The KTV unit (pictured) is now available to hire at all grand prix venues. Advance booking via www.kangaroo.tv is recommended. We picked up our units in the main merchandising area behind the Woodcote grandstand. Supplied in a branded KTV bag comes the main unit (pictured) with a 6 hour battery installed, a set of earphones or "earbuds" with spare covers, and a spare battery.

First impressions were that the unit is neatly designed. it is comfortable to hold in your hand and feels robust without being to heavy to carry round all day in a bag (or worn around your neck using the supplied lanyard). The screen is a good size for arms length viewing and I was surprised at just how viewable it is even in direct sunlight. The earphones too seem to be specifically designed to cope with motorsport. My normal earphones I was using with an FM radio on Friday and Saturday were next to useless when a stream of cars were going past, but the KTV earphones produced plenty of clear audio to be heard above the screaming engines.

The unit can be used with all support races during an event too, not just the F1 race. It was particularly good to watch some of the in car footage during the Porsche Supercup race where a camera is set beind the driver and you are able to watch all the steering, foot pedal operation and gear changes taking place.

Attending an F1 Grand Prix is a great experience, but it is not always easy to follow what is going on when trackside, particularly after the pit stops have started. The Kangaroo TV changes all that. You can choose to watch the main international broadcast, or in-car footage - either a mix of drivers or follow your favourite driver when available (both Coulthard and Webber had cameras attached). The "Favorite Driver" feature also enables you to follow their progress on a lap by lap basis, giving current position and gap to the next driver. 

There was around a 4 second delay on the KTV video units over the live action / giant screens which was a little confusing at first, but provided a useful "instant replay" of anything that just happened. The ability to switch between different in car cameras and the live international feed gives you the ability to become your own TV director and follow the action you are interested in rather than what some else dictates you follow. 

The audio features enable you to listen to broadcast pit to car radio and there is a lot more available than is typically aired on the international feed. An audio playback facility lets you replay anything you may have missed. You can also listen to the at track public address system, although on a couple occasions it appeared that a driver may have left his radio open after a conversation with the garage and as this takes precedent over the commentary, it blocked it out.

Whilst the video and audio are a great addition, for me the most valuable part of the service is the live race timing. Anyone who has viewed live timing from www.f1.com on a laptop during races at home will know how useful it is to see all race positions at a glance, gaps extending or reducing and individual sector times. At the track this is even more useful. The Kangaroo TV delivers all this functionality together with other information such as current track & air temperatures, driver statistics, championship standings etc.

The Kangaroo TV service enables fans to experience the atmosphere that you can only get at the track with the knowledge of whats going on you could only previously get at home.

The best of both worlds is now available - why not give it a try when you're next at a race?

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