Thoughts on TAR

[UrackmIcrackm]

I did get an answer via PM and he was very kind and I now understand where he is coming from. I don't come from the same place he does but I am able to see why he feels the way he does and there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone is different.

BVal

Glad you got an actual answer.

 

[beav99_4life]

I would buy most of the ppv's if i was able to record them and watch them when I wanted, especially if they would have more 1 pocket matches. Every other kind of ppv in the world can be recorded and watched at the viewers convenience. TAR is only hurting themselves

I have no interest in the DVD's.

This entire statement only shows that you want something for free. The fee you pay for the streams is for the opportunity to watch the event live and for the chat room, which many people like as much as the matches themselves. By saying you want to record them to watch them when you want, but have no interest in the DVD's only means you don't want to pay. Its this mentality that just boggles my mind.

 

[MikeM]

I disagree Beav

This entire statement only shows that you want something for free. The fee you pay for the streams is for the opportunity to watch the event live and for the chat room, which many people like as much as the matches themselves. By saying you want to record them to watch them when you want, but have no interest in the DVD's only means you don't want to pay. Its this mentality that just boggles my mind.

As others have stated there are companies that will provide access to the "stream" after it is shown live for a certain period of time. I think this would be a great thing for TAR to offer at some point as well. You still pay for the stream, but have flexibility on when to watch. I buy most of the TAR ppvs and rarely see more than 50% of the match. It would be great if I could log in in the morning, as that is when I have the most available time, and be able to watch what I missed after I fell asleep.

For this match, I watched hockey and basketball on the TV with my laptop on the coffee table. Worked great.

TAR is still the best thing since sliced bread!!!

MM

 

[Road Warrior]

That is the first complaining I have heard about not being able to record it.
Also, as UrackemIcrackem pointed out. Your logic doesn't make much sense.

BVal

I see the original posters point about being able to record the stream and watch it at his own pace, the logic is spot on the money if you ask me, I've been waiting for the gabe owen tony chohan 1 pocket challenge match to come out on dvd ever since it happened. If they had had the option to purchase the stream as it was happening and also the option to buy it so you can watch it at your own pace (Say over a week period before you lose the option to see it) I would have seen it already and would have bought the dvd when it came out also (I love watching and rewatching great matches)

 

[BVal]

I see the original posters point about being able to record the stream and watch it at his own pace, the logic is spot on the money if you ask me, I've been waiting for the gabe owen tony chohan 1 pocket challenge match to come out on dvd ever since it happened. If they had had the option to purchase the stream as it was happening and also the option to buy it so you can watch it at your own pace (Say over a week period before you lose the option to see it) I would have seen it already and would have bought the dvd when it came out also (I love watching and rewatching great matches)

I talked with the Dr. via PM and I now have an understanding where he is coming from and see his point.

Thanks,

BVal

 

[JB Cases]

If you got a call from a buddy that Dennis Hatch & Darren Appleton were down at your local poolhall playing a match for $40,000...would you hang up & keep watching your NBA game--or--would you make tracks for the car keys? I know what I would do!

The way I look at it is TAR brings a hell of a product that everyone *says* they want, but as soon as they pipe it directly into your home for a modest fee...people kinda get weird about it. It's on too late, its on during the week, its hard on my Mac, its spread over 3 days?, its not free?,...blah, blah, blah.

I understand your point Mark, you like pro basketball and baseball more than pro pool. Nothing wrong with that. I'm just glad you bought the ppv, it keeps TAR in action for a while longer. I hope "longer" is many, many years!

Actually, the answer would be it depends on what is going on in my life as to whether I could just free up hours and days going to sweat a pool match. I have received that call in the past and had to pass because something more important was going on in my life.

The fact is that TAR puts on pool the way we all say is the best way to find out who the best player between two combatants is, long races spread out over multiple days. But in fact it's very very very difficult for anyone who works and has a family to sit down and view that format all the way through.

I have purchased several TAR broadcasts and I have never been able to watch every frame of every game due to time constraints, never mind the occasional connectivity issues that TAR can't do anything about. But even when I was in the USA and watching I couldn't devote 8 hours a day to watching pool.

As to whether the matches are scheduled against other programming. That is the least of TAR's concerns at this point. Pool players tend to want to get it on when they feel like it and TAR complies - it's LIVE and in REAL TIME. You want to watch something else then do it but live pool is right there for you so don't complain. You can tape the game.

On another note - I am glad to see that Morris and Bartram are coming up.

I really MISS the TAR announcements in the main forum. I can't stand having to go to 20 forums for news like this. Upcoming events should always get a thread in the main forum. If Dragon Promotions can make an announcement every time a player is thinking about possibly playing in an event that they hold then why can't TAR and others post a note in the main forum?

 

[JB Cases]

This entire statement only shows that you want something for free. The fee you pay for the streams is for the opportunity to watch the event live and for the chat room, which many people like as much as the matches themselves. By saying you want to record them to watch them when you want, but have no interest in the DVD's only means you don't want to pay. Its this mentality that just boggles my mind.

I don't entirely agree with this. I am one of those who would love to be able to get the stream at a later time when "I" have time. I do not buy DVDs of anything anymore because I can't stand to haul them around everywhere. I like the way Accu-Stats does it with the PPV on Demand.

I have purchased several matches this way and enjoyed them.

