United States disc golf championships

[txmxer]

The tournament delivered; Kyle Klein had a great round made the strong push, Wysocki was right there until the end, McBeth stood up when he needed to, you had a playoff...if this was a decade ago and we had watched dots all afternoon, all we would be talking about would be what a great finish it was.

So what the USDGC guys know how to do, they did and did well.

The problem was the technology. The technology let us down. So you had a tournament that totally 100% delivered, and we are here wondering "What was going on with Klein's score on UDisc?" "What happened to the feed?" None of which the USDGC guys probably can answer because that's not what they do. But you can see the problem; we are not talking about the great finish. That's a shame; the event had a great finish.

It just seems like there is going to have to be a really significant investment in improvement to the technology that failed; you can't afford for that stuff not to work. It not working has overshadowed everything else that went right, and a lot went right.

The players have delivered over and over this year. For the most part, DGN and the post-production teams have delivered great content.

Going forward, DGN obviously needs to fix whatever happened yesterday and they need to figure out how to address the remote areas where they couldn't broadcast from.

 

[Three Putt]

You're right, the tournament was disc golf porn for sure. But the stream providers missed the money shot.

But you gotta know if you are Harold Duvall that this has to hurt. Everything he knows how to do worked and worked as well as he could have hoped. DGN left him hanging, and DGN's failure seems to be all we are talking about.

Usually by this point we would be off to course changes we liked or didn't like and things like that; things that could be constructive toward improving the event. We are not talking about any of the holes. We are talking about DGN not delivering.

It's gotta stink for the USDGC crew.

 

[teemkey]

But you gotta know if you are Harold Duvall that this has to hurt. Everything he knows how to do worked and worked as well as he could have hoped. DGN left him hanging, and DGN's failure seems to be all we are talking about.

Usually by this point we would be off to course changes we liked or didn't like and things like that; things that could be constructive toward improving the event. We are not talking about any of the holes. We are talking about DGN not delivering.

It's gotta stink for the USDGC crew.

I understand. However because of the reduction in viewers because of the paywall, a lot of potential audience simply didn't see how the course played. Hence the only posters able to comment on the course design are either spectators or stream viewers. And we're seeing is what stood out to them.

 

[Three Putt]

I understand. However because of the reduction in viewers because of the paywall, a lot of potential audience simply didn't see how the course played. Hence the only posters able to comment on the course design are either spectators or stream viewers. And we're seeing is what stood out to them.

I 100% agree with that, which is why investing in the technology to make sure it doesn't happen again is really to only takeaway we have this year.

 

[teemkey]

I 100% agree with that, which is why investing in the technology to make sure it doesn't happen again is really to only takeaway we have this year.

And DGN should apologize and ASAP release post production video, rather than the surly response posted above.

 

[dehaas]

I think if people knew there would be post production today the reaction after the live feed issues yesterday wouldn't have been as severe?

 

[txmxer]

Received today around noon.

USDGC PPV Viewers,

Thank you for purchasing the USDGC coverage package. We're writing to apologize for two technical issues with the USDGC Final Round live stream that occurred on Saturday, October 9. We are disappointed that, as a result, some viewers missed crucial moments of the action and we want to address those issues with you head on. The two issues were distinct, and we have been working since to determine what happened. Here's what we know, and what our plan is to address it.

First, there was a widespread internet outage in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area that affected the control room of our DGN studios headquartered there early in the round. This caused the team on the ground in Rock Hill to lose connection with the control room from just before the lead card played Hole 3 until the lead card was on the green of Hole 4. This outage may have affected some viewers longer depending on which app you were streaming from, as the apps had to reboot and restart the live stream.

