Fox Sports : Complaint about graphics during NFL live play !!!

[BC1978]

I was watching today's Giants / Cowboys game today and was disgusted with Fox Sports' decision to place a Huge computer generated message on the TV screen during live action play throughout the whole game.

The message I'm referring to displays the "down & yards to go" with very large text during actual play.

The message is extremely annoying and distracts the viewer from the game.

Anyone else see this during other Fox games today ?

I sent an email to Fox Sports to let them know how angry I am about it. If the graphics tick anyone else off, you can send Fox a message at the web address directly below :

http://msn.foxsports.com/feedback

[governsleastgovernsbest]

I didn't see that, but have been watching the LCS baseball series and absolutely hate the Fox coverage. They try way too hard to be modern and graphically cool, and all their little cuts and sounds are very annoying. Just give us the game and shut up please, Fox!

[Rokke]

I heard next week they are going to put a big "FOX SPORTS ALERT" banner across the bottom anytime any sports team anywhere in the world scores at least one point.

[Theresawithanh]

I watched that game, but don't remember the graphic. What I really hate are the times when you miss a play because the network has to go for a commercial break. Sometimes when they get back to the game one of the teams has kicked a field goal that you don't see, or it's a different down.

[not_apathetic_anymore]

Heck I've been annoyed with the intrusion of stuff on the screen for years...the crawl across the bottom, then the screen titles, then the logos, all the stuff takes up maybe 1/4 or 1/5th of the screen.

I've whined several times, but apparently they don't get enough complaints or the networks don't care are gonna do what they're gonna do.

[Fintan]

I was going to send Fox a strongly-worded letter myself but then I realized I had to alphabetize my sock drawer.

[somemoreequalthanothers]

I don't watch the NFC much, but the other network infuriates me with their ads for their (lameass) primetime programming IN BETWEEN PLAYS!

[TomGuy]

Maybe the FoxNews control room guy is moonlighting.

The FoxNews banner is ridiculous during live video. It covers up much of the bottom portion of the screen/video.

I've sent FoxNews dozens of complaints about it. Even some of their news readers (Brit, Tony S, Shep, Steve Doocey) have interrupted their reports to tell the control room to drop the banner so the full view of the video could be seen.

Yesterday, Fox&Friends was showing the video of NBC's Today boating fiasco report where the reporter, in a canoe, is seen paddling in 'deep' water. Then, two guys come into view, walking through the water -- which happens to be only about 4" deep. [Of course, FoxNews had their banner going, so it covered up much of the view of the guys' feet in the shallow water--and thus, lost the point of F&F even showing the video.]

[Sir_Ed]

I stop watching Fox whenever they start to civer breaking news, as they will fill up the entire bottom third of their screen with text and graphics.

CNN and MSNBC, on the other hand, have smaller graphics, and oftentimes they will turn off all the graphics except for the one-line crawl at the very bottom of the screen.

I started switching from Fox during the Gulf war, when they showed a tank battle on a bridge, and the commentator kept referring to the pitched battle, and all the viewer saw was puffs of smke rising from layer after layer of text and graphics put on the screen by Fox.

I switched to CNN and they were showing the same battle without the nottom-thrid graphics, and you could see the tanks and the bridge, in their entirety.

The same cycle's come true for the hurricane season...all of the helicopter shots, the remote cameras, all their footage, everything, was obscured by graphic after graphic piled on top of each other, obscuring the bottom third of the screen, and I'd switch over to CNN and see the same footage, only all of the scene, not just the top half or third.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why they think we want to see words and graphics instead of camera footage, but oh well, CNN and MSNBC still are showing much better views.

Ed

[texianyankee]

I was watching the Cowboys/Giants game, also. Did you happen to notice in the second half that Bledsoe threw the pass out-of-bounds & hit one of our cheerleaders right in her tush?

I was hacked that Fox Sports didnt replay that!

[ml/nj]

I was watching today's Giants / Cowboys game today and was disgusted with Fox Sports' decision to place a Huge computer generated message on the TV screen during live action play throughout the whole game.

