SP
Probably linked to contributions into the News Channel/national bulletins rather than an impending launch of HD opt outs.
MA
And a number of DTL interview positions in the English regions are HD, (DIRAC encoders over 270 meg links ?)
I wouldn't read too much into it. New kit is HD by default, so as the fleet is renewed it's going to be HD by default. Crew cameras in the regions have been HD for some years now.
And a number of DTL interview positions in the English regions are HD, (DIRAC encoders over 270 meg links ?)
NG
I don't think you can read too much into that. BBC News now operate the BBC English Regions news operations, and the newsgathering facilities (particularly regional SNG and VSat trucks) are funded to provide coverage for network news (which has been HD for a couple of years now since the move to NBH)
Similarly all new tapeless ENG/PSC cameras bought by English regions and BBC News over the last few years have been HD / SD switchable (e.g. PMW 500s, the cheap JVC VJ cameras etc.) "Inside Out" in many regions (all?) is now routinely produced in HD, with one region selected each week to be broadcast in HD on BBC One England HD, and in some cases cut-downs of Inside Out reports have been broadcast in HD on The One Show and other BBC News HD outlets.
That doesn't mean English regions will be rushing to upgrade their studios to HD - even if they have HD studio cameras. AIUI the upgrade at BBC Plymouth has caused a major rethink in how HD production upgrades should happen, with a lot of discussion about whether the Local Radio VILOR model (which is heavily based on remote IP-based production - with equipment housed off-site in data centres) could be a more cost-effective approach (and less disruptive on-site potentially)
However there was a charter aim to get BBC One HD in England to be regionalised - though that could be SD upconversions of regional content in the first instance.
noggin
Founding member
Seeing more and more new HD trucks for the regions on 16e. Latest I saw was Norwich HD. Maybe signs of things to come...
I don't think you can read too much into that. BBC News now operate the BBC English Regions news operations, and the newsgathering facilities (particularly regional SNG and VSat trucks) are funded to provide coverage for network news (which has been HD for a couple of years now since the move to NBH)
Similarly all new tapeless ENG/PSC cameras bought by English regions and BBC News over the last few years have been HD / SD switchable (e.g. PMW 500s, the cheap JVC VJ cameras etc.) "Inside Out" in many regions (all?) is now routinely produced in HD, with one region selected each week to be broadcast in HD on BBC One England HD, and in some cases cut-downs of Inside Out reports have been broadcast in HD on The One Show and other BBC News HD outlets.
That doesn't mean English regions will be rushing to upgrade their studios to HD - even if they have HD studio cameras. AIUI the upgrade at BBC Plymouth has caused a major rethink in how HD production upgrades should happen, with a lot of discussion about whether the Local Radio VILOR model (which is heavily based on remote IP-based production - with equipment housed off-site in data centres) could be a more cost-effective approach (and less disruptive on-site potentially)
However there was a charter aim to get BBC One HD in England to be regionalised - though that could be SD upconversions of regional content in the first instance.
IS
I don't think you can read too much into that. BBC News now operate the BBC English Regions news operations, and the newsgathering facilities (particularly regional SNG and VSat trucks) are funded to provide coverage for network news (which has been HD for a couple of years now since the move to NBH)
Yep. The regions have mostly moved away from traditional SNG trucks to automated IP based VSat systems now. Some would argue that at times they're barely SD, let alone HD!
I don't think you can read too much into that. BBC News now operate the BBC English Regions news operations, and the newsgathering facilities (particularly regional SNG and VSat trucks) are funded to provide coverage for network news (which has been HD for a couple of years now since the move to NBH)
Yep. The regions have mostly moved away from traditional SNG trucks to automated IP based VSat systems now. Some would argue that at times they're barely SD, let alone HD!
MA
I don't think you can read too much into that. BBC News now operate the BBC English Regions news operations, and the newsgathering facilities (particularly regional SNG and VSat trucks) are funded to provide coverage for network news (which has been HD for a couple of years now since the move to NBH)
Yep. The regions have mostly moved away from traditional SNG trucks to automated IP based VSat systems now. Some would argue that at times they're barely SD, let alone HD!
Didn't the regional SD SNG trucks have the facility to provide two simultaneous outputs ?
Something in the back of my mind in Weymouth, with two separate OBs into South Today and Spotlight, using the same van ?
I don't think you can read too much into that. BBC News now operate the BBC English Regions news operations, and the newsgathering facilities (particularly regional SNG and VSat trucks) are funded to provide coverage for network news (which has been HD for a couple of years now since the move to NBH)
Yep. The regions have mostly moved away from traditional SNG trucks to automated IP based VSat systems now. Some would argue that at times they're barely SD, let alone HD!
Didn't the regional SD SNG trucks have the facility to provide two simultaneous outputs ?
Something in the back of my mind in Weymouth, with two separate OBs into South Today and Spotlight, using the same van ?
GE
I have a feeling that there were only two: the TVC-wide cable, and the News-only one, mainly because I don't remember there being that big a headend in SCAR.
The tuner boxes for News were, I think, bespoke, and manufactured by a company called Rolec. Each channel had a (three-digit?) code, and the boxes had displays on them to show you what channel you were watching.
