TV 8-BAll

unknownpro

unknownpro

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Does anybody else still have trouble watching 9-ball on tv because they can't tell which ball is which, or does everybody have a better tv than I do? With 8-ball it occurs to me it might be much easier to tell stripes from solids on tv, thus making it much easier to watch. Any thoughts on this, or on how to be sure 9-ball matches are shown in a way that you can actually see the balls?

unknownpro
 
unknownpro said:
Does anybody else still have trouble watching 9-ball on tv because they can't tell which ball is which, or does everybody have a better tv than I do? With 8-ball it occurs to me it might be much easier to tell stripes from solids on tv, thus making it much easier to watch. Any thoughts on this, or on how to be sure 9-ball matches are shown in a way that you can actually see the balls?

unknownpro
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Sounds logical but it has been so long since i saw a full set of balls on the table i dont know what the stripes will look like.

I do know that the 'TV Balls' were not much of an improvement. I think there are now 3 confusing balls instead of 2.

That reminds me- Sometimes i cant tell the Nine ball from the cue ball either so on second thought I'm not sure 8 ball will be any better on TV.
 
unknownpro said:
Does anybody else still have trouble watching 9-ball on tv because they can't tell which ball is which, or does everybody have a better tv than I do? With 8-ball it occurs to me it might be much easier to tell stripes from solids on tv, thus making it much easier to watch. Any thoughts on this, or on how to be sure 9-ball matches are shown in a way that you can actually see the balls?

unknownpro
Click to expand...

I never know what ball is next, I to need a better TV also. For 8 ball they have a sets of balls that are just two colors I thing yellow and red with a black 8 ball.
 
Contrasting balls should be used.

To solve this problem stripes should be made one color and solids should be made a contrasting color. Contrasting colors are the key in order for people to tell the difference in the ball layout. The numbers are not important in 8 ball, just the distinction between the two ball groups.

Even if this visual problem is worked out I think 8 ball will suck on T.V. The racks will be really fast and appear to be easy. I would much rather see one pocket but then again I know enough about pool to appreciate what is going on. I do not think Joe Sixpack will ever watch pool like the other mainstream sports. Pool is a players game.
 
unknownpro said:
Does anybody else still have trouble watching 9-ball on tv because they can't tell which ball is which, or does everybody have a better tv than I do?

unknownpro
Click to expand...
TV hell.... I was just at the open & with perfect vision, watching the matches live, I had trouble telling which ball was which. I found it very annoying.
 
I would like to see ball number 2 painted with lighter blue, like in snooker. That way you couldn't confuse it with 8. It was a mistake to paint number 4 with shocking pink. Can be confused with 5. Graphics on the bottom representing balls left helps somewhat, but sometimes I still can't tell balls apart even though I have very good vision.

It is much easier to follow snooker on tv. The only confusing ball is brown, but it is usually far away from the reds anyway.
 
unknownpro said:
Does anybody else still have trouble watching 9-ball on tv because they can't tell which ball is which, or does everybody have a better tv than I do? With 8-ball it occurs to me it might be much easier to tell stripes from solids on tv, thus making it much easier to watch. Any thoughts on this, or on how to be sure 9-ball matches are shown in a way that you can actually see the balls?

unknownpro
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Yes, it is a guessing game sometimes. Even with stripes and solids when the balls are on certain angles.

I liked what they did in English pool with yellows and reds and a black. It is much easier to pick out the balls and the patterns as both a viewer and a player.
 
Numbers are still needed on the balls even though they do not have to be played in rotation. They help when calling the ball that is being shot and to help lay out the run out. The different colors are also a help if the number is not visible.

Jimmy Reid shows a rack of balls that he said he pattened in his video. There were 2 groups of balls. Each group was one solid color. No numbers. I think one color was red, can't remember the other. He was using these balls for demonstration on how to runout in 8 ball. It was still confusing because it was hard to explain the run out without pointing to each ball becasue their was no way to identify them.
 
unknownpro said:
Does anybody else still have trouble watching 9-ball on tv because they can't tell which ball is which, or does everybody have a better tv than I do?

unknownpro
Click to expand...

