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FanVision / Kangaroo TV (21 posts)

Topic tags: fanvision, Kangaroo TV

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sw6569 said 3 years ago:

Just found out that i’m going to silverstone! Really rather happy as despite being an F1 fan i’ve never had the chance to go. I’ve got tickets for all 3 days – so I was considering getting a Kangaroo Tv.

But…I don’t really know what they are, how I get one, what the point of getting one is etc! I’ve just heard about them without really knowing anything about them

So – what are they, and are they worth it?

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Mark Hitchcock said 3 years ago:

http://www.kangaroo.tv/

If I was going and they weren’t too expensive (dunno how much they are) then I’d get one. It can only improve the experience surely because you don’t miss any of the action.

edit: To answer your question as you what it actually is. I think (having never used one) that it is a mini tv with commentary from David Croft.

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nik said 3 years ago:

They are a must-have if you are at the race and can afford it. Multi camera angles, team radio etc. order on the site or at the track for 50EU or thereabouts (for the weekend)

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macahan said 3 years ago:

THat is a absolutely must have device if you can afford it and the race offers one. I had one in Hungary 08 and it was super great. You can select track video feed, onboard camera with select drivers, select TV commentator feed (BBC for example or German, french et al they didn’t have SpeedTV but was ok with BBC) as well enable team radio audio for the cars that have it on (most I want to recall but ferrari had it on then).
I brought my own audio splitter so more then one person could listen to the commentator and team radio communication. You have easy access to lap times, sector times and all that cool stats plus of course driver info, championship standings and all that.

In july I will get one while I’m at Silverstone no questions asked. Tried to book one online but because I’m US I have to jump through hopes for them to take my CC so I can reserve mine for pickup at the track (UK can get home delivery). It probably would last for all 3 days for us but you get a cloth bag with string and charger with the unit so you can charge it when you get back to your hotel and at end of the race on Sunday you turn it in (or be charged $$$).

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Macca said 3 years ago:

Great description macahan, the only thing I would add to that is it is great to have becuase you can hear the commentary all the time. If you just rely on the speakers around the track you will miss alot of the commentary as the cars scream past, but if you have a Kangaroo TV you want miss a thing.

As for the price, when I got mine at the Australian GP earlier this year it was AU$50 for the day, I don’t know if it’s cheaper if you pre order?

But what ever you do, have fun at Silverstone.

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ellybabes said 3 years ago:

After renting a Kangaroo at Monza last year, they are an absolute must. This is especially true of you’re going general admission – if a car crashes on the other side of the track you have no idea what happened, just that they’ve suddenly gone missing! Commentary at a lot of tracks is near impossible to hear due to the noise of the cars, and it’s usually in multiple languages, so you can miss a lot.

The headphones give you hearing protection too and it’s easy to hold and navigate around the different options. You can rent them for the day or the weekend and as was noted above, headphone splitters allow 2 people to share the same unit. The picture quality was excellent too.

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RedBullRacer said 3 years ago:

As everyone else has said, it’s definitely worth getting Kangaroo TV. I had one at Hungary last year and without it we’d have had no idea what was going on when Massa had his accident during qualifying. I ended up telling all the people around me what had happened because all they knew from the big screens was that he’d hit the wall, no one knew why or whether he was OK etc. So from the point of view of knowing what’s going on (because you have not only the trackside commentary, but BBC 5 Live commentary if you choose it) it’s really useful.
Also, as people have mentioned it allows you to see timing screens rather than the TV feed, which is really useful in practice and especially qualifying.
Other features (if you can be bothered to use them!) include a function where you can say who your favourite drivers/teams are, and then you’ll get updates about those drivers/teams. You also have the option of watching onboard camera footage and hearing team radio transmissions.
It really is a fantastic piece of kit and I would encourage anyone going to a GP to get one, for two reasons: firstly because it will enhance your experience, but secondly because Kangaroo TV is currently only available at about half the races, and the more customers they get the more likely they’ll be to go to all Grands Prix, which would be fantastic.

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nik said 3 years ago:

btw that little device that DC was holding on the BBC during the weekend was a Kangaroo TV

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Steven said 3 years ago:

I’ll have the money probably at Silverstone but I don’t think I will bother. My phone has inbuilt iPlayer so I can watch BBC1 live so I can follow the race FOR FREE without dishing out �45 for a Kangaroo and I can spend the money on souvenirs.

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sw6569 said 3 years ago:

so is it 50euros for the weekend or per day?

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LAK said 3 years ago:

Completely agree with all the comments above, it’s an absolute must indeed. It really enhances your race experience, the BBC 5Live commentary and Holly Samos with her inside info from the pits are great. Another thing that wasn’t mentioned is that they will need to take your credit card details as well as the amount they’ll charge you for the weekend (this is just incase you decide not to return the device then they will obviously charge you).

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Rachel said 3 years ago:

I’ve been looking into this too for Silverstone. It’s 50 euros for the weekend, but extra charges occur if the unit is lost, or returned late etc, so provided it is looked after then its just 50 euros.

Everyone I have spoke to who has been to a GP has said it was invaluable, and makes following the race 100 times easier. According to the website for 2010 you will be able to follow 4 onboard cameras at once, see lap comparisons, live timing, team radio, and of course follow the race as if you were watching on TV.

The only thing I’m slighlty worried about is that I will end up watching the Kangaroo TV more than I actually watch the cars, but I’m sure I can tear myself away from it :P

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sw6569 said 3 years ago:

for those that have had one before – do they sell out? or will i be able to pick one up on the day?

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Mark said 3 years ago:

I used one at Abu Dhabi and it was great…

What I found most useful was:

a) the commentary… at AD it featured the Radio Five Live commentary rather than the circuit commentary.

b) the live timing… with the KGTV I was able to spot Button gaining on Webber way before the people around me or the commentator had noticed… it made it even more exciting to see lap by lap how he was catching at 0.2 a lap and was going catch him around 1-2 laps from the end.

c) the onboard camera…. it was great seeing the cars come down the straight and to be able to select the onboard camera to see it from the car :)

If you can afford it then its well worthwhile.

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LAK said 3 years ago:

The Kangaroo TV twitter account tweeted this:

@KangarooTV_F1 #Canadian GP is over and its time to prepare for #Silverstone! Don’t miss out on 30% savings when you book online now! f1.kangaroo.tv

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