Second, later in the round there was a spike in viewership that, as we currently understand it, triggered our livestream vendor to restrict viewership levels of the stream, as they've reported to us. This issue is harder to diagnose and was unfortunately out of our control as it was happening. Our vendor, Vimeo, provides the content delivery network (CDN) that formats and delivers our video for streaming across all apps and platforms. They are reporting that the issue at the end of the round stemmed from an automated system response meant to protect the broadcast from an attack triggered by the spike in viewership, subsequently stopping the stream for some viewers. We will know more soon. We have heard varying reports of the length of time before viewers were able to find the stream again - from refreshing and reconnecting immediately, to not being able to connect until after the finish, to seeing the finish in its entirety, uninterrupted. While some viewers were not affected, we are extremely disappointed and frustrated that the issue affected any of you because we know these were crucial moments of the event that you were not able to view live.

That's what we know. Here's what we've done so far, and what we will continue to do.

As soon as we were aware of the issue, we worked to make the content available. We immediately worked to restream the final holes for viewers that had issues, and posted the full round replay last night as soon as it had transcoded, to allow for a rewatch. The shot-by-shot post production video will also be posted today and because the footage was recorded on the cameras, will be unaffected by the outages. You can find all of this content under the PPV package that you've already purchased, and it will continue to be exclusive to you for the 30-day window as promised.

Fan Pass Customers click here
Gold Pass Customers click here

We are working quickly and intently to understand more about this issue in order to mitigate the chances of a similar result in the future, address the problem with our livestream partner, and rebuild trust for all customers in the DGN product. We're also working to improve our redundancy systems to ensure that viewers are more insulated from any outages or issues stemming from the Milwaukee studio. In the meantime, I want to let you know that, if you were affected, we will make it right.

We are gathering data that allows us to identify accounts that saw issues during the final holes and playoff. Therefore, please email [email protected] so we can understand and verify the issues of your viewing experience. I will personally make sure our team resolves each case and that we do all we can to find a solution that restores trust in our team and company.

I understand the specific frustration that some viewers have expressed about having these issues with a PPV event. We've delivered over 30 live events this season without an issue of this nature, and without PPV. As you may know, covering this event required us to use the PPV system. We invested those funds into the broadcast, but entirely understand why it feels extra frustrating to see stream issues with a PPV broadcast.

Our team worked incredibly hard to deliver the highest level of live disc golf content we ever have with the USDGC. We invested heavily in this product, bringing together the biggest live media team (40 total people, 32 on site, 8 off site) that we've ever utilized. We had two control rooms, we delivered over 60 individual videos of content and a bonus live stream. We've provided next day post-production videos and an array of talented commentators throughout the week to help share the experience with you.

While we are very proud of this content, which is all available in the USDGC PPV collections, we are frustrated with, and sorry about, the issues regarding live delivery. We look forward to hearing from you, helping to make this right, and I hope you return to watch live disc golf with us again in the future.

Best,


Jeff Spring
DGPT & DGN CEO

 

[Three Putt]

Back in the good 'ol days when I used to know who disc golfers were, I wouldn't be too worried about this. Remember the Grip rollout? They missed deadlines, stopped returning emails and basically looked like a scam for months. Then they popped up with a bag that had defects, but they did fill the preorders. Then they fixed the bag and now nobody remembers the bumpy Grip rollout. Disc golfers are so easy-going that an epic screw-up of a product rollout was forgotten basically overnight. With the old disc golf crowd, this would blow over. We all seemed to understand that the bumpy ride was a feature, not a bug.

I'm not sure who disc golfers are anymore, though.

 

[gammaxgoblin]

So where is all the awesome footage from the great post production teams? Are you gonna tell me I cant watch that either?

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I'm sorry for all those whose coverage went down. It was certainly not how we wanted to finish the Championship on our end, and I can clearly read the frustration and disappointment on your end out there. We experienced this problem before, and we did a heck of a lot of testing ahead of the Championship to try to prevent it. I know the team on the ground here was busting their butts to try to make a great save. I feel proud about the performance of the crew, Andrew's course set up, the amazing play in the Arena by the women and the open, and our partners at DGN, and yet this finishing bogey is hard to swallow. We already have some ideas to make the 24th USDGC better, and fortunately we have 51 weeks to make it happen. Again, I am sorry that this very important part of the USDGC did not deliver fully. Please keep the comments coming. I read and consider all of them ~ Harold Duvall

Thank you for coming here to acknowledge and respond. :clap:
Trust me when I say that sort of thing doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

You're right, the tournament was disc golf porn for sure. But the stream providers missed the money shot.