WOW !

Do I ever agree with you!

I wonder whom all those graphics are for. They certainly don't need any motion in the graphics, and they don't need to cover half the screen with words.

Also, the camera that flies around is terrible. When I watch a game in the stands I'm watching from one perspective. My perspective is NEVER that of some bird. Showing three different views within two seconds of the snap is absurd. Alternate views should be used for replay only. These programs should be about the game and the players, not the director in the truck.

ML/NJ

[angkor]

all the stuff takes up maybe 1/4 or 1/5th of the screen.

I was watching a golf match recently and couldn't see the golf ball half the time because it was covered by a lower 1/4 screen of graphics.

Think about it... in golf, the ball is normally on the ground, not at the middle or the top of the screen.

[NCC-1701]

Man, this is a real hot button issue with me. As a Cowboys fan, I've been taping games since 1980. I can dip into the '80's games and thay contain virtually no graphics. I despise the use of on-screen graphics. I would love to have the ability to turn them on and off at will. Unfortunately, we, the viewing public, are not afforded that luxury. At one time, I measured all the onscreen station identifier logos and added them up. I have a 32" Toshiba and if all the logos were on screen at the same time, it would take up 79% of the viewable screen.
The last broadcaster to employ the use of an on-screen logo is NASA TV. I am so mad and disappointed about that. I pray that a chip based on the V-chip could be put in tv's, vcr's, and dvd recorders called the L-chip. The L standing for logo. I watched Princess Diana's funeral from Sky News. After the broadcast started, they dropped ALL on-screen graphics for the duration of the coverage, (some three and a half hours). That was nice. So, in short, I hate any and all view-obstructing on-screen graphics.

I did, however, approve of the outcome of the Dallas game.

[Mr. Noodle]

If you "score", how is it possible that you DONT score "at least one point". Sorry, that just sounded redundant.

:)

[Mr. Noodle]

I've long been annoyed by all the flashy "reflections" and other such graphic innovations. Have TV networks become that desparate that they have to resort to flashy and zippy graphics for basic information just to get and keep viewers.

Since we have the internet, we don't NEED all the other games scores put up on the tV all the time. I can get full play by play just going to nfl.com. But maybe thats just me.

[Mr. Noodle]

I occassionally look to ESPN scrolling message on the bottom of the screen when I want an update (I mostly just go online). I hate it when they take the scrolling message off during commercials. I think they keep them on sometimes, though.

Same thing with the news channel.s

[Rokke]

"If you "score", how is it possible that you DONT score "at least one point". Sorry, that just sounded redundant."

In some regions of Tibet, goatball scores are accumulated half a point at a time. I didn't want to offend the "Free Tibet" crowd.

[Mr. Noodle]

Liberal!

:)

[NCC-1701]

"...Did you happen to notice in the second half that Bledsoe threw the pass out-of-bounds & hit one of our cheerleaders right in her tush?..."

I saw that, too, and have offered my help to do whatever it takes to make it better.

[RabidBartender]

I know it is fickle, since 20 years ago we didn't have any of this stuff, but...

Fox's MLB graphics tick me off, particularly since I am spoiled by ESPN's baseball coverage. Whenever they come back from a commercial, they will not show the score or inning until the first pitch is on it's way to home plate. Like I said, fickle, but hey, I want the score NOW!

Also, if you want to see the speed of the pitch, it is important you do not watch the pitch. You must intently focus on the upper right part of the screen to see the speed. If you watch the pitch and immediately look to the upper right, it is too late. They are already showing the pitch count. ESPN does the same thing, but they give you a second or two to see the pitch speed.

As for football, I really like how CBS has a little window open up showing the game stats of the person who just made a play after each snap. Kind of cool for stat nuts and fantasy footballers. On Fox, sometimes you have to wait until right before the snap before they flash the down and yardage at the top.

I think maybe the guys running the sports graphics at Fox aren't really sports fans, while the guys at ESPN and CBS are.