the great big BBC News studio shuffle

Thanks for that Media Boy, are we likely to see trailers over the Bank Holiday weekend which will give a hint of the new look. Surely after all this secrecy they will want to promote the re-vamp for both Breakfast & the National News bulletins?

Personally, I don't mind them asking staff to keep things under wraps, it does increase the anticipation for those who are interested in such things

After the second showing of Bill & "Bill's" report he said that the new set wasn't red, but not "hugely different"......can't see them going back to orange myself, as it would be a step backwards for the National News set ! It will be interesting to watch on Tuesday!

Nothing planned - 0600 will be the big new reveal on Tuesday (if the weekend goes OK!) and Sian will give you a guided tour then....

Have set the Sky+ already !!!!!!!!!

Ah right. Thanks very much MediaBoy.

We were told that they'd be making more use of CSO so, from what MediaBoy has said, I presume we should be expecting ITV Theatre of News style walls that can change to show different things. Perhaps the weather presenter will appear as if the walls have opened to the garden outside?

If it's done well, it'll look good.

Surely N6 already had the necessary software to "know" where cameras were to allow a similar VR environment to be created as ITV News use. But in view of the comments made by Bill T about a "technologically advanced studio", can't they have a video wall along the lines of Sky News ?

I understand that N6 isn't anything like the size of the Sky News Centre, but they could produce a similar effect with clever use of an LCD-screen-based video wall and moveable walls for when the National News bulletins/summaries are being broadcast from 0915-0600.

I know lots here disagree with me but I think ITV's use of CSO is a lot better than Sky's pixelated wall. Not only does it look better, they use it better. Sky sometimes have the same picture three times on their wall just to fill it. What's the point of that? The way the ITV presenters turn to their wall and the correspondent appears in a box which wipes across is excellent.

And we were told that the BBC would be using CSO, not screens.

I agree with you to some extent Moz, ITV News' use of their "Theatre of News" has improved with the new look since January; but at the end of the day their newsreaders are prancing around a green screen talking to nobody, and I believe that element of misconception detracts from their seriousness as a reliable supplier of news. (I never liked the BBC's VR news studio for the same reason - but I am biased as I realised it was false).

With current technology, there is no reason to have sets which are largely CSO. I know it means they can change the design at the drop of a hat (well a change of software graphics), but it still adds an unaccpetable element of unrealism.

I'd rather see someone actually talking to someone on a plasma screen, or a back-projection screen than have them staring blindly into nowhere.

Admittedly, Sky News' video wall is oversized, but I think that is to reduce the pixelation effect you mention, because it is essentially half way across the entire News Centre when viewed from the desk.

BBC don't have the advantage of that size in N6; but clever camera angles (such as that used by Westcountry Live for their ITV News programme) actually give the impression of a bigger studio.

I think this is just a personal thing for you Stuart! It's all false when you think of it. If they're talking to a 'person' on a monitor it's still just a bunch of phosphorescing pixels on a bit of glass, not a real person!

Would it help you if they back projected a faint version onto the CSO scren like they do on the weather so at least the presenter is talking to someone!?

I take your point Moz, it's probably a personal thing, and I feel as though the broadcasters are doing set design "on the cheap".

Then again, when I chat to my sister on MSN webcam 300 miles away, I don't think of it as being false, since I can see her and she can see me.

I did hear a comment once that ITV News actually project a faint image on the back of their CSO screen to allow the presenters to have the correct eye level contact - is this correct?

Artcile on the Breakfast website about the changes on Tuesday. Article Here

"We'll be sharing the space with the Six O'Clock and Ten O'Clock news - but we can guarantee that the programmes will look completely different."

But not sharing with the One O'Clock News?

Is this just a slip of the tongue, or will the One come from N8?

I've spoken to people who dislike Sky News and Reporting Scotland because they reckon the screens are CSO, and "the presenters turn their back on the camera to face someone who's clearly not there". They're usually quite surprised to hear that the screens are LCDs or back-projections, and 'actually' there.