The main headend had a handful of RF transposers, which just took the off-air feed from Crystal Palace and put the analogue TV and radio channels in a more convenient place, plus a large number of off-air receivers connected to RF modulators. And some combiners. As was mentioned, there was a rudimentary time-shift box which delayed BBC Three and Four by about 14 hours. Every so often someone would complain that they'd seen something unsuitable for broadcast during daytime, apparently unaware that what they were watching was delayed and that the channel in question wouldn't be broadcasting at that time.
(As a trainee, I worked for a while in MTC, which was responsible for its upkeep)
incidentally, modern systems I've seen elsewhere work on a fairly similar principle: they take DVB-T off-air signals, and just stream the transport streams as multicast IP streams over the local LAN. Any other content is fed from an off-air receiver (or router output) into an MPEG encoder and streamed in the same way.
thegeek
Founding member
At TV Centre, in the newsroom, an analogue RF system with two RF feeds to each desk was available - as there were too many channels to fit into a single analogue ring main. There were external tuners that handled the switching between channels, and avoided the need for IR remote controls (you can imagine how good THAT would be with a TV on each desk...) The analogue ringmain was carefully thought out though - so that news and non-news specific services were on different analogue rings, avoiding the need for external tuners for general use TVs in green rooms, meeting rooms etc.
I don't know if the Main-block ringmain was simply one of the two News RF feeds (or one of the two News RF feeds was the main block ringmain) but I think they were different, as you could watch individual main block studios on the main-block ringmain, but I don't think you could watch them in the newsroom without them being specifically booked (though the news studios were available)
I don't know if the Main-block ringmain was simply one of the two News RF feeds (or one of the two News RF feeds was the main block ringmain) but I think they were different, as you could watch individual main block studios on the main-block ringmain, but I don't think you could watch them in the newsroom without them being specifically booked (though the news studios were available)
I have a feeling that there were only two: the TVC-wide cable, and the News-only one, mainly because I don't remember there being that big a headend in SCAR.
The tuner boxes for News were, I think, bespoke, and manufactured by a company called Rolec. Each channel had a (three-digit?) code, and the boxes had displays on them to show you what channel you were watching.
The main headend had a handful of RF transposers, which just took the off-air feed from Crystal Palace and put the analogue TV and radio channels in a more convenient place, plus a large number of off-air receivers connected to RF modulators. And some combiners. As was mentioned, there was a rudimentary time-shift box which delayed BBC Three and Four by about 14 hours. Every so often someone would complain that they'd seen something unsuitable for broadcast during daytime, apparently unaware that what they were watching was delayed and that the channel in question wouldn't be broadcasting at that time.
(As a trainee, I worked for a while in MTC, which was responsible for its upkeep)
incidentally, modern systems I've seen elsewhere work on a fairly similar principle: they take DVB-T off-air signals, and just stream the transport streams as multicast IP streams over the local LAN. Any other content is fed from an off-air receiver (or router output) into an MPEG encoder and streamed in the same way.
DE
I don't think you can read too much into that. BBC News now operate the BBC English Regions news operations, and the newsgathering facilities (particularly regional SNG and VSat trucks) are funded to provide coverage for network news (which has been HD for a couple of years now since the move to NBH)
Yep. The regions have mostly moved away from traditional SNG trucks to automated IP based VSat systems now. Some would argue that at times they're barely SD, let alone HD!
Didn't the regional SD SNG trucks have the facility to provide two simultaneous outputs ?
Something in the back of my mind in Weymouth, with two separate OBs into South Today and Spotlight, using the same van ?
Yup, a fair few of the sng trucks were "dual path". News gathering still have some in the fleet. They're very useful. For instance one path can provide stand up two way interviews while the other provides pool or clean footage.
I don't think you can read too much into that. BBC News now operate the BBC English Regions news operations, and the newsgathering facilities (particularly regional SNG and VSat trucks) are funded to provide coverage for network news (which has been HD for a couple of years now since the move to NBH)
Yep. The regions have mostly moved away from traditional SNG trucks to automated IP based VSat systems now. Some would argue that at times they're barely SD, let alone HD!
Didn't the regional SD SNG trucks have the facility to provide two simultaneous outputs ?
Something in the back of my mind in Weymouth, with two separate OBs into South Today and Spotlight, using the same van ?
Yup, a fair few of the sng trucks were "dual path". News gathering still have some in the fleet. They're very useful. For instance one path can provide stand up two way interviews while the other provides pool or clean footage.
NE
Some Festive news as it were from Digiguide-it Looks like Victoria Derbyshire, Newsroom Live and Newsnight are all finishing on December 16th For Christmas as it is generic Bulletins 9-1 in the week leading up to Christmas with the Review 2016 progammes beginning that week and also being repeated throughout the fortnight-Also With no Newsnight repeat during the fortnight the 11:30 edition of The Papers returns to weekdays (temporarily)
SC
scottishtv
Founding member
Crikey! I hope the BBC are providing counselling for the team compiling the Review of 2016 shows. Imagine scrabbling around trying to find something positive to put in! I guess Team GB should lift the mood a bit in some of these reviews this year.