[NHL] Bettman to cancel 2004-05 season


Recommended Posts

Could not agree anymore.  Excellent post man.  If we lose some of the teams in markets which do not care (ie: Nashville, Carolina, Anaheim, etc) the talent level on the remaining teams would increase.  This is one of my favourite solutions to making to game more financially stable as well as more exciting.

Good post imtoomuch.  (Y)

585483201[/snapback]

Yeah, let's contract the teams you don't care about... I mean, because it's not like Carolina got to the Stanley Cup finals just a few years ago and had an amazing fan base before the owner made some stupid moves... and it's not like Nashville isn't a team on the rise with a decent fanbase (same with Anahiem)... I mean, why don't we just contract Atlanta, a team with all the up-and-coming players you can ask for and a fanbase that could explode at anytime.

No offense, but it seems to me you're only for contracting southern teams... perhaps you don't deem them worthy of hockey or something, being from Canada?

Edited by Scorpio
What the NHL needs to do is to cut the league by 5 or 10 teams.  This will do a few important things.  First, it will get some of the financially insecure teams out of the league and it will concentrate the NHL talent to fewer teams.  Right now there are too many teams and there are too many minor league caliber players in the NHL.

585483159[/snapback]

There's been talk about this. Apparantly, some businessman is willing to put up several hundred million dollars to pay to the teams that would be contracted - I think it was like $80 million or something.

If they did contract, that would also mean the end of Gary Bettman (which I'm sure a few of you wouldn't mind). He was the one who preached and lobbied for NHL expansion, so if they went down to 22 teams, obviously he would have to quit. I don't really know if they should or not...I can understand the need to do it but it's not like those teams that they are talking about (mostly the southern teams) haven't been successful or acquired a good fan base.

The NHL basically screwed itself by trying to saturate itself too fast. There's a reason the other Big 3 sports leagues don't expand on a regular basis.

Yeah, let's contract the teams you don't care about... I mean, because it's not like Carolina got to the Stanley Cup finals just a few years ago and had an amazing fan base before the owner made some stupid moves... and it's not like Nashville isn't a team on the rise with a decent fanbase (same with Anahiem)... I mean, why don't we just contract Atlanta, a team with all the up-and-coming players you can ask for and a fanbase that could explode at anytime.

No offense, but it seems to me you're only for contracting southern teams... perhaps you don't deem them worthy of hockey or something, being from Canada?

585484283[/snapback]

Carolina suddenly had a fanbase because they were just like the Anaheims, Washingtons, and Floridas. They were a Cinderella team that made it to the Stanley Cup Final only to lose. Where are Carolina's fans now? Gone. Why? Because the very next season after making it to the Cup Final, they finished last in the NHL standings. Odds are, most ppl in these markets either don't care that there's no hockey or they don't even know. Just watch when hockey returns. How many fans do you think will fill the St. Pete Times Forum to watch the defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning? 7,000 sounds accurate. The NHL does need to be contracted. What teams need to fold, I won't speculate on, because a fanbase depends on the on-ice product. Some teams in weak markets don't deliver on the ice, and they have a weak fanbase (Florida). Under Bettman's tenure, 2 Canadian teams have been relocated to American markets, one of which is strong (Colorado), the other of which is weak (Phoenix), although neither market compares to the fanbases they had in Quebec and Winnipeg respectively.

What the NHL needs to do to have a stronger on-ice product (my own opinion):

Contract the league to 24 teams, contract the schedule to 72 games from 82 games, reduce goalie equipment size (drastically), remove the centre red line which eliminates the 2-line pass rule, no touch icing, and tag up offsides.

My own proposal, agree or disagree with it, depending on which side you're on:

Hard salary cap at 45M, minimum payroll set at 25M

25% luxury tax at 32.5M

75% luxury tax at 37.5M

It's obvious the players would not accept this, but that's irrelevant after today's developments. This is just what I believe would work in the long run in the NHL.

