Annual BBC RBS tests

Ohh, I suppose that's because Teletext Ltd still have a 'South Midlands' region ? I'd assumed the server for that was at Oxford ?

BTW I'm told that C4 Oxford is now in the 'South/East' LEMNUS region, OX postcodes for Sky viewing cards have also be similarly remapped. That would seem to complete Oxford's migration to the 'South' region for BBC, ITV and now C4.

When they say the 9th, do they mean tonight, or tomorrow night?

Only way to find out is to either stay up or record both days

The 9th means exactly that, the 9th January at 3:30am, which is overnight tonight.

Are you 100% certain?

Remember that the broadcasting day goes from 06:00 to 06:00 and the hours after midnight are referred to as 25, 26, etc., and still in, what's technically, the previous day.

The only way to be certain is to check whether the original information referred to 03:30 or 27:30, the latter being how it would have been referred to internally if they actually meant the morning of the calendar 10th.

seems odd to schedule the tests for a night when the learning zone is on.

Yes - especially when News 24 is scheduled on BBC One from 0420 the following morning.

As others have said, the broadcast date doesn't roll over until programmes start after close-down - or whatever has replaced it.

A film scheduled for 1am tomorrow morning would be scheduled at 2500 internally, as it is deemed to be "tonight" not "tomorrow".

Yes, however in previous years the tests have followed the stated time exactly, not the TV Broadcast Day interpretation of times. Therefore, the tests are tonight, assuming they follow previous years. It does seem strange to schedule it when Learning Zone is on, but then I guess the assumption is that schools and such are using digital.

They are tests, and not programmes, therefore common sense prevails, and the 9th means the 9th !

I fail to understand why TV schedules still roll over to the next day at 06:00hrs. It's madness, VCR timers don't, and nor does EPG data, and I can't think of any thing else in the world that doesn't roll over at 00:00 hrs ?

It's not madness. It is slightly eccentric but it's because 24 hour television is a relatively new thing here. TV Days run from 0600-2959 because 0600 used to be the billed time of the first programmes (at least from when TV-AM started anyway - Breakfast Time on BBC1 started at 0630 ISTR). It made more sense to the powers that were to bill a late films to start at 2345 and finish "that evening" at 2550 or whatever.

It's no different really to the Tax year running April-March, or BBC Programme weeks (and hence the Radio Times) starting on a Saturday.

OK, so why does Sky and Freeview EPG data roll over at 00:00hrs ?

Local newspaper in my area says:

BBC TWO
12.10 - 2.00am Darts
2.00am CLOSE
3.00am BBC Learning Zone

So is the BBC TWO test 2am - 3am or 2.30am - 3.30am?