NG
I suspect the BBC Four dog is present when the iPlayer version is sourced from the channel live stream (which will have the DOG). This will be the case if the show hasn't been pre-encoded for iPlayer prior to transmission.
AIUI now we're in the world of chunk-based MPEG DASH/HLS/HDS streaming the live stream can be clipped up for later viewing if need be, just by setting an in-chunk and an out-chunk (which isn't frame accurate, hence you sometimes get slightly wobbly ins and outs). The pre-encoded stuff may be better quality - hence the preference to use it, and pre-encodes will have a BBC dog burned in rather than the channel logo.
noggin
Founding member
What decides if the iPlayer upload gets the BBC logo in the corner or the BBC Four DOG?
It's just something I've noticed with my collection of episodes.
It's just something I've noticed with my collection of episodes.
I suspect the BBC Four dog is present when the iPlayer version is sourced from the channel live stream (which will have the DOG). This will be the case if the show hasn't been pre-encoded for iPlayer prior to transmission.
AIUI now we're in the world of chunk-based MPEG DASH/HLS/HDS streaming the live stream can be clipped up for later viewing if need be, just by setting an in-chunk and an out-chunk (which isn't frame accurate, hence you sometimes get slightly wobbly ins and outs). The pre-encoded stuff may be better quality - hence the preference to use it, and pre-encodes will have a BBC dog burned in rather than the channel logo.
:-(
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Last edited by A former member on 27 March 2021 4:43pm - 4 times in total
DV
This is actually the second series and was discussed at length here first time round. Anyway, the hosts were interviewed on BBC 6 Music this week and did mention some minor tweaks that have been made. Must be doing OK up against Corrie to be recommissioned.
Meanwhile the next TOTP 1985 isn't on BBC Four until Thursday 19 April thanks to The Sky At Night and BBC Young Musician 2018.
Slightly off topic but worth a mention here I think. The BBC have allegedly been attempting to recreate a TOTP kind of show with this new thing called Sounds Like Friday Night. A total fail in my opinion but what really gets me is that they are attempting to place music back in the mainstream early evening schedule just like TOTP always used to be, which is fair enough and a worthy aim, but are effectively stifling any serious chance it has by scheduling it directly against Coronation Street. Why did they choose Friday at 7.30pm anyway, as TOTP was Thursday for decades until the late 90's, and it was only when it shifted to Friday evenings that it accelerated the audience drifting off.
This is actually the second series and was discussed at length here first time round. Anyway, the hosts were interviewed on BBC 6 Music this week and did mention some minor tweaks that have been made. Must be doing OK up against Corrie to be recommissioned.
Meanwhile the next TOTP 1985 isn't on BBC Four until Thursday 19 April thanks to The Sky At Night and BBC Young Musician 2018.
RD
Does anyone know what the name of the font used on the 1985 TOTP is? I often found the use of fonts on TOTP extremely poor in the years that followed on from the current one. Don't even get me started on the main TOTP logo change when they dropped the classic one for that monstrosity that showed up during 1986. Whoever designed it must have been on a YTS graphic design scheme or something because it was a shockingly amateur effort.
Clarendon bold italic.
Not sure about the 1986-89 fonts, but the later ones I can identify are:
1990-91 – Kabel (more famously used by The Big Breakfast)
1991 reboot – a condensed version of Friz Quadrata
1995 reboot (the Ric Blaxill era) – Template Gothic
Does anyone know what the name of the font used on the 1985 TOTP is? I often found the use of fonts on TOTP extremely poor in the years that followed on from the current one. Don't even get me started on the main TOTP logo change when they dropped the classic one for that monstrosity that showed up during 1986. Whoever designed it must have been on a YTS graphic design scheme or something because it was a shockingly amateur effort.
Clarendon bold italic.