Carolina suddenly had a fanbase because they were just like the Anaheims, Washingtons, and Floridas. They were a Cinderella team that made it to the Stanley Cup Final only to lose. Where are Carolina's fans now? Gone. Why? Because the very next season after making it to the Cup Final, they finished last in the NHL standings.  Odds are, most ppl in these markets either don't care that there's no hockey or they don't even know. Just watch when hockey returns. How many fans do you think will fill the St. Pete Times Forum to watch the defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning? 7,000 sounds accurate. The NHL does need to be contracted. What teams need to fold, I won't speculate on, because a fanbase depends on the on-ice product. Some teams in weak markets don't deliver on the ice, and they have a weak fanbase (Florida). Under Bettman's tenure, 2 Canadian teams have been relocated to American markets, one of which is strong (Colorado), the other of which is weak (Phoenix), although neither market compares to the fanbases they had in Quebec and Winnipeg respectively.

What the NHL needs to do to have a stronger on-ice product (my own opinion):

Contract the league to 24 teams, contract the schedule to 72 games from 82 games, reduce goalie equipment size (drastically), remove the centre red line which eliminates the 2-line pass rule, no touch icing, and tag up offsides.

My own proposal, agree or disagree with it, depending on which side you're on:

Hard salary cap at 45M, minimum payroll set at 25M

25% luxury tax at 32.5M

75% luxury tax at 37.5M

It's obvious the players would not accept this, but that's irrelevant after today's developments. This is just what I believe would work in the long run in the NHL.

585484538[/snapback]

Newsflash for you: Carolina's fans aren't gone! Want proof? Here you go...

http://www.kenn.com/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl_...attendance.html

Learn your facts, buddy.

And, how many people will go to Tampa Bay's first game? I'd say not much, but 7,000 is extremely low. Tampa Bay doesn't have a huge fan base, and they didn't even have a huge one when they won the Stanley Cup. But 7,000? Give me a break.

Saying Colorado doesn't have a fanbase as big as it did when it was in Quebec is absolutely idiotic. Take a look at the numbers yet again, buddy: http://www.kenn.com/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl_...attendance.html

Colorado is a much bigger team now than it ever was in Quebec. It's worth more, it has more fans, etc.

All Canadians love to bring up the Canadian teams that were moved, but how about the Flames? Maybe you weren't aware of this, but get this... they used to be an American team! Sounds pretty even, if you ask me. Relocating a bad team to Canada isn't a bad idea. So why was relocating bad teams to America? Granted it was in the 80's, but it's still a move to Canada.

If you ask me, the NHL need to just learn how to market the game for what it is. They need to start player promotion like what the NBA did, yet they're not doing it. There are a lot of good, young players coming up, so hopefully they'll start doing that. They need to get people out to the games somehow, because hockey is a in-your-face game. You need to be there to understand it. Promotion is key.

Newsflash for you: Carolina's fans aren't gone! Want proof? Here you go...

http://www.kenn.com/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl_...attendance.html

Learn your facts, buddy.

And, how many people will go to Tampa Bay's first game? I'd say not much, but 7,000 is extremely low. Tampa Bay doesn't have a huge fan base, and they didn't even have a huge one when they won the Stanley Cup. But 7,000? Give me a break.

Saying Colorado doesn't have a fanbase as big as it did when it was in Quebec is absolutely idiotic. Take a look at the numbers yet again, buddy: http://www.kenn.com/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl_...attendance.html

Colorado is a much bigger team now than it ever was in Quebec. It's worth more, it has more fans, etc.

All Canadians love to bring up the Canadian teams that were moved, but how about the Flames? Maybe you weren't aware of this, but get this... they used to be an American team! Sounds pretty even, if you ask me. Relocating a bad team to Canada isn't a bad idea. So why was relocating bad teams to America? Granted it was in the 80's, but it's still a move to Canada.

If you ask me, the NHL need to just learn how to market the game for what it is. They need to start player promotion like what the NBA did, yet they're not doing it. There are a lot of good, young players coming up, so hopefully they'll start doing that. They need to get people out to the games somehow, because hockey is a in-your-face game. You need to be there to understand it. Promotion is key.