I have a new Samsung HDTV and I still have trouble seeing them. The green cloth is off-color even. It's very frustrating. I think it has to do with my cable connection because other channels (HighDef) are fine.
 
i might be the only one here that see everything clear , it`s crystal clear on my tv ..

the only problem i did get is once they were playing a ESPN Classic math and from the Over head cam i couldn`t tell the difference between the 1 , 9 and CB !

But other then that everything else has been perfect ... Maybe some match i have on the computer are hard to tell but TV match are Perfect for me :P
 
yeah man for sure. I'm kind of color blind and have trouble the difference between the 3,6, and 7 when the colors don't come out well. The 2 and the 4 look a little funny too. When I was watching the us open on bcntv my friend had to tell me which balls were which :(

unknownpro said:
Does anybody else still have trouble watching 9-ball on tv because they can't tell which ball is which, or does everybody have a better tv than I do? With 8-ball it occurs to me it might be much easier to tell stripes from solids on tv, thus making it much easier to watch. Any thoughts on this, or on how to be sure 9-ball matches are shown in a way that you can actually see the balls?

unknownpro
Click to expand...
 
I have been watching 9 ball on tv for the past year since I had satelite installed and after watching snooker for almost 17 years 9 ball comes as a refreshing change, but to answer your question I don't find telling balls apart is a problem and my tv is pretty damn old!.
 
NaClBandit said:
I have a new Samsung HDTV and I still have trouble seeing them. The green cloth is off-color even. It's very frustrating. I think it has to do with my cable connection because other channels (HighDef) are fine.
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Damn, I figured HDTV would solve this problem.....Maybe it isn't the TV that's the problem, but instead the initial production techniques?

Jeff Livingston
 
chefjeff said:
Damn, I figured HDTV would solve this problem.....Maybe it isn't the TV that's the problem, but instead the initial production techniques?

Jeff Livingston
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Jeff, I don't think they broadcast in High Def. I only get 6 or 8 HD channels out of the X hundred digital ones. Sometimes they show the WPBA on ESPNHD but it's obviously not in HD. It must be the cameras or the film or something. Maybe someone knows a little more about the science behind it.
 
unknownpro said:
Does anybody else still have trouble watching 9-ball on tv because they can't tell which ball is which, or does everybody have a better tv than I do? With 8-ball it occurs to me it might be much easier to tell stripes from solids on tv, thus making it much easier to watch. Any thoughts on this, or on how to be sure 9-ball matches are shown in a way that you can actually see the balls?

unknownpro
Click to expand...

I've given up on trying to follow the runs. I ALWAYS get the next ball wrong. I wish they would overlay numbers on the screen when showing the overhead shots...
 
It doesn't help

having to watch different color of balls on TV than
what you are used to playing with.
 
unknownpro said:
Does anybody else still have trouble watching 9-ball on tv because they can't tell which ball is which, or does everybody have a better tv than I do? With 8-ball it occurs to me it might be much easier to tell stripes from solids on tv, thus making it much easier to watch. Any thoughts on this, or on how to be sure 9-ball matches are shown in a way that you can actually see the balls?

unknownpro
Click to expand...

UKP,
I have definite problems with 9-ball viewing. The exception was that New York tournament from Grand Central station (or maybe it was the skins game) televised on some channel other than ESPN. They used the top grade HD (high definition) cameras - the results on my 60" plasma were STUNNING - you could see the chalk marks on the 8 ball. Once HD is more widespread and the producers are using the high quality HD cameras (there are different grades) perhaps pool will be more popular - you feel like you are standing next to the table. The cameras used on ESPN for the WPBA tournaments are certainly inferior to those used on the program I described.
 
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