I hate to say so, but... that's really a great analogy.

 

[paulw]

posted the full round replay last night as soon as it had transcoded

 

[paulw]

oops . .. . just thought "posted the full round replay last night as soon as it had transcoded" transcoded was cool, probably just me.

 

[txmxer]

So where is all the awesome footage from the great post production teams? Are you gonna tell me I cant watch that either?

Yep.

 

[F.Luke]

Oh BooHoo! I can't watch DeeGee on my TeeVee!

 

[Flick Maniac]

And DGN should apologize and ASAP release post production video, rather than the surly response posted above.

Surely you arent referreing to this? Did someone really think it wasnt made up? (Well in my emotional state i did, for a tenth of a second)

Official statement: "We apologize to the handful of viewers who lost video coverage for a few seconds during the tournament. We will be raising the viewing fee to $30 in 2022. Thank you for your support."

So far, Mr. Duvalls post, and the actual post by the DGN people have been appropriate. However, all the investigations and preparations for the future yada yada, interest me not. I want to know is there a refund, or something extra given as a substitute for a refund.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

I'm in the camp of people who don't have the time or attention span to sit sedentarily for 3 or more hours watching other people wearing pajamas chase each other and a projectile around while drunk people yell at them from the stands. I thank the Ford family and their abominable Detroit Lions for helping me realize over the years that watching football, and eventually baseball too, is a waste of time, something better suited for a century in our rear-view mirrors.

Give me the nice post-produced content that we've come to expect from Jomez any day. A half hour for half a round is perfect, and I'm pretty good at avoiding spoilers for a day or two. I can sneak in a video whenever I want. The USDGC wants me to pay $20 to watch how many hours of this live, where you sometimes can't tell if a drive is good or not on this bland course, and to boot, it has many technical issues and can be unwatchable at times? I've got a job and kids and stuff to do! Power to you if it's your thing, but there's no way I'm going to ever pay and sit for this.

 

[uncle pennybags]

So if mobile bandwidth is a problem at a place like this, have they ever looked at mobile cell sites? Cell on Wheels or Rapid Deployment units? I don't know the costs involved and it's probably overkill for something like a disc golf tournament, but the technology does exist.

 

[txmxer]

I'm in the camp of people who don't have the time or attention span to sit sedentarily for 3 or more hours watching other people wearing pajamas chase each other and a projectile around while drunk people yell at them from the stands. I thank the Ford family and their abominable Detroit Lions for helping me realize over the years that watching football, and eventually baseball too, is a waste of time, something better suited for a century in our rear-view mirrors.

Give me the nice post-produced content that we've come to expect from Jomez any day. A half hour for half a round is perfect, and I'm pretty good at avoiding spoilers for a day or two. I can sneak in a video whenever I want. The USDGC wants me to pay $20 to watch how many hours of this live, where you sometimes can't tell if a drive is good or not on this bland course, and to boot, it has many technical issues and can be unwatchable at times? I've got a job and kids and stuff to do! Power to you if it's your thing, but there's no way I'm going to ever pay and sit for this.

Working from home by myself allows me to have it on playing in the background.

Admittedly I have to shut it down on occasion. This tourney was actually worse because they had so much coverage they were going from shot to shot on different holes. When there is a break between the action I can watch a little and still get work done.

So, from that perspective I didn't see much. I watched the post pro for most of it, but that was only lead card, so mixed bag.

 

[Ryan P.]

Official statement: "We apologize to the handful of viewers who lost video coverage for a few seconds during the tournament. We will be raising the viewing fee to $30 in 2022. Thank you for your support."

Where'd they post this? Everyone is stating it as a fact but I've not seen it. Was it tongue in cheek?