smw's posts, page 9

New look for ntl

You can still use it to see whats on other channels, excpet it keeps saying 'Please see guide for programme info' or whatever and stops working on pn channel 507 or something and just switches off. You also have to press Browse instead of select to get the programme description which is a little awkward as it turns off pretty quickly. And when it said to see guide, I did and that wasn't working either!

The Pace 1000 boxes may be supreior but by the time they make the most of them they will probably be out of date.

New look for ntl

The main problem with ntl is that it just lags so far behind Sky and even Freeview. The interactive content on ntl is just rubbish and its been ages since Sky has has much much better stuff.

And look at Sky+, I mean when will ntl ever come up with a similar thing, by the time they do Sky will have gone onto something else. I', no Sky fan but we are seriously considering getting Sky+ because its so much better than the crap we have now and at least you know that you'll be getting the latest technology because Sky seem always to come up with the good, new ideas.

New look for ntl

We got the update last week and what a mess it is!

Firstly the colours are awful, very ITVesq but worse.

They've changed all the buttons around so that bow Browse doesn't mean browse it means programme information and you can't do things like skip from 300 to 300 on the 'mini-guide' or go to the 1st channel.

And we've had nothing but problems with it, the first night it kept freezing and then yesterday the mini-guide didn't have any programme information.

ntl really are complete crap, the previous browse etc was good, but now they've just destroyed it and made it as crap as everything else. And they really need to sort the interactiv stuff, its pretty embaressing that Freeview has better interactive content that a subscription service that has been around a lot longer.

Rant over!

Five Live Music

He was actually, on a Sunday afternoon.

Majority Want Change to TV Fee

Interesting debate last night, but I feel that many people miss the point of the BBC. Namely that if you make the BBC only broadcast shows that noone else would you make it so weak that noone will watch.

The reason why programmes like The Blue Planet, The Human Body etc etc do so well is that they are on a popular channel. Even if they had been on BBC Two they would not have done as well. We need a strong BBC in order to make the PSB element of it worth-while.

Also I thought that some of the points were out-dated or just plain wrong. Lofestyle programmes may have dominated the BBC One Schedule in the mid to late 90s but they don't anymore and also the BBC shoving Linda Barker down our thoats like the one guy said, thats ITV!

I felt a little sorry for Mark Byford because he really couldn't say anything that wasn't in defense of the BBC. He couldn't say the Govenors needed to change because it would then effect his relationship with them.

No one is going to argue that the BBC is perfect but it does make TV in this country better than it would be if we didn't have it. Perhaps the funding of the BBC will change but we need to insure that we don't lose a strong PSB that can make challening programmes which will be popular. The seperation of the BBCs PSB elements and entertainment elements would be ridiculous. Imagine that BBC One was pure entertainmentt and BBC TWO pure PSB, there are two major issues:

How do you distinguish between the two - what is PSB?

BBC One would still need to compete with ITV1 which would lead to BBC Two scheduling programmes against two huge channels. Who would watch? The BBC would effectivly be competeing against itself and killing PSB because it would be forced into competeing even more with ITV1. At the moment the BBC can use scheduling to promote PSB programmes.

My main point is really that the BBC does need to improve and change with th times but we need it. We need a broadcaster that isn't chasing ratings in the same way as commercial channels. And what is most important is that we need a strong PSB and not one that is made so weak that it can't compete with commercial rivals.

Breakfast News Extra

I think Juliet Morris presented it for a bit - wasn't it broadcast from the Breakfast News office... it was basically a phone in, IIRC., or it atleast had some guests to talk about some stories/issues, anyway. I don't know when it started but it was the era after the 'Blue' studio and the titles had clocks and clouds in it I think.

Hope that helps!

SMW

New Look BBC National News

What I mean is that sometimes BBC Wales do things, like change graphics to match the national news or News 24 just as the channels themselves are about to change.

Sometimes Wales Today use the story graphics which News 24 used before the batch before last, the ones with the story title at the top and the two line explanation underneath that didn't go right across the screen. They started using that, for no real reason, just before News 24 stopped using it.

Thats what I meant.

New Look BBC National News

But when it comes to BBC Wales, nothing really makes sense does it?

ITV News Relaunch

Here's an idea, perhaps they could have two sets that were different, one for national news and one for the News Channel - surely it can't effect the runnning costs that much, as they obviously need to use two studios for part of the day anyway!

ITV News Relaunch

I think this is a major flaw of the ITV NC... how can they really offer a proper service to compete with News 24 and Sky if they don't have proper sport and business team. And, what about interactive? They will surely need to offer sport and business then and they'll need a good team then, which they dont have at the moment.

At the moment it still needs a lot of work and unless they make a real effort, more than just a new studio, there is no way they will be abl eto compete with News 24 and Sky let alone overtake them.

ITV News Relaunch

I've only seen a bit of the ITV NC but from what I've seen it just looks really bad - cheap and fake. The studio I thought sounded really impressive but what I've seen, it just looks really boring and very badly used.

The big screen used for interviws just looks really stupid - why not actually use the real screen that they have?

Also , they still don't seem to be acting like a proper news channel, I was watching at 11pm last night and there were adverts till about 5 past, now I know thats cos of the News At 10.30 but surely they could do something. Then when they did start they just went straight into the main story, no headlines, no titles no nothing and you really can't run a news channel like that.

If they think they are going to be a major success and overtake News 24 and Sky News they will need to try much. much harder.

SMW

Kilroy

I'm sure I read somewhere that the show would have a new name, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. However I couldn't see anything that said the show would have the SAME name either and there is nothing in the BBC Statement that suggests that it'll have the same name, just that it'll be made by Kilroys production company.