585484789[/snapback]

Carolina's fanbase HAS dropped. Look at your own information. 01/02, they get to the final, so in pure bandwagoning fashion, they come back and hope for the same in 02/03, so when that doesn't happen, they lose by your own information 3,000 fans by 03/04. And who said I'm talking about JUST the fans that went to the stadium? Quebec in general was (and still is) a huge hockey market fueled by Canadiens/Leafs games and in the past, Canadiens/Nordiques games. But if you want to base your fanbase beliefs solely on attendence records, yes, Colorado had a higher attendence record, but it's too bad that you failed to mention Colis?e de Qu?bec had a maximum capacity of 15,750, a total almost reached each and every season since 81/82 until their departure. And you don't need to remind me that the Calgary Flames were once an American team called the Atlanta Flames. Relocating "bad teams" to the States as you put it is simply stupid. The Nordiques were the 2nd best team in the NHL during the abbreviated 94/95 season before relocating to Denver. Winnipeg was a bad team for their last couple of years, but they're HARDLY any better as the Phoenix Coyotes. All they've done was go from being a bad team in a hockey passionate market to being a bad team in a market where hockey couldn't be cared less about.

There are some actual legitimate facts for you.

Bettman is a piece of ...

Only $6.5M separated them from coming to an agreement. How stupid! Not every team would meet the $49M cap, expecially teams like Carolina, Atlanta, etc. I am so ****ed off...

585485083[/snapback]

$6.5 million x 30 teams, actually. ;)

I did look at my own information, and having 12,000 fans going to games isn't a bad number for hockey. I'm not sure where you come from, but in my books those are some solid statistics. Look at the years before the lack of data... that's an increase of 2,000 fans over those years, showing that there was obviously a growth in their fanbase. 12,000 isn't a bad number; no, it's not the highest out there, but contracting a team with a solid fanbase is stupid. That was my point all along -- how about you stick with that subject?

When I said "bad" teams I was referring to the fanbase... normally it doesn't matter how good a team is, they're going to move them if they don't sell as well as they can. Obviously this was an implied statement, given the information I was supplying you and the teams I mentioned.

And, no, very little of that is legitimate facts. What I gave was and is legitimate fact. You gave opinions, for the most part.

The fact of the matter is that the teams you mentioned were having finanical trouble, so they were moved. It is a fact (http://www.neutralzonehockey.com/quebec.htm) that the NHL tried to find an owner in Quebec to keep the team there. They didn't want to move the team, but they just had too many financial problems to sustain the team there. To quote the last paragraph of the source I just sited for you:

In fairness, it is hard to feel too bad for Quebec, on the whole, it seemed the local citizens were rather apathetic to the whole situation. Yet, after years of watching the Nordiques lanquish in the cellar, the people of Quebec missed seeing their team finally become the Champions they had developed into.
$6.5 million x 30 teams, actually. ;)

585485089[/snapback]

Yes, $6.5 million per team... why do you all keep emphasizing per team? The owners are the ones paying it, not the NHL itself -- it's not like $195 million is keeping them apart, $6.5 million per team is... and, yes, there is a difference. I'm not saying it's a lot, but you guys sure are feeding out of Bettman's hands right now. I don't side with the players, but he's just as much of a worm as any of 'em.

I did look at my own information, and having 12,000 fans going to games isn't a bad number for hockey. I'm not sure where you come from, but in my books those are some solid statistics. Look at the years before the lack of data... that's an increase of 2,000 fans over those years, showing that there was obviously a growth in their fanbase. 12,000 isn't a bad number; no, it's not the highest out there, but contracting a team with a solid fanbase is stupid. That was my point all along -- how about you stick with that subject?

When I said "bad" teams I was referring to the fanbase... normally it doesn't matter how good a team is, they're going to move them if they don't sell as well as they can. Obviously this was an implied statement, given the information I was supplying you and the teams I mentioned.

And, no, very little of that is legitimate facts. What I gave was and is legitimate fact. You gave opinions, for the most part.

The fact of the matter is that the teams you mentioned were having finanical trouble, so they were moved. It is a fact (http://www.neutralzonehockey.com/quebec.htm) that the NHL tried to find an owner in Quebec to keep the team there. They didn't want to move the team, but they just had too many financial problems to sustain the team there. To quote the last paragraph of the source I just sited for you:

585485096[/snapback]

Alright, I'll buy the Quebec statement, but where in my post is it almost entirely opinion based? Phoenix being a weak market? That's fact, not opinion. Winnipeg was a bad team statistically, but their fanbase was as strong as any fanbase in the NHL, unless all those "Save Our Jets" campaigns were just for show. :whistle:

If you believe contracting the league is a bad idea, perhaps you can think of an alternative? Believe it or not, there are weak markets in this league. Nashville and Atlanta are up and coming, but Florida and Phoenix? Terrible markets. As for one of my previous comments about 7,000 ppl showing up at Tampa Bay's home opener, does it really sound low? If this season had started when it was supposed to, yes it would be low. But after a year and a half, will Floridians really care that hockey is back? I doubt it. I'll believe it when I see it.