Not sure about the 1986-89 fonts, but the later ones I can identify are:
1990-91 – Kabel (more famously used by The Big Breakfast)
1991 reboot – a condensed version of Friz Quadrata
1995 reboot (the Ric Blaxill era) – Template Gothic
:-(
A former member
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Last edited by A former member on 27 March 2021 4:42pm - 3 times in total
RW
Robert Williams
Founding member
There's an interview with the designer of the 1973-86 logo here:
https://richardmorrison.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/bob-blagden-designer-of-the-totp-logo/
https://richardmorrison.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/bob-blagden-designer-of-the-totp-logo/
RW
I imagine it was a case of wanting to keep with the changing times and keep the show looking fresh, which is what it had failed to do in the 70s. The style of the show remained the same for several years from 1973, leaving it looking hopelessly outdated by the start of the 80s. Even following the 1980 revamp it took another year to update the chart graphics and theme music to something more in tune with the times.
Robert Williams
Founding member
With a constant change in the years following 1985 it made the show lose a sense of its identity I feel.
I imagine it was a case of wanting to keep with the changing times and keep the show looking fresh, which is what it had failed to do in the 70s. The style of the show remained the same for several years from 1973, leaving it looking hopelessly outdated by the start of the 80s. Even following the 1980 revamp it took another year to update the chart graphics and theme music to something more in tune with the times.
Last edited by Robert Williams on 8 April 2018 10:16am
VM
I imagine it was a case of wanting to keep with the changing times and keep the show looking fresh, which is what it had failed to do in the 70s. The style of the show remained the same for several years from 1973, leaving it looking hopelessly outdated by the start of the 80s. Even following the 1980 revamp it took another year to update the chart graphics and theme music to something more in tune with the times.
Yep - say what you will about the show itself but I think they did a good job keeping the graphics and theme tune updated as the sound of pop/chart music changed over the years. Though in the later years they brought back some heritage as the last two theme tunes were contemporary remixes of earlier ones.
With a constant change in the years following 1985 it made the show lose a sense of its identity I feel.
I imagine it was a case of wanting to keep with the changing times and keep the show looking fresh, which is what it had failed to do in the 70s. The style of the show remained the same for several years from 1973, leaving it looking hopelessly outdated by the start of the 80s. Even following the 1980 revamp it took another year to update the chart graphics and theme music to something more in tune with the times.
Yep - say what you will about the show itself but I think they did a good job keeping the graphics and theme tune updated as the sound of pop/chart music changed over the years. Though in the later years they brought back some heritage as the last two theme tunes were contemporary remixes of earlier ones.
:-(
A former member
The member requested removal of this post
Last edited by A former member on 27 March 2021 4:40pm
DJ
Does anyone know what the name of the font used on the 1985 TOTP is? I often found the use of fonts on TOTP extremely poor in the years that followed on from the current one. Don't even get me started on the main TOTP logo change when they dropped the classic one for that monstrosity that showed up during 1986. Whoever designed it must have been on a YTS graphic design scheme or something because it was a shockingly amateur effort.
Clarendon bold italic.
Not sure about the 1986-89 fonts, but the later ones I can identify are:
1990-91 – Kabel (more famously used by The Big Breakfast)
1991 reboot – a condensed version of Friz Quadrata
1995 reboot (the Ric Blaxill era) – Template Gothic
ISTR at 'the other place', James 2001 did an excellent TOTP recreation (using Premiere?) for the video for "Talking Loud and Clear" by OMD, due to issues with the original broadcast the BBC deemed unsuitable for broadcast in 2017 & therefore skipped (rather than just giving a disclaimer at the start of the episode)
Does anyone know what the name of the font used on the 1985 TOTP is? I often found the use of fonts on TOTP extremely poor in the years that followed on from the current one. Don't even get me started on the main TOTP logo change when they dropped the classic one for that monstrosity that showed up during 1986. Whoever designed it must have been on a YTS graphic design scheme or something because it was a shockingly amateur effort.
Clarendon bold italic.
Not sure about the 1986-89 fonts, but the later ones I can identify are:
1990-91 – Kabel (more famously used by The Big Breakfast)
1991 reboot – a condensed version of Friz Quadrata
1995 reboot (the Ric Blaxill era) – Template Gothic
ISTR at 'the other place', James 2001 did an excellent TOTP recreation (using Premiere?) for the video for "Talking Loud and Clear" by OMD, due to issues with the original broadcast the BBC deemed unsuitable for broadcast in 2017 & therefore skipped (rather than just giving a disclaimer at the start of the episode)