The Newsroom

ITV News and Regional News

Why isn't it in widescreen? (June 2006)

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:-(
A former member
Adam posted:
nwtv2003 posted:
What's the case with regions such as Meridian and Tyne Tees who have both moved into New Studios not too long back, what are the chances that these are equipped with 16:9 facilties? Or would ITV have gone for the cheap option of purchasing standard cameras? I'd have thought not, but I'm not sure what the case is.


Tyne Tees certainly can do 16:9 because their other programmes go out in 16:9 (e.g. Soccer Night, comes from the same studio as the news).


edit: just realised, incredibly sad fact, I posted that exactly at 12.00 on today, June 15th, my birthday. god someone take me away from this place!!


Tyne Tees's old news studio at City Road was widescreen-capable for years before the move as well. What I can't understand is that most ITV regions are capable but are broadcasting 4:3, yet it would appear that some BBC regions aren't (BBCNE certainly doesn't seem to be, broadcasting everything in 14:9 cropped) and are corrupting their output to fit in with London. Madness.
7Z
7zark7
Andrew posted:

Remember its not only studio cameras that need to be 16:9 but also all the various cameras used for reports. There's no point having a 16:9 programme if all the reports are going to be in 4:3!


There is also the issue of the entire news library being in 4:3 that will need to be converted so that it cuts into any new 16:9 packages.

The expense of converting an entire news library would be prohibitivly expensive for many regions so each bit of archive would need to be converted as it was requested which would add to the amount of time between a reporter requesting archive material for their piece and them being ableto cut with it.
JA
james2001 Founding member
They wouldn't have to convert the entire library at all, they would just convert the footage where and when it's needed- and the original 4:3 footage would remain as such.
MA
Markymark
james2001 posted:
They wouldn't have to convert the entire library at all, they would just convert the footage where and when it's needed- and the original 4:3 footage would remain as such.


Yes, exactly what the BBC, GMTV, and now Sky do. All 4:3 material, and that includes footage from foreign broadcasters, is ARC'd to 14:9 pillarbox (14P16).

It's also worth noting that ITN's 'teasers' inserted into the programme preceding the 10:30pm news, are often presented in full anamorphic widescreen. Although of course this simply requires a single camera to be switched to 16:9 for the duration.
SP
Spencer
Not so long ago someone posted a link to a broadcast technology magazine's website (IIRC) which said ITN had invested in some new kit, and quoted a spokesman saying that the equipment would be part of their conversion to 16:9, which is a current priority.

So it looks like it'll happen sooner rather than later.
NG
noggin Founding member
Markymark posted:
james2001 posted:
They wouldn't have to convert the entire library at all, they would just convert the footage where and when it's needed- and the original 4:3 footage would remain as such.


Yes, exactly what the BBC, GMTV, and now Sky do. All 4:3 material, and that includes footage from foreign broadcasters, is ARC'd to 14:9 pillarbox (14P16).

It's also worth noting that ITN's 'teasers' inserted into the programme preceding the 10:30pm news, are often presented in full anamorphic widescreen. Although of course this simply requires a single camera to be switched to 16:9 for the duration.


Presumably the VR graphics behind them are also switched to 16:9?
NG
noggin Founding member
7zark7 posted:
Andrew posted:

Remember its not only studio cameras that need to be 16:9 but also all the various cameras used for reports. There's no point having a 16:9 programme if all the reports are going to be in 4:3!


There is also the issue of the entire news library being in 4:3 that will need to be converted so that it cuts into any new 16:9 packages.

The expense of converting an entire news library would be prohibitivly expensive for many regions so each bit of archive would need to be converted as it was requested which would add to the amount of time between a reporter requesting archive material for their piece and them being ableto cut with it.


Two solutions to this :

1. Put a cheap ARC - aspect ratio converter - in each edit suite (so that you take the 4:3 tape to the suite and edit it through an ARC) This is how all of the BBC Network VT suites have worked in London since 2000. If you are cutting from a 4:3 tape you drop the ARC in, if you are cutting from 16:9 you drop the ARC out.

2. If you are editing on a modern non-linear editing system (Avid, QEdit etc.) then you can convert from 4:3 to 16:9 in the edit package (and decent systems do a simple re-size/crop in realtime or faster)

You don't need to process the material prior to editing...
CW
CentralWest
But how can ITN held them back, when they have no controls over the regions and only provide ITV with their national service (and now london).

To say ITN used to be at the front of technology, and still no w/s.

The VR did not used to be swtiched to 16:9 during the squares era on promotions, but now is since the atirum.

They are seriously going to have to rethink the atrium, if they ever go HD, but the theatre of news would probably be gone by then.
NG
noggin Founding member
CentralWest posted:
But how can ITN held them back, when they have no controls over the regions and only provide ITV with their national service (and now london).


ITV News is now responsible for most of the regional news, as well as being responsible for the contract with ITN. I suspect that it isn't a case of ITN telling the regions they can't do 16:9 local news, more the ITV Network centre?
HA
harshy Founding member
noggin posted:
CentralWest posted:
But how can ITN held them back, when they have no controls over the regions and only provide ITV with their national service (and now london).


ITV News is now responsible for most of the regional news, as well as being responsible for the contract with ITN. I suspect that it isn't a case of ITN telling the regions they can't do 16:9 local news, more the ITV Network centre?


Well ITV News at source is 4:3, so who's doing the ridiculus 14:9 ARCing?, it really is disgraceful and serves no purpose other then to see a reduction in picture quality and the loss of top and bottom and on 4:3 screens the left and right as well!
7Z
7zark7
noggin posted:

Two solutions to this :

1. Put a cheap ARC - aspect ratio converter - in each edit suite (so that you take the 4:3 tape to the suite and edit it through an ARC) This is how all of the BBC Network VT suites have worked in London since 2000. If you are cutting from a 4:3 tape you drop the ARC in, if you are cutting from 16:9 you drop the ARC out.

2. If you are editing on a modern non-linear editing system (Avid, QEdit etc.) then you can convert from 4:3 to 16:9 in the edit package (and decent systems do a simple re-size/crop in realtime or faster)

You don't need to process the material prior to editing...


I wasn't suggesting that there weren't solutions just that the conversion of library material was another added factor of both cost and complication that may make is less viable to switch news over to 16:9 when there is no real commercial value to making the change.
7Z
7zark7
james2001 posted:
They wouldn't have to convert the entire library at all, they would just convert the footage where and when it's needed- and the original 4:3 footage would remain as such.


Yes it would be unrealistic to convert the entire library. But all 4:3 material would need to be ARCed for inclusion in a 16:9 presentation otherwise it would appear squashed.

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