The NHL is, and probably always will be the #4 professional sports league in the USA (out of 4). Once baseball resumes, at least half of so-called American hockey fans will forget that this cancellation even occured.

I think the owners aren't willing to sign because they're realizing that paying people upwards of $500 K to 8 or 10 million a year to put a puck in a net is absurd.

Case in point: many days we complain about the attendant at McDonalds or BK not getting our hamburger right and think they are overpaid. When we see a doctor and they save our life and we have to pay $5,000 for the surgery (or treatment...) we complain they make absurd amounts of money.

Hockey fans (and fans of professional sports in general) pay hundreds of dollars a game to watch a hockey team play. Or they consume alcohol and snacks and many purchase TV packages to watch instead of season tickets. Either way its a costly hobby. It doesn't save your life as a doctor would. And when the team loses, I don't hear people bitch as they would when they get their order screwed up at McDonalds.

The problem, is that as a skills base, professional athletes - compared to other skilled labourers are overly paid. And many fans haven't complained until the team went on strike.

I would much rather see semi-pro leagues - where there are less fights and more exciting play (no off-sides for instance), for less money to see a game result from this.

The league in the US is going to have HARSH reprocussions from this.... In Canada, we'll all eventually come back to the rink cause it's our lifeblood, even though we're annoyed. But I think I speak for almost all Canadians when I say, even though we're upset, and hockey night in Canada comes on, we'll DEFINATELY turn our TV on again (or go to the game). I'm very angry at the NHL for what has happened, but say a Vancouver game was on tomorrow, I would be there as soon as possible ;)

I've been gone for a day but I would like to clarify some items for Scorpio who had at my post and I haven't got to respond as of yet.

First off the teams I listed lost significant amounts of money. I know this because as I watched the coverage of the cancellation, a former NHL exec (Brian Burke) was discussing the teams that were losing the most money. So I apologize I have no paper trial. The reason why I mentioned teams like Carolina and Nashville were because along with a few others such as Pittsburgh they account for more of half the money the league lost. I have no beef with Southern teams I just recognize that some of them are a large part of the problem. By cutting out some of the weak links the extra players could go to teams that have a better potential to make money. I count LA for example because a huge city could better withstand a team. I cut Anahiem out because it is my belief that California cannot withstand support more than two teams. Therefore I would leave California with LA and San Jose. Ontario has two teams but both of them are doing sufficiently now with Ottawa's new owner Eugene Melnyk. Please don't accuse me of being a southern hating Canadian. I want what is best for business. When Quebec lost its team I was fine because fact is they were going in the toilet financially. Same goes for Winnipeg. The cancers of the league should be removed in attempts to save other teams that could benefit from a stronger roster.

