noggin's posts, page 304

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NG
noggin Founding member

Anglia/East of England News Discussion

m_in_m posted:
I've always assumed the Oxbridge plan was one of the reasons the old Cambridge studios were retained for so long.

I could never understand whether as a geographical area joining Cambridge and Oxford would have actually made sense.


South Today posted:
m_in_m posted:
I've always assumed the Oxbridge plan was one of the reasons the old Cambridge studios were retained for so long.

I could never understand whether as a geographical area joining Cambridge and Oxford would have actually made sense.


Sadly still empty too!


When you both say 'Old Cambridge Studios' do you mean the small Hills Road site where Radio Cambridgeshire was based, and where the Look East TV operation in Cambridge was also based (initially a DTL studio and single edit suite, then expanding with a small Close Up opt coming from the local radio centre cubicle, then a larger studio where the old radio newsroom used to be)? The main building was shared with Logica (and a few others possibly) The gallery was expanded a bit, and got a second-hand larger Ross mixer from Anglia (then the old All Saints Road GVG possibly)

That building was always a problem as the BBC bit was too small (it actually got smaller when Close Up started as the TV edit moved into the radio station rather than being in a small space next door) When the sub-opt arrived the combined TV and Radio newsroom moved into a neighbouring building (also used by a Solicitors) but lease renewal was an issue, and so alternate newsroom space was found. AIUI the site is now being redeveloper (or is due to be) since Logica also moved out of the main building Radio Cambridgeshire was in?

If those are the 'old Cambridge studios' you were talking about - I don't think I'd read anything into them being empty.
NG
noggin Founding member

Test idents for the ITV 1989

Doesn't look typical of that era to me. Feels like a mock. You had Paintbox, Harry, Encore or Mirage in high-end finishing suites then, or Kaleidoscope. That treatment looks a bit unusual for that era of kit.
NG
noggin Founding member

ITV have recommissioned Blankety Blank

jamiehotrocks posted:
I was just going to mention Vernon Kay! However I would LOVE to see Peter Kay do this revival.


Never been convinced Peter is that spontaneously funny. He's great with scripted stuff - not sure I've ever seen him do stuff on-the-hoof.
NG
noggin Founding member

NOW TV

London Lite posted:
noggin posted:
London Lite posted:
NOW TV have updated their streaming quality page. The Smart Box joins Apple TV in offering 720p HD on all live streams. Personally, I think Comedy Central and GOLD are still 480p SD, but the others on the Cinema and Entertainment Pass are certainly HD.

http://help.nowtv.com/article/Streaming-Quality


Regarding iPlayer. It appears via the Smart Box, all live streams are 720/50 including the Olympics streams except for Parliament, S4C and BBC Alba. S4C is supposed to increase to 720 at some point after the relaunch of the linear HD channel.

Now TV appears to be 720/25, this includes the sports channels.

Have they introduced 50p streams for any outlets yet ? (Does iPlayer on NOWTV use the 720/50p streams?)

50p makes a huge difference to stuff shot native 50Hz - mainly sport and entertainment.


The Smart Box is streaming BBC iPlayer HD streams at 720/50, with the exception of Parliament, S4C (which is due to upgrade to HD soon) and BBC ALBA if set to 'Best Quality'

720/50 should be the case for all BBC HD streams as they no longer use Flash for their live streams, moving over to HLS.

From what I can tell from when I used one of my free Sports Passes recently, the HD stream appeared to be 720/25.

It's worth clarifying that the official line is that all other platforms with the exception of Apple TV and the Now TV Smart Box are SD for Entertainment, movies and kids live streams. These include the cheaper NOW TV boxes and Roku streamers, even though the Smart Box is basically a stripped Roku 4.


Good to hear the hardware does 720/50p with no problems. If Sky updated their NOW streams to 50p then it would be an interesting proposition. (For the channels that would benefit that is)
NG
noggin Founding member

Greatest News Themes of All Time

Andrew posted:
Londoner posted:
Also the Guy Michelmore theme for South Today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STkqJxjbmRY

I was never a fan of those mid 90s orchestral themes and I think suddenly they became dated which was part of the reason why the BBC decided to go with a corporate look. Look East had one as well.

Quote:
I quite like the original Newsroom South East theme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHXqaRDcdgM

Like about 3 themes all in one, crashing from one to another, ok until 13 secs, then a little bit of something, then something else at 15 secs then something else again at 16 secs, plus the theme seems to end about 3 times as well.

Quote:
LWT News (there are better/longer versions of the music elsewhere):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF6zpl9zccQ

I did like that one, fitted in well with the image of LWT


Totally agree with all three points. The only orchestral 90s themes I think really worked were the two different Spotlight ones used by BBC South West in Plymouth. The titles sequences were so OTT they kind of coped with the OTT nature of the music. I think most regions improved with the introduction of the generic BBC News music and titles, but like many here, I think Spotlight lost out.

This (much posted) edit shows just how awful some of the 1830 English regions and nations titles were ;
though Look North in Newcastle was very well executed for the time.
NG
noggin Founding member

NOW TV

London Lite posted:
NOW TV have updated their streaming quality page. The Smart Box joins Apple TV in offering 720p HD on all live streams. Personally, I think Comedy Central and GOLD are still 480p SD, but the others on the Cinema and Entertainment Pass are certainly HD.

http://help.nowtv.com/article/Streaming-Quality


Have they introduced 50p streams for any outlets yet ? (Does iPlayer on NOWTV use the 720/50p streams?)

