silver, we didn't get an interview of the American gold medal winner.

However, for fixed cameras, they were all general feeds.

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

It's mix of cameras. There are some feeds which are pushed out to all stations. For example, during speed skating, there is only one Rail Cam. The Event Cameras were all general use cameras. However, each Network also had their own camera as well. That way, when an American a Czech and a Canadian all finish on the podium, each network can interview their respective country's athletes.

That's why when Jenn Heil won the Silver, we didn't get an interview of the American gold medal winner.

However, for fixed cameras, they were all general feeds.

Apparently the Korean Olympics committee filed an official complaint against the Olympics broadcasting service for aiming their cameras too much on the Japanese speedskaters, and not enough on the Korean. So you can see how this can be contentious.

By the way, I agree with everyone here that CTV kicked ass and Brian Williams was beyond superb. What a show he put on every freakin' day.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by mr.x

I echo all of your comments. FU to all of these people and media.



With regards to Global BC, they are worried that CTV Vancouver's exposure to everyone in Vancouver will steal the Vancouver media market from them...and Global BC dominates the Vancouver market. That's one of the reasons why they've been reporting the Games in such a negative and cynical manner.

The same can be also said for CBC Vancouver, they don't want to lose even more of their viewership to other local stations. But above all, CBC Vancouver is quite bitter that they're not broadcasting the Games.

Did anyone notice CityTV was missing ANY live & on-the-street Olympic coverage (except for 'Olympic updates' during commercial breaks and Breakfast TV). That's what you get when you gut all the local live shows and import your 'international news' and 'local news' shows from Toronto on tape-delay. I'm using one hand to count down the years left before CityTV has no more on-air people in Vancouver and it becomes a local repeater of Toronto's CityTV.

Does anyone even notice CityTV anymore?

[Rusty Gull]

CityTV is sinking so fast it's not funny.

I am interested to see if CTV can pick up some better numbers post-Olympics. Back in the Tony Parsons days, Global used to just kill CTV for news viewership, but I for one (and I'm not alone) have not watched the News Hour for...well... over two weeks now.

No Tony, and more importantly No Olympics, but have been a bitter pill to swallow for both CBC AND Global.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

Apparently the Korean Olympics committee filed an official complaint against the Olympics broadcasting service for aiming their cameras too much on the Japanese speedskaters, and not enough on the Korean. So you can see how this can be contentious.

By the way, I agree with everyone here that CTV kicked ass and Brian Williams was beyond superb. What a show he put on every freakin' day.

I saw the 'meeting of the Brians' segment when Brian (CTV) Williams met Brian (NBC) Williams for the first time. It was funny seeing Brian (NBC) Williams do the intro after a CTV commercial break (because Brian (CTV) Williams was 'late to the set'), and then later Brian (CTV) Williams do the opening for the NBC News. Of course, none of this was live-to-air, but it let the two anchors sharing the same name have fun with each other.

[ryanmaccdn]

NBC had far better coverage of the games..... hands down I would have watched their version time and time again. The only thing that held me back to CTV was the Canadian info/push obviously.

Again and again the US ads were top par (VISA,MCD's).... although I did enjoy the BC Be here now promo's and that quirky Bombardier one most others were inconsistent.

Not sure why but watching NBC HD seems to be more HD then CTV HD.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

Apparently the Korean Olympics committee filed an official complaint against the Olympics broadcasting service for aiming their cameras too much on the Japanese speedskaters, and not enough on the Korean. So you can see how this can be contentious.

By the way, I agree with everyone here that CTV kicked ass and Brian Williams was beyond superb. What a show he put on every freakin' day.

On the subject of Korea, I heard there were death threats made against a referee for disqualifying a Korean short track athlete.


And NBC's coverage was terrible...for one thing, they show events 4-HOURS after it happened. wtf.

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

Keep in mind that all of the equipment is that of the OBS (Olympic Broadcasting Service) and not the equipment of CTV, etc. Every Country gets the same feed. Perhaps their sound is... different.

That cannot be right. During the entire Games I was constantly switching between NBC and CTV. Although some camera feeds were shared, many were not. NBC and CTV were often broadcasting from their own unique camera angles, and the difference between their respective audio mixes was very stark.

[Yume-sama]

Well, ok, maybe for every *other* Country. I never actually got the chance to watch any of the hockey on TV, because I was at them