The $6.5 million difference in cap is a generalization to illustrate that if all the teams had an equal revenue, (which they don't and this amplifies the problem), that every team would lose 10% (200million/2billion X 100%) of its revenue. The teams don't make their share of revenue therefore are in even more trouble than the teams that make more than their share.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • ...but you're Johnny, from Australia?    
    • Glow 26.9 by Razvan Serea Glow provides detailed reporting on every hardware component in your computer, saving you valuable time typically spent searching for CPU, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, and other stats. With Glow, all the information is conveniently presented in one clean interface, allowing you to easily access and review the comprehensive hardware details of your system. Glow provides detailed information on various system aspects, including OS, motherboard, processor, memory, graphics card, storage, network, battery, drivers, and services. The well-organized format ensures easy access to the required information. You can export all the gathered data to a plain text file, facilitating sharing with others for troubleshooting purposes. No installation needed. Just decompress the archive, launch the executable, and access computer-related information. Glow runs on Windows 11 and Windows 10 64-bit versions. Glow 26.9 changelog: New Features The processor hardware detection engine has been significantly enhanced beyond traditional Intel and AMD architectures. Native support is now available for modern platforms such as Apple Silicon (M-Series) and the newly introduced NVIDIA Spark. In addition, all ARM-based processors can now be accurately distinguished between ARM32 and ARM64 architectures, providing precise hardware reporting. This marks a major milestone for Glow's hardware detection capabilities. The RAM manufacturer identification algorithm has been expanded. JEDEC vendor codes for popular brands such as Patriot, PNY, Team Group, GeIL, Lexar (Longsys), and Asgard/Gloway have been integrated into the database. This significantly reduces the likelihood of incorrect or "Unknown Manufacturer" results and improves overall hardware detection accuracy. New Public IP Address and Internet Service Provider (ISP) features have been added to the Network section. To ensure reliability, this information is retrieved from the trusted service ipwho.is. When Hiding Mode is enabled, no requests are sent and these features remain hidden, as they may expose sensitive information. The search engine used in the Installed Drivers, Installed Services, and Installed Applications sections has been enhanced. You can now perform more flexible and accurate searches using initials, partial matches, and loosely arranged character sequences. The TS Preloader loading bar has been rebuilt using our modern TS Custom Controls graphics library, developed entirely in-house. As a result of this infrastructure upgrade, the loading bar now features smooth rendering and rounded corners that align with the visual style of Windows 11. [TS Updater] A new validation algorithm has been added to check whether the target application is currently running before the update process begins. Bug Fixes Resolved a condition that could prevent TS Preloader from shutting down safely during rare application crash scenarios. Fixed a text alignment issue in the Network section affecting the display of DNS addresses. Alignment is now rendered correctly. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue that could prevent the updated application's executable "*.exe" file from being located after the update process. [TS Updater] Fixed a bug that could leave outdated "*.sha256" files in the application directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed a rare issue that could cause subfolders to be moved into the root directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue during the first launch that could cause flickering and a temporary white window appearance due to Windows Defender interactions. Changes A small improvement has been made to the internet connectivity detection algorithm. Connectivity checks are now performed in the background with minimal impact on the user interface thread. The keyboard shortcuts in the top menu have been reorganized and simplified to provide a consistent experience across all Türkaysoft applications and to avoid potential conflicts with standard Windows shortcuts. The TS Preloader splash image has been updated with a Türkiye-themed stadium design to celebrate Türkiye's qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup—its first appearance in 24 years. Congratulations, Türkiye! The TS Custom Controls module has been updated to version 26.6, delivering improved stability and a more polished visual appearance. [TS Updater] The application icon has been redesigned to provide a more modern and refined look. Note: Always unzip the program before using it. Otherwise you may get an error. Download: Glow 26.9 | 1.8 MB (Open Source) Links: Glow Homepage | Screenshot | Github Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • DWARF mini review: the world's smallest smart telescope for night and day sky captures by Steven Parker DWARFLAB reached out to me asking if I was interested in checking out the DWARF mini, which is a portable astronomy telescope designed for amateur astronomers. Why do I say it's for amateurs? Well, for