noggin's posts, page 131

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NG
noggin Founding member

How did they make the 2001 BBC World Breakfillers?

I have a dim recollection of their being a position in the World Newsroom where the World teletext system could be updated - as it was at that point separate to the CEEFAX operation (licence fee vs commercial funding separation I suspect)

However I also have a recollection that CEEFAX provided text replaced Intelfax at one point prior to the service closing entirely?
NG
noggin Founding member

Channel 4 headquarters in Leeds

Wasn't there a suggestion that Horseferry Road may incorporate some office space for smaller Indies when C4 downsizes in London?
NG
noggin Founding member

The X Factor 2018

Joe posted:
DE88 posted:
It's just like a use-by date for a food product. Wink

And just as many food products are still safe to consume a few days beyond their use-by dates, a TV show can still be generally taken fairly seriously a year or two beyond its ask-by date.

XF's ask-by date, IMO, was during the period when Simon was away.

I think the point was, nobody uses that term. Wink Even a quick Google bring this place up in its first page of results!


I'd assumed it was a typo for axe-by date?
NG
noggin Founding member

How did they make the 2001 BBC World Breakfillers?

I think the Breakfillers at one point were an animated background from a CRV (optical disc player - not quite the same as LaserDisc) with a CG overlaid over the top (something like an Aston or RTX Inscriber or similar, or possibly a PC or Mac with a graphics card that output SD interlaced video). The data was, I believe, derived from the BBC World teletext pages.
NG
noggin Founding member

Live Inside No. 9 breakdown

thegeek posted:
is that the case even with emergency cut?


Not sure how Emergency cut works now it's an IP set-up, unless there is functionality downstream ?

There is also something like a 10-15 frame delay in the IP circuits and the ICE box before the cut point on normal shows too (i.e. you have to factor an ~0.5" delay between you and your output reaching pres, compared to the old HD-SDI days, ignoring additional link delays. This used to be 1-2 frames. Everyone now has to run their opening titles/pre-titles or cue their presenters earlier to mitigate this delay)
NG
noggin Founding member

Live Inside No. 9 breakdown

Steve in Pudsey posted:
Markymark posted:
Steve in Pudsey posted:
I don't know... would the nations pres areas have had access to a feed of production talkback? Easy enough for the director to cue them to cut to the breakdown slide (keeping network audio) just before the studio does and then to come back once the network one is off. Even if the timings were off glimpses of the network breakdown slide before the appropriate nation takes over are not unknown.

But yeah, probably more trouble than it was worth.


You're in the territory of 'Pres' being part of the the programmes's 'production sequence', so it probably crosses a line anyway ?


True, but in the nations, pres are BBC staff, and if they're doing it under the direction of the production I guess it *could* be done by agreement of all concerned - if there was the will and it was felt to be worth the hassle for the spoof to look authentic in the nations who rarely see network pres.


With the new Morpheus ICE "Channel in a Box" IP Playout systems that Red Bee and the BBC Nations have it would have been difficult to have achieved it so slickly. Manually triggered cuts now seem to have something like a 2" pre-roll after all...
NG
noggin Founding member

The X Factor 2018

JamesM0984 posted:

If our version had the glitz, glamour and in several cases, sex appeal of Dancing With The Stars franchises abroad, again I could take it.

But to be outdone by more than 2:1 against the very pedestrian and lethargic Strictly is just embarrassing.


I think you may be making the mistake of thinking that you can map DWTS into the UK - when the reality is that you can't. It's rare for a 'lift and shift' approach to work that well.

Strictly does so well here precisely because it knows its audience. The presentation is quirkier (the hosts on DWTS are instantly forgettable), the Strictly production values are higher in lots of ways (AFAIK DWTS still has no floor projection in their regular studio, just tired gobos, only gaining floor projection only when they move to the shows in a real ballroom, and DWTS has a massively cut-back live band these days)

Strictly has largely avoided quite such an overt 'something for the dads' approach that sometimes you feel impacts elements of DWTS, and the humour that permeates Strictly (from Claudia's 'so bad they're good gags' to the training VTs) really makes a difference. I suspect Strictly It Takes Two helps in generating some loyalty from the super fans too.

Strictly is getting higher ratings in the UK than DWTS in the US - even ignoring the huge population (~5x higher) difference...

DWTS ratings have gone from more than 27m for the final in its earlier days, to just over 8m (less than Strictly is getting for regular shows) - so whatever Strictly is doing is working far better. Regular editions of DWTS are now in the 6-7m range, not adjusted for the population difference...

