The Newsroom

BBC News at Six

Live Gallery Simulcast 07-Dec-2016 on Facebook (December 2016)

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BA
Bail Moderator
In the analogue days I could spot my regions opt due to a 2 frame lag, usually on the neighbors credits before the promos and regional symbol. #geek
SP
Steve in Pudsey
I can always spot Leeds opting, but just because they put up a cue dot to prove they are in circuit
MA
Markymark
Bail posted:
In the analogue days I could spot my regions opt due to a 2 frame lag, usually on the neighbors credits before the promos and regional symbol. #geek


Still there (at least here in the south). I often catch a stutter during the final package on the 10pm news
VM
VMPhil
You used to be able to tell in Breakfast because BBC North West's clock was noticeably different than the network clock (and would appear a few minutes before the regional news). Doesn't happen now of course.
NG
noggin Founding member
Bail posted:
In the analogue days I could spot my regions opt due to a 2 frame lag, usually on the neighbors credits before the promos and regional symbol. #geek


That was because some regions 'cheated' and used synchronisers. Some other regions used to genlock to network, so there was no frame jump.
EL
elmarko
I'm from Blackpool originally and I always remember it on NW Tonight.
NG
noggin Founding member
It shouldn't be in the nations. It used to be in the regions when things were analogue.


Yes, operationally I assume 'soft' and 'hard' opting are only terms and procedures that apply in the regions, not nations?

I imagine some nations would prefer to soft-opt the One/Six/Ten headlines (and One/Six Promos) - and I think Belfast and Glasgow have HD news galleries so could do so. I don't think Cardiff have an HD news operation, so I don't think they could.

Quote:

The nations are essentially how the ITV regions used to be, running their own schedule ( albeit cut and pasted from London for significant periods) and having full pres and playout facilities. I'd forgotten Cardiff still has an SD news gallery, so Noggin is quite right, the 'opting' ( as such) has to currently be performed in pres. Glasgow and Belfast could do it in either control room


Yes - though Nations pres historically sometimes worked by opting in and out of network / BBC One England pres, so the network area was itself soft-opting.
SP
Steve in Pudsey
I guess in Scotland there is no benefit to pres doing the cuts during the headline sequence. Just adds an extra layer of complexity and extra opportunities for human error.
RK
Rkolsen
I think it's been said that they can do it either way, either as a soft opt and the news studio does it or pres does it, depending on what is operationally more convenient on the day.


I don't know the proper term/phrase for this for this but does regular non News BBC programming from the English regions flow from the BBC One playout through the regions presentation gallery, back to the CCR (is that where the MUXes are coded) and then to the transmitter? Or do they just feed the opts to CCR (doesn't ITV follow this method) ?
IS
Inspector Sands

I don't know the proper term/phrase for this for this but does regular non News BBC programming from the English regions flow from the BBC One playout through the regions presentation gallery, back to the CCR (is that where the MUXes are coded) and then to the transmitter?

Kind of. The channel passes through the regional centre but not necessarily their gallery (the English Regions don't have presentation galleries, just news ones). So the places that code the channels for air get a feed of that region 24/7.

Quote:
Or do they just feed the opts to CCR (doesn't ITV follow this method) ?

Kind of. My understanding is that the output of the regional news studios is sent to playout and they just cut to the relevant studio for each region. That's upstream of whatever they do for coding and Multiplexing, each variant of ITV has different ads as well as news
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 10 December 2016 8:14am
SP
Steve in Pudsey
Just to slightly clarify some potentially ambiguous wording - the regions used to have presentation galleries but these became redundant for that initial purpose but were used for short news opts, often self operated by the presenter.

Many regions (if not all?) do still have a second gallery designed for simpler output with much lower staffing levels, which is used for the short bulletins at Breakfast, and is often referred to as "Pres" for historical reasons, but in some places as the "Bulletin Control Room" (or is that just the nations where they can't call it pres for obvious reasons?)

It can still be used to do pres-like functions, playing out pre-recorded regional programmes etc, but it is really a mini news gallery.

That said, these galleries are pretty comprehensively equipped, they can run a whole 6.30 programme if required. Leeds has done this when their main gallery had an equipment failure, and I believe Plymouth used Bristol's pres studio and DTL studio to get on air when their refurb project went pear shaped and left them without power fairly recently.
HA
harshy Founding member
Wow I loved that Facebook Live that was excellent, so many sources to look at and they still get it right Smile

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