starters, it's not what you'd call "high end"; it's more of a professional-grade starting point for amateurs serious about capturing what's up there in our night and day skies. A typical amateur astronomer is most likely thousands of dollars deep into the hobby, and I will make no claims that this DWARF mini (at a fraction of the cost) could replace it all, okay? Well, if you read on, it will be clearer what I am trying to convey. Disclosure: DWARFLAB provided a free sample without any editorial input or review pre-approval. I have always been interested in looking up and observing the night sky. I see satellites crossing the sky above my garden most nights, and I am always looking at the moon. Yeah, I have a 200MP camera on my phone, but at 200X zoom, AI takes over and makes the pretty moon pictures that I snap, the DWARF mini does not, you get an actual true picture of what you can barely see with the naked eye. Before we start, let's share the highlights of the DWARF mini in bite-sized format: Pocket-Sized & Ultra-Lightweight Weighing just 1.85 lbs (840g), the DWARF mini easily fits into a backpack or large pocket. Its all-in-one, compact design makes it the ultimate grab-and-go digital telescope for hiking, camping, or traveling to dark-sky locations. Intuitive App Control & Built-in Sky Atlas Go from unboxing to your first shot in just 3 minutes! The DWARFLAB App provides a seamless experience with an interactive star map. Simply select your target and start exploring without the steep learning curve of traditional setups. Auto GOTO & 360° Pivot Freedom Enjoy pinpoint automated tracking with full 360° rotation. Powered by a high-sensitivity Sony IMX662 sensor (1/2.8-inch, 2.9μm pixels), it captures amazing, low-noise astro details, bringing faint nebulas and star clusters to life with stunning clarity. Pro-Level EQ Mode & Long Exposure Unlock advanced deep-space imaging with Equatorial (EQ) Mode. Supporting impressive single-frame exposures up to 90 seconds and featuring built-in light pollution filters, it easily cuts through city glow to reveal intricate celestial structures. Smart Cloud Processing & All-Ages Fun Effortlessly enhance your raw data with integrated cloud processing for professional-grade results. Perfect for beginners, kids, and adults, this telescope makes exploring and sharing the wonders of the universe an exciting, family-friendly adventure. The packaging is a pretty minimal affair with the outer box opening like a flap to reveal the plastic mould of the DWARF mini sitting in it. Below, the Sun filter, charging cable, cleaning cloth, and documentation can be found. DWARFLAB also provided a Mini Hydraulic Tripod ($89.99), and I highly recommend getting it if you plan on purchasing the DWARF mini, as it fully supports the motorized tracking feature of the telescope; plus, at 840g, the weight of the telescope, you will need a tripod that supports more than the weight of a smartphone anyway. What's in the box DWARF Mini Smart Telescope × 1 Sun Filter x 1 Type-C to Type-C Cord x 1 Cleaning Cloth x 1 User Guide With that out of the way, here are the full specs: DWARF mini Dimensions (DWH): 60.70 mm x 100.38 × 183.61 (2.39" x 3.95" x 7.23") Weight: 840g (1.85lbs) Aperture diameter: 30 mm (telephoto), 3.4 mm (wide angle) Image Sensor: SONY IMX662 1/2.8" (Telephoto) OmniVision OS02K10 1/2.8" (Wide-angle) Focal length: 150 mm (telephoto), 6.7 mm (wide-angle) Equivalent focal length: 1016 mm (telephoto), 45 mm (wide-angle) Shutter Speed: Tele - 1/10000-90s, Wide - 1/10000-30s Maximum exposure time: 90s (telephoto & wide-angle), Both in EQ mode Rotation range: Lens: 225°, Base: 360° Effective Pixels: 2.07M Maximum Resolution: 1920 × 1080 (Telephoto & Wide-angle) Built-in filters: Astro, Dark, Duo-Band (Telephoto), Astro (Wide-angle) Output: JPG, FITS, TIFF, MP4 Shooting Mode: Photos, Videos, Astronomy, Burst Shooting, Time-lapse Photography Storage: 64 GB Battery: Built-in 7000 mAh, supports external USB charging Charging Port: Type-C NPU: 1 TOPS Features: WiFi, NFC NFC One-Touch Connection Astronomy Post-Processing/Appointment Shooting/Astronomy Mosaic Wi-Fi Transmission Range: 15m (open environment) Color: Black Compatibility: iOS & Android smartphones/tablets Warranty: 2-years (24-months) MSRP: $399 Design Charge port On/off button Lens On the DWARF mini itself, it is a pretty minimal affair. On one side, there is a Type-C USB port to charge the non-removable 7000 mAh battery, and on the other side, a large button to power on or off the telescope. The button is flanked by an LED that is green when connected via the DWARFLAB app, or lights up red when being powered off. Below the button, there are four LEDs that indicate battery power. The DWARF mini does not have any sharp edges as all sides are rounded off; it has a good heft to it, but the weight of it feels quite balanced in the hand, so it isn't top or bottom-heavy. On the front there is the DWARFLAB logo which is quite small and there are no other markings on it. The tripod offers full 360° rotation of the motorized base, which allows for tracking for the time-lapse mode, but also for the 90-second captures of nearer objects in the sky, such as the Sun or the moon. Usage To get started, simply power on the DWARF mini and open the DWARFLAB app, tap on Connect, and it will scan for the DWARF mini over the Wi-Fi network. The device supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth for discovery, so connection issues were minimal in my experience