Having watched a number of International versions - the DWTS, Let's Dance etc. variants - they all seem to be cheaper, with lower production values (small studios with far more basic lighting, and much more limited added production in terms of set and props) and far less concentration and care taken over the actual coverage of the dance. (Strictly still shows you a lot of feet so you can judge the footwork at home - lots of international versions appear to treat it more like a music show)
NG
noggin Founding member

BBC News Channel Presentation - 21/03/16 onwards

chris posted:
I can’t see Victoria Derbyshire lasting at this rate - it’s an awful lot of resource for just an hour long programme, yet has provided a nice way of slowly turning BBC Two mornings to a news channel simulcast.

I think in the case of Derbyshire it might be the other way round? I have a feeling that BBC Two might stump up some cash for Derbyshire (though I don't know if it's a commissioned show - unlike most other news programmes) So it's more a case of the News Channel simulcasting a News show commissioned by/for BBC Two than BBC Two taking the News Channel? (i.e. I'm not sure Derbyshire would exist if it weren't on BBC Two)
NG
noggin Founding member

NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC affiliates and TODAY

Brekkie posted:
Might be expensive but that studio is pretty hideous.


US set design is very different... The ITV Daytime stuff (some of which is US designed) is the closest we have.

I saw the most bizarre high, swivel chairs on Live with Kelly and Ryan recently. So odd to a UK eye.

There's a US TV design vernacular that just doesn't chime with UK audiences. It's a bit like someone's gone a bit mad in a Ligne Roset store.
NG
noggin Founding member

The X Factor 2018

JamesM0984 posted:
Which one? Melodifestivalen has the heart, but it's not an international format.


There have been a number of international formats that use live 'as you watch' interactive voting in the style of the Melodifestivalen heart-voting.

ISTR that C4 had one (or was it C5) in the last few years - which I think was an acquired format.
NG
noggin Founding member

UKTV Presentation

a516 posted:
noggin posted:
a516 posted:
FreeSports and Racing UK are two more channels that have switched to HD only on Virgin Media. Gold HD officially arrived on Virgin on 25th September 2018 replacing SD, but it's mostly upscaled 4:3 content.
There is technically no reason why any SD/HD simulcast should be retained on any channel on Virgin Media UK, other than in those regions where there isn't the correct regional version of BBC One, BBC Two, ITV/STV or Channel 4 in HD.


Are all Virgin boxes in subscribers' homes now HD capable (even if connected to an SD set)? The other usual argument for retaining SD channels (for SD viewers) is that PVR recordings of SD services usually take up a bit less space than HD, so recording the SD version increases your PVR's capacity in 'recording hours' terms.

I guess Virgin are in a much better position than Sky, as they have full control over their set top box inventory, whereas Sky presumably still have a significant number of viewers who own SD boxes (plus AIUI the DSO areas that provided subsidised SD Sky boxes with EPG mapping cards to get the right BBC and ITV variations to those who qualififed for them) which make retiring SD services trickier?


Certainly when DSO was in Derbyshire, I know of households on the Help Scheme that got a basic Freesat SD box (normal retail price at the time was around £40-50) rather than Sky.
Incidentally, over in Germany, where you could easily buy a satellite receiver that worked with Sky, it didn't stop them from moving all of their own SD and HD channels to DVB-S2 MPEG4, meaning older SD-only devices would no longer receive their channels.

Back to UKTV and as long as HD versions of Dave, Drama, Home, Really and Yesterday are encrypted and the other's aren't then there will always be a need to provide two versions. For the remaining channels, it will depend on how much the pay TV platforms want to pay - it appears the HD channels are being held back to those operators that want to pay more or want to have an exclusive on their platform.


The UK DSO subsidised receiver deals were done on a regional basis. Sky had the contract for at least one region.
NG
noggin Founding member

UKTV Presentation

a516 posted:
james-2001 posted:
VMPhil posted:
Yes, which started with Bloomberg and France 24.


One thing that's noticable though is in all three cases, the HD version wasn't carried before, they've just switched the existing channel from SD to HD. I don't think they've taken off any simulcasts yet.

FreeSports and Racing UK are two more channels that have switched to HD only on Virgin Media. Gold HD officially arrived on Virgin on 25th September 2018 replacing SD, but it's mostly upscaled 4:3 content.
There is technically no reason why any SD/HD simulcast should be retained on any channel on Virgin Media UK, other than in those regions where there isn't the correct regional version of BBC One, BBC Two, ITV/STV or Channel 4 in HD.


Are all Virgin boxes in subscribers' homes now HD capable (even if connected to an SD set)? The other usual argument for retaining SD channels (for SD viewers) is that PVR recordings of SD services usually take up a bit less space than HD, so recording the SD version increases your PVR's capacity in 'recording hours' terms.

I guess Virgin are in a much better position than Sky, as they have full control over their set top box inventory, whereas Sky presumably still have a significant number of viewers who own SD boxes (plus AIUI the DSO areas that provided subsidised SD Sky boxes with EPG mapping cards to get the right BBC and ITV variations to those who qualififed for them) which make retiring SD services trickier?