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FLO REFUND


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49 minutes ago, Alzam81 said:

I wish DCI broadcasted this internally using their own knowledgeable staff.. a staff that studies the shows and knows what to emphasize.. this is partially the responsibility of the director of photography. These camera angles last night looked like the camera operator went on a break or was hired off the street or was a wedding videographer hired by flomarching.

In a perfect world that would be great, but DCI is still a non-profit and I'm guessing there might be a cost issue with that. But that's just a guess, don't know why they chose to go this direction. 

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46 minutes ago, Old Corps Guy said:

I don't agree with you.  I read their BBB feed and it is not glowing as mentioned earlier in this thread.  A rating of 1.03 out of five stars is an "F" according to the Central Texas BBB.  Feel free to read for yourself before you give them a "Top-Notch" reference.  And to be clear, not one of the feedback references on the BBB site were about DCI.  All were sports related.

https://www.bbb.org/central-texas/business-reviews/internet-services/flosports-inc-in-austin-tx-1000108975/Alerts-and-Actions

Thank you for reposting this link.  When I originally read the link several things stood out to me.  First the fact that they have a BBB rating of F and are not BBB accredited.  Then I read the Customer Reviews (  [0] Positive Reviews [1] Neutral Reviews  [24] Negative Reviews) and 58 Customer Complaints.  Of the 58 38 were billing/collection issues and 14 with product/service.  tt seems to me that once they get your money and are locked into their contract they don't care.  It seems to me that our issue is with DCI or not doing their homework before they signed on with them.  

If the problems continue I am not too sure I want to be in a theater for Prelims where a riot could break out.

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I signed up for the full FloPro package and saw the earliest lives streams this year. I was impressed with the video and audio quality overall though there were a few glitches. I'm mainly in it for the music, I'm not a critic of the video production. 

The competency level of the audio engineering has certainly taken a turn for the worse in the last week. One of the two shows last Saturday (DATR) had the channels reversed throughout the show. The engineer last night discovered the same problem after the first two shows...that is, when he remembered to unmute the audio feed. Tuesday was a disappointment.

The biggest problem I have with the audio production quality of all the livestreams I've seen so far is that the engineers treat the announcer's mic and anything coming out of the speakers as the most important thing, as if he's mixing it for AM radio. So we get the full sound of the corps' finale followed by the announcer blasting out twice as loud. YUCK! Just turn it down - find an average level of the corps and put the voice level there. Equally annoying is the practice (as was done as DATR) of cranking up the applause at the end of a tune, as if that's what I'm paying to hear. YUCK! Just leave it alone.

What I do appreciate about Flo's approach this year is the attempt to replicate DCI Finals microphone coverage of the field with three mic stands at all the shows they livestream. And Flo did that for two simultaneous shows last Saturday. That to me indicates a real good-faith effort to deliver quality sound. Do you remember last year, with the single stereo mic on one stand on the 50, or the stereo pair on the 45s? It was adequate, but there was no mic on the PA system (which was half the show for some corps) until later in the season. Three mics across the sideline plus two on the PA has real potential for a good livestream experience. Unfortunately the stands are not high enough to capture the Drums and Bugles* well over the pit, which now seems to spread 80 yards across the sideline. (Yes, I know the tall stands are $1000 apiece.) Also, unfortunately, some of the engineers Flo uses are not up to the task of achieving any kind of balance, anyway.

So yeah, what I saw last night is not worth $150, but I'm hoping that enough people in the Flo organization got their noses bloodied by complaints that they will review their procedures so that glitches are the result of gremlins and not neglect or incompetence.

 

*you know...the things I'm paying to hear...

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I have only read a few responses here, but it seems like there were problems with the TOC in Broken Arrow yesterday.

I didn't even know there was a show!  Oh well, real life...

I just thought I'd chime in and be that guy for a moment...

I bought the yearly Flo package...  I have expectations too, but some of youse are over the top.

Just because we purchased a service doesn't mean we own DCI.  Stop whinning and present things a little more maturely! Some of us act so entitled that it is sickening...

Now, on the other hand, if they're going to offer a service, they need to be able to deliver competently, or price it accordingly.  DCI isn't in the business of streaming videos, but FLO IS.  There's a problem though.... FLO doesn't control the quality of the internet at the venue.  DCI and FLO has to stream a LIVE event; they can not do an On Demand service, which would afford a better quality experience ultimately.  This is because of laws...

So, that is where we are on this topic.  It is not likely to ever improve.

Some of you  please just try not to sound so indignant about it...  It makes YOU look bad.

 

Thanks!

P.S.

Everyone else NOT being obnoxious, carry on....  I'm just talking about the obnoxious people with unrealistic expectations who lack tact...

 

 

Edited by jjeffeory
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As I understand it, Flo started in sports and is doing ok in that market.  The difference between sports (and weddings) and the marching arts is the former two (if you keep your eye on the ball or the bride) are 90% or so predictable. With the marching arts, if you don't know the shows (I.e., do your prep work), you'll probably miss 90% of the important stuff.

Is Flo trying to "get by" this season with sports videographers who just shoot what interests them?  I really don't have an answer to this one, but I know what it looks like. 

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I doubt that Flo or anyone from DCI cares if the experience with their productions are not meeting customers expectations. They got your money and you're not getting it back, bad internet streaming or not. 

No more than your local cable provider, who doesn't care, Flo doesn't care what you think. They don't care, and there will be NO refunds. Like Judge Judy has said time and time again; "you ate the steak you pay for it. Doesn't matter if you liked it or not."

Edited by Jim Schehr
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5 hours ago, E3D said:

Everyone take a deep breath and allow these guys to fleece you with a bad product.

Flo certainly failed to provide quality service, and customers certainly should complain about that bad service.  However, the term Fleece is an informal idiom that means to 'steal' or 'defraud'.  Flo did not engage in either stealing from or defrauding the customers because the contract, which clearly states the warranty disclaimers, was signed and agreed upon by the customers.  Bad service, yes; Legalese CYA for the company, yes; but Fleecing, no.

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3 hours ago, Old Corps Guy said:

A director still makes the call regarding which camera goes out to the live feed.  Clearly you understand what I am saying.  The director in the booth/van has a view of every camera and makes the decision which one goes "live" at any given moment.  To stay on a guardie for 5+ seconds while they are kneeling on the ground changing equipment is not learning curve issue when it happens multiple times. Some version of this scenario has happened at every show. 

Someone mentioned earlier that DCI should have someone with "Drum Corps" experience working with Flo and they should have fixed this as well.

Mike, You are better than this and I respect your opinions.  However, you are sounding like an apologist trying to defend an inferior product right now.

In no way am I defending this. I am only explaining what is likely. Were I with DCI, I would tell Flo right now that if what happened in BA happens again we will consider them in breach of contract.

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1 hour ago, Alzam81 said:

I wish DCI broadcasted this internally using their own knowledgeable staff.. a staff that studies the shows and knows what to emphasize.. this is partially the responsibility of the director of photography. These camera angles last night looked like the camera operator went on a break or was hired off the street or was a wedding videographer hired by flomarching.

cost. DCI's not on the hook for a bunch of the licensing, the amount of space it takes up on the website ( I remember a WGI person telling me the old fan network was such a space hog it was losing money). really thats why they did it. in theory good call. in reality, FLo's sucking.

 

Mr. Video live streamed my local circuits indoor championships, and the only issues were when the buildings wifi went down...and there were some horrible storms that weekend.

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