with it. As previously noted in the specs, the DWARF mini will stay connected with a phone or tablet up to 15 meters in an open environment, such as a backyard. Lighting status Powering on: The green circular light will rotate and breathe in turn Powering off: The red circular light is gradually extinguished Connecting: Green light strip rotating Connected: Green light strip solid/always on 4 lights 1= 0-25%, 2= 25-50%, 3= 50-75%, 4= 75-100% battery power To view the full lighting status, such as tracking mode and connection failure, you can check the user guide on the official DWARFLAB page. DWARFLAB app Above, you can see the steps undertaken to connect the DWARFLAB app to my Galaxy S26 Ultra. Weirdly, I got an alert that a firmware update failed to get uploaded to the DWARF mini the first time, but upon retrying, it worked. Then place the DWARF mini outside, make sure your smartphone or tablet is connected to it, and then head back inside, because you can manage it from the comfort of your home. Simply enter the Atlas tab in the app and search for what you want to capture, and then tap on the camera icon; the DWARF mini will then attempt to track the object and give you a live view right on your connected device. Results I've had the DWARF mini since April, but even though my garden is south-facing, I had a lot of trouble trying to capture a good image of the moon. In the end, it was possible after I took it with me on a trip to my parents in Southend, UK, at the end of May. Here is a capture of the moon, resulting from 20 stacked images over a 90-second exposure. What you are seeing here is not AI-assisted. A good example of what I mean is the latest flagships with their 200MP cameras claiming to capture things like closeups of the moon, and while they are not as good as the above example on the DWARF mini, the resulting image on smartphones is actually AI-assisted above 30X zoom. Here is an example of a similar shot at the moon at 200X zoom using an HONOR Magic8 Pro. The difference is clear. Next, here we have a shot of the daytime moon. Here is a shot of Arcturus, the red giant star, which is the fourth brightest in the night sky. As previously mentioned, it could be a bit clearer, but clouds passing in front of it muddied the shot a bit. The Sun The DWARF mini also ships with a sun filter, meaning you can take great shots of the sun as well. Tracking Sun Resulting (stacked) shot Live zoom The pictures themselves are limited to Full HD, and some of the examples actually came out in HD (1280x720), but this is because the standard telescopic result is in 720p while "Wide" is in 1080p. Above you can see how in the app the Sun is tracked, the resulting capture, and Live zoom. I have only scratched the surface of what is possible with this telescope; I found several examples online of shots of the Milky Way, among others, such as nebulae and galaxies. All of this requires patience and knowledge, although if you know what you are looking for, simply enter it in the Atlas tab in the DWARFLAB app, tap the camera icon, and the telescope will attempt to track it. Conclusion The good The DWARF mini definitely places itself in a price point that makes astrology accessible to anyone looking to get started in the hobby. Say you want to have a closer look at the moon, simply enter it in the Atlas, and the Live view also lets you zoom in and snap pictures. The bad Some issues I came across while operating the DWARF mini were that it sometimes failed to connect unless I held my smartphone right next to it, and finding and tracking sometimes took several attempts to get it calibrated. I discovered that it helped if I sort of positioned and pointed the telescope in the general area it was supposed to detect, but this obviously wouldn't work with objects you can't see with the naked eye; more testing is required for that. Another bit of advice is to ensure that the lens is clean. While making the examples of live zooming on the sun, I discovered that the telescope lens and sun filter were not completely clean, and only after cleaning with a microfiber cloth was I able to get a decent shot of the sun. Where to buy and a coupon Okay, $399 is not cheap for a side hobby, but nor is a $1,500 smartphone flagship that you'll most likely have for a couple of years. This is a one-time entrance into astrology, and it won't become obsolete in one year like a smartphone. It's a thumbs up from me. The DWARF mini is available to buy right now in the U.S. and U.K. at the links below. DWARF mini for $399 on the official site DWARF mini for $399 on Amazon U.S. Use the NEOWIN5OFF coupon code for an additional 5% off at checkout (expires June 21) As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Adobe Acrobat Reader Dis Continued
    • The name, you mean? If so, it's actually the objects common name. There's another one called NGC 7293 which is also known as Helix Nebula (because we're looking at a helix structure top down) but other times also known as the Eye of God. You'll understand when you see it
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Reacting Well
      X-No-file earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      505
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      272
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      75
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      71
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      69
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!