I have been watching SVB on the Sharks stream on YouTube and have really held my interest. 30 second timer that starts IMMEDIATELY, even after the break. One extension per rack of 10 seconds added to the time. I get the race isn’t as long but it still keeps it moving along And watchable.
I've never understood why they don't use a generic time bank like other games, such as chess. You can have a 30 sec/shot time limit (although something like 1 min after the break makes sense, otherwise you're getting into "speed-pool" territory). But then have a 30 sec - 1 min time bank that automatically starts if someone eclipses their 30 second limit for a shot, but the remainder carries over.
Doing so keep the games snappy, but also allows a player a few things
1) Doesn't have to be signaling to a ref and can stay focused on the table
2) Doesn't have to rush shots because he knows an extra 5 seconds won't hurt him
3) Doesn't feel limited and constrained to only one shot that takes a little extra thinking
4) Doesn't have to use a 30- (or, in this case, 10-) second extension just because they need, or just might need, an extra 1 second
Once their extra 30sec - 1 min of time is out then they just have a 30 sec limit per shot. Never a signal needed, no obnoxious loud beeping. Timer is visible and the player's responsibility to watch.
The Shane vs Chua match was a pain for me to watch because I felt I was watching speed pool, and with the timer set to beep at 10 sec it was starting almost every shot. I'm not sure if the player's could hear it, but from a spectator's perspective it was super annoying and I didn't want to hear that seemingly every other shot. And giving the players just a
little extra time sometimes results in some pretty impressive shots.