noggin's posts, page 201

Top of the Pops

If you are watching on Freeview then all 4:3 content is pillarboxed on BBC Four SD "in the background" as all the BBC SD channels broadcast permanently in 16:9 (or certainly used to), and use AFDs to trigger receivers into 4:3 mode If an AFD flagging 12P16 is sent with the 12P16 content. There is no resolution difference in this case.

I believe the same is true of DSat SD - except the AFD is used to trigger an ARC in the Playout chain (and the MPEG2 encoder is switched into 12F12 mode). I don't think that the move to HD Playout has changed this - so I again I don't think there is a resolution improvement for 12F12 broadcasts - though the MPEG2 blocking artefacts will be a different shape I guess, and there might be a marginal improvement.

If you are watching on a 4:3 TV configured for letterbox - I can understand your complaint though.

All of the above is based on the situation a few years ago - don't think it's changed - though I guess the DSat feed could benefit from additional resolution in 4:3 mode IF TOTP is now cached 4:3 SD 12F12 or 16:9 HD 12P16 AND the 12P16 to 12F12 ARC in the DSat chain is actually a 1080i downscaler rather than taking a 16:9 SD downscaled input...

Channel 5 general discussion

Suspect the graphic is added 'live' on Playout by the presentation area (so it isn't burned in for later repeats). The on-demand version is almost certainly generated from the clean master (but may have a standard DOG added during encoding for catch-up - like the BBC do with the top left BBC logo on iPlayer)

Feeds to Irish Channels

There won't be a separate filter - it will be a function of the H264 encoders used in each chain. Saturation can be influenced by changes in luminance/chrominance compression as heavier compression will alter them differentially (which means the RGB result is different)

Afraid I won't be downloading a Word Doc - but if you want to upload separate PNGs ?

ITV abandons the South Bank

Presumably they want to be in the same studio for the run, so that they have continuity of 'look', staff (though to be fair most are freelance), and lighting plots etc. for the run. If the set is changed in anyway (could be a new set?) for TC1 - then it makes sense to do this at the start of a run, not mid-run (which would be much trickier to set-up/look-see/pilot within)

Yes - though SM:TV did move to Riverside before the end of its run didn't it - so they've already left TLS with a show once (and also worked extensively at Fountain - RIP - on BGT)

ITV abandons the South Bank

Eventually - and it didn't help them much...

If all you have to worry about is a killer mid-shot or MCU - then you can design your studio around your backdrop. If you need a versatile and multipurpose studio you can shoot a variety of ways, you need a set (and backdrop outside if you have windows) that is shootable in lots of ways. Daybreak simply didn't have that.

BBC Scotland thread

Hmm - possibly a generic image (BBC Logo, Red texture etc.) might be a better backup than 'IMAGE MISSING'...

ITV abandons the South Bank

Err - they DID do that. The windows were dimmable - Daybreak spent a lot of money on them. That only solves the bright sunshine problem. (Which This Morning have solved more cheaply with their polarising filter solution)

The bigger problem is in the hours of darkness when you need the backdrop outside the windows to be reasonably bright (and your windows to pass as much light as possible), otherwise you end up - at best - with a black wall, at worst a mirror...

The secret of windows at night is that you need your backdrop outside to be lit brightly enough to balance with your studio lighting. You can reduce studio lighting to relatively low levels (and modern cameras have helped hugely) - however you still need something lit outside. Daybreak didn't have that - and they initially reduced their lighting levels so low at times it was incredibly unflattering.

During the late evening some of the buildings in the back of Studio 7's shots (like St Pauls) are illuminated and help solve the problem (and LNN did well to make London Tonight look so good by ensuring their shots only included 'lit' backdrop areas) - but they were largely shooting link shots rather than doing lots of chat. Also AIUI most of the buildings that might have helped Daybreak had their lights switched off in the mornings...

The One Show cope well with their windows at night because at both White City and Broadcasting House they have a backdrop that they were able to light themselves (as the backdrop was largely BBC owned and the BBC could light it). Daybreak's backdrop was far further away, and thus a LOT bigger...

Television Presentation From Defunct Countries and Regimes

Yep - ISTR that VPS used a separate data system which ran at a lower bit-rate (I think) than teletext - and didn't need any form of teletext listings to function. It arrived before PDC, but as it didn't use teletext data it needed its own line in the vertical blanking interval which was seen as wasteful, compared to PDC which used existing teletext capacity to carry its data as additional packets.

Listings magazines in Germany would put the VPS code next to a programme and you entered that number on your VCR remote to record the show. Teletext listings would also include the VPS code, and eventually it became possible to set the VCR from the text listings AIUI - but this was at the point that PDC was also included in VCRs I suspect. (PDC used teletext ancillary packets to send similar information about programme start/stop etc. to your VCR)

VPS codes are distinct from the Gemstar or similar systems that also used codes just to set your timer - but didn't have any programme start/stop and re-schedule data from the broadcaster.

ITV abandons the South Bank

That's what purpose-built TV studios (as distinct from film stages used for TV production) are designed to do. At TV Centre it wasn't unusual to shoot a show one day, strike the set at the end of the day, set a new set overnight, light in the morning, rehearse in the afternoon, record / TX in the evening, and then repeat all over again.

Purpose built studios with saturation lighting rigs, decent set facilities are incredibly useful - particularly for weekly, topical shows, which don't make sense in 'set standing' studios (such as are used for game shows where you record on the same set for days on end)

Sky Catch-Up TV for ITV, C4, C5, etc

The Sky HD catch-up service also offers the highest picture quality of all the HD catch-up platforms for the main broadcasters (though it uses progressive download rather than streaming).

AIUI the BBC iPlayer stuff on Sky is ~8Mbs 1080i compared to ~5Mbs 720p on their streamed platforms (using MPEG-DASH, HLS, HDS etc.)

Sky Catch-Up TV for ITV, C4, C5, etc

Technically they may be able to - but they haven't implemented it.

Sky Catch-Up TV for ITV, C4, C5, etc

Sky catch-up works very differently to the broadcaster operated platforms like iPlayer, ITV Hub, All4 etc.

Broadcasters supply Sky with a master encode of their content, and then Sky handle the distribution via their own CDN (not the broadcaster). As a result there are some differences. Channel 4 have a lot of All4-only content that hasn't been broadcast. That isn't available on the Sky 'All4' branded service. I think Sky have a deal that it is purely a catch-up service for C4.

The quality of Sky's catch-up service is very high though - it includes 1080i content - and has 5.1 Dolby options