BBC World News - to 14th January 2013

I don't know the technical side at all, but is the fibre connection basically a fibre optic broadband connection? So it is in effect a sort of Skype connection (not Skype but that sort of thing)? Stop me if I'm wrong. Basically a brief explanation of how it works would be great.

I don't know the specifics of the Singapore link - often a broadcaster will buy a video service, without really caring how it's provided: just as long as they can put SDI in one end, and get it out the other without it looking too compressed. The bit in the middle could be MPEG coded; turned into an IP stream; and sent over an ATM link; or mixed in with other traffic (data, telephony, internet, whatever).

And it might be breaking because of something quite simple. Fibre optic cables tend to attract diggers like nobody's business. Last weekend, we had three separate problems with one (unrelated) cable route: one of which was caused by vandals breaking into an inspection hatch, and setting the contents on fire to see if there was any metal worth stealing. There wasn't, but it broke our fibres.

Whilst searching for a screen grab of Nisha Pillai for another thread, I came across this image:



It shows Anita McNaught in a virtual recreation of N9. I cannot remember this instance at all - though I'm assuming it was during some sort of studio upgrade/maintenance. Thought it might be of interest.

I don't remember that either, Rob. Although I note that the desk has two keyboards on it, and Anita (aka The Ice maiden) is seated at the nearest to camera position, rather than the usual N9 anchor position of nearest to the plasma wall.

Nice recreation though.

Indeed, it's very strange. A better look at the desk here:

I can't remember why the virtual N9 came about, but I do remember reading about it (possibly here?) and using it as inspiration for a (one-off) set for our student TV station - using a green screen, and various photoshopped pics of N9 which came from the BBC World press site...

Didn't the World set have a desk like that when at the beginning and then they replaced it with the split one?

Yes, you're right, ginnyfan. From April 2000 N9 had a desk not that dissimilar to the one News 24 had in N8. It was replaced with the 'bumper cars' version in August 2001 in preparation for the re-launch of The World Today in September 2001. Having the gap in the middle of the desk made the opening shot of Martine Dennis and Tanya Beckett look more pleasing.

was that the period when news24 was virtual in TC10 while N8 was refurbished and redesigned? I have a vague recollection that world spent a weekend there for some reason

Although I quite liked it, I never really saw the point of that split desk idea. I can only imagine it was for structural reasons rather than visual cosmetics.

Can N8's gallery run the UK news channel? I ask because at the start of yesterday's Hub, the news channel's clock popped up as well as that ident tower or whatever it's called. It was gone in a matter of seconds but I just wonder why World's gallery would have it?

Indeed. It was on a Sunday afternoon in late 2003 IIRC, News 24 had relocated to N9 for the weekend, which was the home of BBC World at the time, while World was coming from N6. Over that weekend they relocated News 24 from N8 to TC10. When they were finished they had a few World bulletins come from TC10 to test the equipment before News 24 moved in a day later.