BBC News Channel: Presentation

I'm just going by what's been tweeted on the subject. I can't imagine the whole BBC News Channel being in HD to consumers just yet, although it would be nice* (it might be internally, of course!), I would have thought it would just be the BBC One simulcasts that will be in HD.

*If BBC News Channel became available in HD [The BBC has sufficient capacity across its 2 HD transponders on satellite], there would be complaints about not having BBC Three/Four in HD, especially when BBC HD is replaced by BBC Two HD.

Maxine said the News Channel will go HD on the 18th March, so looks like it's all on schedule.

So, 4th March for the 1/6/10 and 18th for the NC?

@AlanChand only Radio 4 tomorrow. Most BBC World then in 2 weeks. News Channel etc 18th March

— Matt Taylor (@MetMattTaylor) February 3, 2013

Maxine clearly infers the News Channel will be in HD on 18th March. Somebody asks will the NC finally be in HD, she replies yes from the 18th March.

I'm glad we're finally getting HD News, it feel long overdue since Sky went HD. If National News are moving at the start of March, that less than one month to go!

I hadn't seen the tweet in question, just the previous reference to it here. Good to hear the NC will be in HD too, do we know what proportion of reports and content will be in HD? In terms of back-half programming Hardtalk, Newswatch and, presumably, Click will all be HD now at least.

If the whole news channel was going to be available in HD to viewers at home, wouldn't it need BBC Trust approval beforehand?

News Channel is not going to be available in HD for the foreseeable future

That's what I thought. BBC News will be in HD (i.e. the BBC One and Two news bulletins), but not the BBC News Channel. The BBC will be able to launch up to two extra services on Freeview from next year, but I suspect priority will be given to services like BBC Three and CBBC to offer an HD outlet for the type of programming lost from HD when BBC HD becomes BBC Two HD.

That's what I thought. Perhaps Maxine's tweet was more about the channel being produced in HD, rather than transmitted as such.

Not sure if anyone else noticed that the graphics used in the news update on The Sunday Politics last Sunday were the new ones?

I'm sure I remember seeing something similar on The Sunday Politics before, but I wasn't sure if this was something new.

Thats because the main programme is produced by NBH, using TVC as an outside source.

(or in this case, Westminster!)

Maxine is almost certainly referring to the switch from SD to HD production. The News Channel studio will be running HD, and the One/Six/Ten (and I guess any News Channel simulcasts on BBC One/Two) will be available in HD on BBC One HD and BBC Two HD (when it launches) I expect. (Assuming connectivity in HD is there.)

AIUI all the News Channel presentation team have had, or will have, some HD training/tests (make-up etc.), so that probably explains why Maxine said the channel was switching to HD. Internally it is. Externally is a different matter.

The politics surrounding the HD platforms is complex - and because the BBC currently only have two slots on Freeview HD (even though they operate the entire mux) and these are allocated to BBC One HD and BBC HD/BBC Two HD - there isn't DTT capacity for additional HD services. There is capacity on satellite - but the old 'platform neutrality' argument raises its head (though that didn't worry Red Button for many years...)