50p makes a huge difference to stuff shot native 50Hz - mainly sport and entertainment.
NG
noggin Founding member

"Double Exposure" Effect on Candles/Lights

james-2001 posted:
I have actually seen the effect on some filmed stuff. I'm presuming they must be colour telerecordings of video material (it was on a music video shown on a 1980 TOTP that was on BBC4 last year, for example), as I don't think this effect would happen with telecined film, unless I'm wrong?


No - you'd see it on something shot on tubed cameras and then telerecorded (kinescoped for US readers) to film. Film telecined to video wouldn't have had it by the time we got to colour telecines. TOTP often got US stuff shot on video, delivered on film.

Sticky/laggy tubes and comet tailing, along with image burn in, were a fact of life with tubed cameras. I remember being really disappointed when TOTP moved to Elstree, as it switched back to tubed cameras, afte havingr just switched to CCDs mainly at TV Centre. Although CCDs would white or red line (well early ones did) on highlights, giving you a sharp white or red line the full height of the picture on highlights, this was a lot less annoying, in some ways, than a tubed handlheld covered with spots left over from the lasers on a previous performance...
NG
noggin Founding member

Greatest News Themes of All Time

dbl posted:
Compared to WSVN 7 in Miami, that seems classy!

Liking NRK Nyheter's previous theme, although the new Royksöpp produced music isn't bad either:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owJupJGWHNQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaPHyd1e4Sw


Totally agree. The previous NRK music was very suitable and did a great job, but the Royksopp stuff is so classy, and appropriate for NRK's style of presentatio, and just so well produced. It's one of my favourites.
NG
noggin Founding member

Greatest News Themes of All Time

tmorgan96 posted:
Mr Q posted:
guest03 posted:
This is my favourite theme tune from Germany:

Although it's ridiculously over the top, I quite like ProSieben's Newstime branding from around 2005.


Definitely wouldn't suit a standard, serious newscast - but Prosieben is positioned at the more tabloid end of the spectrum. Viewed in that light, I think this opening works quite well!
1998's branding is amazing as well. So fast paced and flashy, yet surprisingly modern and timeless.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e03JxUI3oq4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e03JxUI3oq4


"Modern and timeless"? It's amazing how perceptions differ. I'd put that as dated and very early 90s. (It would have felt dated, to me, in 1998)
NG
noggin Founding member

BBC Three Closure

Stuart posted:
noggin posted:
Upside of streaming is that you can jump around a stream and skip randomly - which you can't do on Sky with a slow IP connection.

Actually, you can still 'skip randomly' within the downloaded element of the programme even on Sky with a slow IP connection.


The now/next banner will always show how much has been downloaded . . . here's one I started a couple of minutes ago:

http://i66.tinypic.com/309pxz9.jpg

. . . and you can jump to any point within that by simply choosing a time from the 'play' screen . . .

http://i67.tinypic.com/2n1e0t4.jpg

It's not quite the same as jumping within a live stream, but unless you are desperate for something later in the programme immediately, then the delay is worth it for the improved quality.

I suspect that is anyone has an IP connection that is very slow , then they would choose their 'On Demand' selections earlier than those with more instant downloads, to allow themselves to move quickly through the programme if required.


I didn't think you could skip randomly, only within the linearly downloaded section (i.e. you can't jump 45 minutes into an hour show when only the first few minutes have downloaded - it only lets you jump around the downloaded content, rather than leaving holes and letting you download the later parts of a show before the earlier parts)
NG
noggin Founding member

Olympics 2016

Brekkie posted:
dosxuk posted:
elmarko posted:
Oh, also is there a list of who is doing what event for OBS?


I've not seen anyone reply to this yet, so courtesy of SVG:

Quote:
Athletics: YLE Finland will handle all events in the Olympics Stadium, and VRT Belgium will produce Marathon and Race Walking.
Football: Globo Brazil is producing matches in São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, and Maracanã; NHK, matches in BrasÍlia; OBS, Manaus matches; and YLE Finland, those at the Olympic Stadium.

Anyone know who did the ceremonies considering they were in the Maracanã rather than the Olympic Stadium. After the issues in 2012 I suspect Globo being responsible would have been preferred by the ceremony directors over YLE.


I believe the opening ceremony was directed, vision mixed and script supervised by a British team. Not sure who produced.
NG
noggin Founding member

BBC Three Closure

Upside of Sky's approach is constant quality, and you have a stored recording allowing you to watch again. Sky use this to their advantage - delivering 1080i with Dolby 5.1 at around 8Mbs - which is effectively off-air quality. (Arguably their SD H264 stuff is better than off-air MPEG2...) Works particularly well for delivering high quality if you have sub-par broadband (though at the expense of a delay)

Upside of streaming is that you can jump around a stream and skip randomly - which you can't do on Sky with a slow IP connection.

I've not seen anything to match the quality of Sky's implementation though.
Last edited by noggin on 13 August 2016 11:06pm