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Test Card F & Pages From BBCi on BBC Three & BBC F

(February 2002)

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DA
david16
Now that the new digital BBCi is in full swing like Ceefax was 20 years ago, and there will be nothing on BBC Three & BBC Four for much of the day when the channels launch.  

I would have thought a great idea would be to reintroduce a nostalgic service like there was on BBC One and Two in the old days when the channels were off air during the daytime.  The new BBC Three & BBC Four are the ideal channels to bring back Test Card F or something simillar (I believe that it's Test Card J now, but it's still the same girl with the noughs and crosses board) and now Pages From BBCi accompanied by some music.

(Edited by david16 at 10:13 pm on Feb. 13, 2002)
NG
noggin Founding member
Err - CBBC and CBeebies are carried on the same transponder space as BBC Choice (hopefully Three eventually) and BBC Knowledge/Four. When BBC Three and Four aren't on-air - their satellite/ DTT capacity will be used by the childrens' services.
ST
Stoo
Coincedentally Testcard W was on all night before CBBC/Cbeebies launched.

Stu
CA
CrystalAvenger
1. The bandwidth for BBC3 and 4 is used for the CBBC channels during the day, so that's why there is nothing on these channels during the daytime. They effectively run between 7pm and 6am.

2. Pages from BBCi as far as I'm aware would be impossible to broadcast. There are considerable differences between the services on DTT and DSat for starters, and also I think the argument is that with Digital text it's so easy to select what you want to read, what's the point of actually broadcasting a cycle of pages from the service, like has been done with Teletext.

No neither of these new channels will broadcast a testcard or 'pages of BBCi' - which frankly I think is a good thing, the BBC should be filling the time with decent programming rather than sticking up some static card (except for any technical work which is understandable) and definately not something all digital viewers can get by default.

Teletext upto about 15 years ago was something only a few could access, so it was fair enough then to show a selection of pages so those without teletext receaving capabilities could see what the service had to offer.
BB
BBC912
If the transponders were free to show anythink in the daytime it would not be pages from BBCi. If anythink they would show programs of what they were showing before. However their is currently no space to show anythink, not even a static caption!
CA
CrystalAvenger
Quote:
BBC912 on 2:22 pm on Feb. 14, 2002
However their is currently no space to show anythink, not even a static caption!
Ah - at least on DTT we get something - even if it is just a light blue screen with details about where the BBC channels are located (I guess that will just be for the next few weeks whilst people readjust to the new channel positions) and when the current channel is on and off air - so much better than just a dark blue screen on Sky.... just Smile
TV
tvmercia Founding member
in the same way that BBC Parliament broadcasts on DTT in sound only (using less space than showing pictures) - i think the BBC should rebroadcast their new DAB radio stations (when they launch) between bbc choice's and bbc knowledge's closedown - until cbbc/cbeebies open ... i know 2am-6am is hardly peak viewing time - but it would give people with out DAB a chance to hear what the new stations are about - in the same way CEEFAX was rebroadcast all those years ago - and still is, if only a few hours a week.

surely at 2am, choice/knowledge could show a MHEG caption, and the 'frequencies' for knowledge & choice split up to carry 4+ radio stations with MHEG captions detailing the nature of each radio station, and how to recieve it 24/7 ... or similar
CA
CrystalAvenger
Quote:
tvmercia on 8:09 pm on Feb. 15, 2002
in the same way that BBC Parliament broadcasts on DTT in sound only (using less space than showing pictures) - i think the BBC should rebroadcast their new DAB radio stations (when they launch) between bbc choice's and bbc knowledge's closedown - until cbbc/cbeebies open ... i know 2am-6am is hardly peak viewing time - but it would give people with out DAB a chance to hear what the new stations are about - in the same way CEEFAX was rebroadcast all those years ago - and still is, if only a few hours a week.

surely at 2am, choice/knowledge could show a MHEG caption, and the 'frequencies' for knowledge & choice split up to carry 4+ radio stations with MHEG captions detailing the nature of each radio station, and how to recieve it 24/7 ... or similar
I must admit that would be something I'd like - the radio stations in digital quality on DTT - well if they can do it on DSat, why not? They could make the mux(es) that output the DAB signals accessable via DTT set top boxes.

I wouldn't have all the channels that are on Sky though - just the BBC stations, and an equal number of commercial stations. I wouldn't bother adding the channels after 870 on the Sky EPG - most of them except the new digital 5 Live Sport channel are pretty poor - ever listened to youthfm.com? It seems they are playing MP3's the whole time - certainly whenever I listen you can actually detect the compression on the tracks being played a lot of the time.
IA
Ian
Quote:
CrystalAvenger on 8:19 pm on Feb. 15, 2002
I must admit that would be something I'd like - the radio stations in digital quality on DTT - well if they can do it on DSat, why not? .


Because once you've got the basic 5, a couple of channels of Sky and some dodgy ones from Carlton you've filled the entire DTT bandwidth!
WI
william Founding member
I don't understand why on earth they still broadcast pages from Ceefax on BBC2...

Surely given the huge number of promos the BBC make for dozens and dozens of programmes and TV/radio channels, they could just run a loop of them with a caption every now and again - a bit like Sky Sports Extra and similar channels do, except less boring.

Or indeed, take News 24 on BBC2 as well for the hour or so its off air overnight occasionally.
ST
Stoo
Personally I think the BBC show pages from Ceefax is if the BBC showed TCW they may be criticised about being old fashoned or wasting airtime.The pages from Ceefax contain news stories, so it probably is for information more than anything.

Stu
JA
james2001 Founding member
The test card was broadcast in downtime right up until mid-1999 and no-one complained about it then. Show the test card, though sadly showing TCF is impossible as it was decommisioned in November 1999.

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