My main concern is that by having information on the screen like this, the staff will just not bother to mention the name of the game because it's already there, and so now only people who watch the video get that info.
It's sorta like how people were concerned when the Bombcast went video to begin with because people might do something visual like make a motion with their hands to illustrate a point, and audio only listeners would be missing out on this sort of thing.
I know the Beastcast (or just Vinny, mostly) has been trying to make sure to say the name of the game after a segment is over. I wouldn't mind the Bombcast doing something like that too.
Yeah I'm in this camp too. I mostly enjoy podcasts as something to listen to while I'm doing something else (driving, working out, gaming, painting miniatures, etc.) so I just hope none of the audio context gets lost in the mix of things.
With that said I love the new visual things you're doing and think it's healthy to mix things up and try new stuff!
First off, love the new changes. Having the title of the game that's being discussed is an amazing touch. I watch the pod at my desk, and sometimes lose track of what's being talked about, having the current discussion topic somewhere on a lower 3rd would be an amazing addition for those of us that can't pay attention (even if it's just a small "Prettyfied" banner overlayed with text)
Cool stuff, but don't let slide to a video thing too much if you can. I like to listen to it mostly and whenever there are visual gags and stuff, I miss it. I woulf love to see the actual numbers on how many people listen and how many watch the show.
I like the static "now talking about" text although I think the white color makes it bit hard to read. I also like the up-down split screen for when there are alot of people on the cast and, I think that the three segment one works best with the white bars.
I listen to the Bombcast 10x more often than I watch the video, but I love all of these changes and am glad you've made them. I might end up watching more.
I do prefer the 60fps, but I know there's solid reasoning behind moving to 24/23.98fps.
I definitely prefer the look of 60fps, but since it's just a video people sitting and talking, and not gameplay or something, it's not a big deal. I think the informational stuff on the video is awesome.
I kind of like the single, full shot over split screen, but no strong opinion there.
I dont watch the live stream (Doesnt work with my work schedule), but the way theses screenshots look it really seems great! Its really great work Jan, as always!
Looks great! I think it makes video podcasts more relevant when there's actual visual information that enhance the experience instead of just putting a face to the voice.
As someone who watches the video on a side monitor I appreciate all the extras done to the video. While I know a few things have been done that were mostly visual (Ben's floasting/moving cup), I would say everyone saying they don't like the name of the game being discussed on screen may not realize the guys at the table don't see the video so they don't know/think about the visual aspect of the podcast.
I like everything but the news inserts. I'm choosing to watch the video version of the podcasts because I want to clearly see the faces of the people who are talking, not useless text that says the same thing they are saying. It's not needed and takes up too much screen estate. The focus should be on the GB crew (and guests), with small bits of extra information like the name of the game on the bottom of the screen.
The name of the game being discussed on screen stood out to me as the most useful feature, everything else is nice to have but the game name was genuinely useful.
I’m not fused either way on the frame rate, there’s little benefit to 60 FPS in person so happy with that change.
But let’s get to the real talk. When are we going to see DMX Goomba?
60fps is nicer to watch, especially when the rest of the site's video is doing 60
Animated game name etc. scroll is annoying -- I'm not always focusing my full attention on the video, and that sort of motion drags my attention back to it. A static note is useful though
Ditto animated transitions (zooms/wipes) -- it grabs my attention for no good reason. I prefer the simple cuts
Splitscreens are useful when it's a full house, but when you can get everyone in a single shot, I prefer that (compare the two images under "WHAT GAME WE'RE TALKING ABOUT"). Doing the tight shot of the three individually makes them feel more isolated/disconnected, and changes the general vibe somewhat
News: noting the headline/source might be useful, but dedicating over half of the screen to a generic Fortnite image/a paragraph of text that A) is only the introduction to the article and B) I can't really read whilst people are taking doesn't feel like a good use of space
video playback for stuff we find
It's an audio-first show, so that doesn't necessarily seem like the best of ideas.
The splits with white-bars separating the groups is my preferred look.
For game titles, a non-scrolling game title + background banner is easier to read.
Benefits are, the contrast can be controlled and you don't have to worry about a busy background
The news layout was nice, but could use some tweaking to be useful for me. There was a significant amount of text from the article in the shot and I instantly started to read that instead of listening to Jeff speak.
While experimenting with looks, are you thinking of tagging the timeline with topics/games? If so, expose that data and someone could start doing pop-up video like content on GB Infinite. Who doesn't like learning random facts.
Some great improvements, Jan. As someone who solely consumes the Bombcast in video form (and loves the absurd transitions found in UPF), this is a most welcome change.
60fps is nicer to watch, especially when the rest of the site's video is doing 60
Animated game name etc. scroll is annoying -- I'm not always focusing my full attention on the video, and that sort of motion drags my attention back to it. A static note is useful though
Ditto animated transitions (zooms/wipes) -- it grabs my attention for no good reason. I prefer the simple cuts
Splitscreens are useful when it's a full house, but when you can get everyone in a single shot, I prefer that (compare the two images under "WHAT GAME WE'RE TALKING ABOUT"). Doing the tight shot of the three individually makes them feel more isolated/disconnected, and changes the general vibe somewhat
News: noting the headline/source might be useful, but dedicating over half of the screen to a generic Fortnite image/a paragraph of text that A) is only the introduction to the article and B) I can't really read whilst people are taking doesn't feel like a good use of space
video playback for stuff we find
It's an audio-first show, so that doesn't necessarily seem like the best of ideas.
This is basically exactly what I wanted to type so I'm just going to quote this instead.
Cool! I like most of the changes listed, but I disagree with the framerate change. I much prefer 60fps and we need more outlets conditioning society to realize its superiority too! Hopefully you guys switch it back to 60 soon!
To be honest, I really dislike the 24 FPS framerate. But I do not watch these frequently enough to be taken into account here. I wish we all just moved to 60 FPS in TV, movies, games, everywhere. 24 looks so... wrong. Very choppy and weird. Maybe I've been watching too many GB videos, and not enough movies, but... it looks wrong.
Really great stuff Jan and Jason! I love the experiments and especially the "what game we're talking about" scroll. As someone who tries my best to catch the show live while at work, it's pretty nice to know what the topic switched to if I was pulled away for a while.
Personally, I prefer the 60fps stream. I thought something was up with my connection or phone when I watched the last bombcast lol. I'm glad I wasn't crazy.
Just finished watching 4/3's Bombcast. I don't think the four panel split works all that well - while it does put more focus on everyone's faces, it cuts off their hands and arms. While they don't use their hands too much, there were several points in the video where gestures were cut off. Personal opinion is that the improved face detail is not worth the trade off.
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