noggin's posts, page 287

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NG
noggin Founding member

International News Presentation: Past and Present

ZDF in Germany has refreshed the look of Mittagsmagazin ("Midday Magazine"):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gltDuBcbac


Oh - their VR studio hasn't got any better has it? There are still a lot of quite unpleasant VR moves in that design that just don't work (the down-the-line zoom into the screen for instance) Just because you can, doesn't mean you should... (What's wrong with a cut now and again?)
NG
noggin Founding member

25, 30, 60 Frames Per Second

Though at least if you shot 1080p50 you could say 'it was shot progressive'...


Surely they could make that claim if it was shot in UHD as well? As there's no interlacing there at all.


Yes - 2160/50p and 2160/59.94p (as well as the 2x frame rate variants) can be described as 'shot progressive' - just as a lot of ABC/Fox/ESPN 720/59.94p stuff can be in the US...
NG
noggin Founding member

BBC News Channel Presentation - 21/03/16 onwards

Linked to the Met Office losing the contract?


I wouldn't be surprised. Peter also presents/chairs Gardener's Question Time on Radio 4, and reports for other shows for the radio, in addition to his weather presenting (and forecasting) duties. I wonder if he will concentrate on these, or split his time between Met Office off-air duties and his continuing presenting/reporting work? Time will tell.
NG
noggin Founding member

BBC News at Six

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.
NG
noggin Founding member

BBC News at Six

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.
NG
noggin Founding member

Eurovision 2017

Wonder if the semi-finals might get a promotion to BBC2 then.


Very much doubt it. 2000-2200 is peak-time BBC Two. I cannot see them putting the non-voting SF on BBC Two, and to be honest I can't really see them putting the voting SF on BBC Two either.

As the UK isn't competing in the SFs, there is understandably far less interest here . AIUI this is also pretty similar to the situation in the other Big 5 countries, where they really only appeal to die-hard ESC fans who want to see the competing entries we might face in the GF.

I think they are very likely to remain on BBC Four.
NG
noggin Founding member

25, 30, 60 Frames Per Second

1/100th always looks a bit 'shuttered' to me though. It's effectively a 180degree shutter - so gives 50i a 'film look' at twice the frame rate. (I have seen it used very effectively though - particularly on music)


I'd argue it could be a good look for drama... if producers were actually prepared to try and make some that way anyway.


It might go some way to mitigating the supposed "cheap" look (which is all just in our heads anyway), but it might go the other way - mobile video, which is becoming more watched, tends to have the high-speed shutter look, probably for hardware performance reasons.


I doubt it - the smooth motion you get with 50Hz capture is the issue for most. Though at least if you shot 1080p50 you could say 'it was shot progressive'... (And some might not notice...)

I'm not sure what you mean about mobile video - unless you mean video shot on mobiles?

Quote:

Mucking about with a bit of Eastenders makes me think they use about a 270 degree shutter equivalent.


EastEnders is shot on HSC300s and PDW700s I think - both of which are standard Sony 2/3" cameras (the HSC300 can't shoot 25p - so EE won't be going 25p any time soon) I doubt they put any additional shutter in - so I'd expect them to be running close to 360 degree shutter (i.e. 1/50th second exposure for every frame that produces individual fields) That is effectively how tubed cameras worked (though I guess vertical blanking reduced the exposure period a small amount), and I guess standard CCD broadcast cameras emulate that to a degree (albeit without the tube equivalent of rolling shutter)
NG
noggin Founding member

25, 30, 60 Frames Per Second

1/100th always looks a bit 'shuttered' to me though. It's effectively a 180degree shutter - so gives 50i a 'film look' at twice the frame rate. (I have seen it used very effectively though - particularly on music)


I'd argue it could be a good look for drama... if producers were actually prepared to try and make some that way anyway.


50p drama is unlikely any time soon. Too many producers associate it with soap and 'cheap'. I saw a very good Swedish costume drama shot with all the production values, lighting etc. of a high-budget drama, but at 50Hz (probably an early 720/50p HD production) and it looked great.
NG
noggin Founding member

25, 30, 60 Frames Per Second

(1/150th shuttered 50i looks very odd - i.e. SuperSlowMo cameras cut to air live)


I always found 1/100th shuttered 50i to look the most natural - it's what I've used in the past when I've had to simulate motion blur. 1/50th was too blurry, though I had expected it to be the most natural.


1/100th always looks a bit 'shuttered' to me though. It's effectively a 180degree shutter - so gives 50i a 'film look' at twice the frame rate. (I have seen it used very effectively though - particularly on music)
NG
noggin Founding member

BBC News at Six

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.


That would be possible in Glasgow and Belfast, which both have HD news galleries, but AIUI Cardiff is still SD, so couldn't soft-opt on BBC One Wales HD?
NG
noggin Founding member

BBC News at Six

The nations/regions have a busy sequence in and out of the One/Six/Ten headlines. They opt away from the last trail at 59:50 to a regional BBC One Ident, 10 seconds, naming national and regional presenters. Then network for the national headlines, then opt for 12 seconds for the local headline then back to the network.


In the nations, where is the 'opt out' cutting done, in pres, or in the news gallery ? (the latter using London output as an external source ?)


I think it takes place in Pres usually. In Wales it would have to I think - as the local news gallery is SD.
NG
noggin Founding member

BBC News at Six

Fascinating to see, I wish I'd been in yesterday to be able to see it in tandem with the broadcast version. In terms of the comparison with much older talkback recordings, I guess things like ENPS make a great deal of difference, nobody is shouting for scripts, everybody can see if packages are ready, the presenter can see which cameras they are using in the next sequence because it's all pre-planned, so it makes things a lot calmer and a lot less has to be said over talkback.


Yes - ENPS (and BASYS before it) revolutionised news production - though until the mid-to-late 90s paper scripts were still used rather than directing from screen in some BBC News control rooms (BBC World moved to screen directing before the One/Six/Ten I think - News 24 was screen based from launch, and by 1999 BBC One bulletins were)

George was still confirming cameras with Chris, and I think that is still the norm. The FM and Presenter will still be listening for camera direction from the director. The move away from tape TX to server in the early 00s allowed you a clearer view of what material was ready for TX, but even today you are still able to play directly from the edit suite should it not hit the playout server in time.

Quote:

I was surprised that the "Sonic Sophie" doesn't appear to have multiple voices (like a car sat nav) - it must be confusing when Sophie is presenting to also have her voice doing the counts? Also a bit surprised that there didn't seem to be a count into the regional opts, just a "nations and regions next" followed by "opt out, opt out". Did I understand what Chris said correctly that the system does count that down on the talkback circuit to the regions but presumably not heard in the gallery?

I think you can hear Huw's voice counting out of the regional opt. There may be a separate audio output carrying this count, so it is louder on regional talkback than Sophie's package counts (which are of less interest to Nations and English Regions)