The word for wanting to watch tv content at the time that suits you is called "timeshifting" and it was born with the VCR and has become habit for anyone with a DVR like TIVO. People record their favorite tv shows, they watch video on the web, they even watch shows in short clips 10 minutes at a time as they are found on YouTube.

Not offering viewers that same experience is a little behind the times. It's obviously technically possible since Accu-Stats does it.

I am one of those people as well who always has technical problems getting the live stream. This applies to TAR and just about any other live streaming. Why? I don't know and have pretty much given up. But for some reason I can get pre-recorded streams pretty well. So for a customer like me having content-on-demand for a fee would increase the revenue for the content provider.

As for the ability to record a live stream. That exists right now so that's a moot point. It take ten minutes of googling to figure out how to do it. It's not illegal to record anything you want to for your own personal use i.e. viewing at a later time, so the ability to do it comes from each user and is not provided by the content provider.

The UFC doesn't send you a TIVO so you can record the PPV matches.

I can't record live streams because my bandwidth isn't consistent enough for them to stay connected or I would.

Anyway, that's my 2cts on the subject -

 

[Sweet Marissa]

It's the same thing watching tv or anything else you have the option of doing. Sometimes you're going to have to pick which one you'd rather watch. People complain about not enough pool being televised... well, TAR is one alternative. I'd rather watch pool than basketball myself

 

[JimS]

Well, yesterday I finally had a chance to purchase and watch a TAR ppv. It was fun for the most part, but I really don't see myself purchasing another match on a weeknight. Nothing to do with the quality, it was great. Except, it is during a weeknight where I love to watch NBA playoffs or MLB. I really just don't see myself turning down those games, which I watch for free (part of cable bill). Yesterday, I purchased the ppv just to see what it was like, and for the most part I was watching the NBA playoffs and switched over to TAR during commercials. I was just wondering if I was alone or whether more people fit in this case? I was thinking if the match was held during a weekend, it may get much more viewers. I know its tough enough organizing these events, and I may just be too picky.

I dont' know about it being picky. Seems to me you don't like pool as much as watchin the other stuff. So be it.

I'll take the pool over anything else anytime.

It's just the ole 'different strokes....' thing.

 

[Cornerman]

I was just wondering if I was alone or whether more people fit in this case? I was thinking if the match was held during a weekend, it may get much more viewers. I know its tough enough organizing these events, and I may just be too picky.

Although I question your reasoning (sports are on weekends, too) and your watching organization (I watched on my laptop while watching the Celtics) I agree with others that in the future of TAR, a delayed broadcast for purchase would be an excellent source of revenue while bringing the broadcast to more people. This leads to even further word-of-mouth advertising and then further revenue. However, this takes capital and a lot of bandwidth. So, if it can happen, it's not until the future.

I don't agree about the (easy) ability to record it as the DVD sales are part of their business model. For example, some of the PPV boxing matches out there on TV, what percentage of those (dollar-wise) will have DVD sales? Nearly zero, I think. What other PPV is out there that rely on DVD sales as well? Maybe there's a precedence, but I can't think of one at the moment.

Fred

 

[Thecoats]

DVD Sales are a big part of the business model and pool is one of the few sports that you can really learn a lot from watching matches over and over, especially one pocket and straight pool as they both have many nuances. Because pool is played in a static space, people of lesser skill (me) can learn a lot from watching skilled players on DVDs (Cliff, Shannon, Parica) because I can learn their one pocket moves. I could sit and watch continuous reruns of the Masters and the only areas I can probably learn anything applicable to my game from Tiger and Phil are in the short game. Because, I will hardly ever be playing the game from the same places off the tee and with the same irons on approach on the same golf courses.

All that being said, I do like the option to purchase two viewings of a match from Pat at Accu-stats and watch them whenever I want. But, having the option to watch the big matches on PPV while they happen is incredible.

-don

 

[JB Cases]

Although I question your reasoning (sports are on weekends, too) and your watching organization (I watched on my laptop while watching the Celtics) I agree with others that in the future of TAR, a delayed broadcast for purchase would be an excellent source of revenue while bringing the broadcast to more people. This leads to even further word-of-mouth advertising and then further revenue. However, this takes capital and a lot of bandwidth. So, if it can happen, it's not until the future.

I don't agree about the (easy) ability to record it as the DVD sales are part of their business model. For example, some of the PPV boxing matches out there on TV, what percentage of those (dollar-wise) will have DVD sales? Nearly zero, I think. What other PPV is out there that rely on DVD sales as well? Maybe there's a precedence, but I can't think of one at the moment.

Fred

Just like AccuStats you can buy the matches for limited viewing on the web or you can purchase them in DVD format. I still have a whole bunch - probably $500 or more in Accustats tapes and probably $300 in DVDs. I gave more than that away.

If I really wanted to own the TAR matches then I would buy them. But for me I just want to enjoy the match one time and preferably when I can watch it on my schedule.

Now this is my particular need and I know others have it as well.

As to the bandwidth requirement I don't think that this is really an issue as presumably whoever would be ordering the viewings would effectively be paying for the bandwidth.

Perhaps it's a storage issue as I can think that a match which lasts 30 hours is an awful lot of gigabytes. Maybe the answer there is to break it down into sections that are allowable and manageable by the content hosts.

Anyway, the new TAR broadcast looks SUPER!!! Two cameras, scoreboard - big action - the nuts!!!