In case you haven't noticed, I'm a huge fan of PBA.com's subscription service Xtra Frame. If you've been reading my blogposts, you know that I mention it just about every chance I get. The reason I do is simple. Xtra Frame gives the bowling fan tremendous value in bowling entertainment and information. For just $7.99 a month or $64.99 a year, you can watch the finest bowlers in the world bowl live in qualifying and match play.
You may think that the televised finals on ESPN tell the story of a week's tournament, but Sunday's program is only the final chapter of an epic novel of bowling challenge, struggle, defeat and triumph, and intrigue. Just as reading the last chapter of a novel alone isn't nearly as rewarding as reading the entire book, watching the televised finals of a PBA tournament is much more exciting and rewarding if you've been following on Xtra Frame the bowlers, matches, lead changes, and expert commentary on all of the above that led up to Sunday's program.
And when I say "expert commentary," I'm talking about people with awe-inspiring insider knowledge of the bowlers, bowling industry, the PBA tour, lane conditions, ball layouts and surfaces, bowling techniques and strategies, and on and on. In the past two weeks alone, subscribers to Xtra Frame have been treated to the prodigious knowledge and insights of the likes of PBA Deputy Commissioner Tom Clark, Paul F. from Ebonite International, John Jowdy, Rhino Page, Barry Asher, Stuart Williams, Ritchie Allen, and Mark Baker as they sat in with Xtra Frame announcer Mike Jakubowsky and genius analyst Jeff Mark during the match play rounds and not only commented on what they saw happening on the lanes but also answered questions from Xtra Frame viewers posting on Facebook's PBA page. That's right, you can ask questions about every aspect of bowling and get immediate answers from the Xtra Frame commentators during match play. I've already had three of my questions answered.
And in case you miss any of this live or you want to see some or all of it again, you can call it up from the archives on demand for no additional cost as well as do the same with the archived PBA telecasts, interviews, and Xtra Frame productions such as their "39X60" program. Not only that, but the more subscribers they get, the better equipment they can use and the better coverage they can provide of the action.
For instance, during last week's One a Day Dick Weber Open, they miked and followed bowling writer and former professional bowler Jason Thomas around as he competed in the qualifying rounds. and they're planning to do the same with some big name exempt bowlers in order to provide Xtra Frame subscribers an unprecedented bird's eye view of tournament play. I'm really looking forward to this.
But for those of you who aren't convinced by my glowing recommendation, you are cordially invited to check out Xtra Frame yourself for free during their coverage of next week's venerable USBC Masters tournament in Reno. You can follow all the live action subscribers can, although you won't be able to access the archives. If you're a real bowling fan, you're going to love Xtra Frame and want to subscribe.
In my next post, I'll recap some of the highlights of last week's Xtra Frame coverage.
Monday, February 1, 2010
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Steve, you have already convinced me to sign up. I signed up Saturday evening but there was a problem with my sign up which kept me from being able to signin until several hours later. I think thaqt the fact that my legal name is "John R. Brown" instead of "Bob Brown" might have caused the problem.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy going back and watching the final qualifying round and the pregame show for Sunday. Xtra Frame needs to hire you for promotions!
Bob--
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to get on without too much difficulty or delay, and I'm glad you're enjoying the service. And I'd be more than happy to work for the PBA as a promoter of Xtra Frame or the PBA in general. They know how to teach me if they're interested. :-)
Hi Steve
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in the Xtra Frame but I'd like to know how extensive the PBA telecast archive is. Also are the telecasts something i could capture or save to my hard drive? Then I could play them in my Pro Shop for customers.
I'm glad you're considering Xtra Frame. I think they have every telecast from the past two years and others going back as far as 2001, along with extensive archived match play and Xtra Frame interviews, special programs, and other content. And then, of course, there is the live tournament coverage. I'm watching the first block of qualifying in the Don and Paula Carter tournament right now.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you could copy any of it to your hard drive. You could check online or with people more knowledgeable about computers than I am to see if there's a way to do it. But you could show Xtra Frame on your computer or even direct it from your computer to a TV in your pro shop even without copying any of it. However you did it, it would probably make a great addition to your shop, especially in the afternoons and evenings when live match play is going on.
If you're not sure you want to commit to a long term subscription, you could try it for a month and then, if you like it, subscribe for a whole year in advance and save significantly on the monthly rate.
Extra frame has done nothing to attempt to provide service to the millions of iPad users out there. Makes no sense considering it's a simple work around. At least the USBC's streaming recognized this and made the necessary changes so those bowlers not tied to a computer could still enjoy their content.
ReplyDeleteSo if you miss a live coverage , you can still go back and watch it?
DeleteJamie, yes, you can. All of the tournaments are archived in the entirety of their original Xtra Frame coverage, and all of the national telecasts of stepladder finals going back over a decade are included.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, today I've been watching Xtra Frame's coverage of a PBA50 (senior) tournament from California in which those who made the round of eight include Walter Ray Williams Jr., Parker Bohn, Tom Baker, Bryan Goebel, and Wayne Web. Good stuff.