Sky will probably try and do the best they can from outside the Olympic Park. I'm sure they'd be able to show the fireworks. A camera situated anywhere near the Olympic Park would give some sort of view.
I'm sure they will, any broadcaster would. Its why World have gone for a position as close as they can get to the Park, just as Sky, ITN and various foreign broadcasters have.
What they won't have is the key moments of the ceremony- the lighting of the flame etc.
So the commentary free option they've been promising Freeview folk for years won't be available and we'll all have to suffer Huw Edwards refusing to let the pictures speak for themselves (hence they don't need audio description anyway!)
P.S. Notice today that the usual soap-heavy TV mags don't even bumped EastEnders off the cover for the Olympics - although TV Choice acknowledge it by making Billy Mitchell's Olympic special the highlight of the week.
I've asked this before but if it is really important to you surely you could just get Freesat or watch online even?
Yes, you could, but it does seem amazing that with all the flexibility that all DVB formats can offer, it's still not easy to simply watch something, without commentary,
In any case, you'd be mad if you have the ability to watch BBC 1HD to watch the SD sludge versions, but there's no way to mute Mr Edwards on HD.
Surelt the audio description channels could be used for this no?
That would be slightly counter intuitive, the BBC would never broadcast the commentary free version as the default so you would have to turn Audio Description on to turn commentary off and turn it off to turn commentary on again. You would also have the issue that there is no simple call to action such as 'Press red for commentary options'. Someone would have to explain in relatively confusing terms and include the phrase "consult your television and/or set-top box manual".
Although I agree, the BBC could make more sensible use of the bandwidth by having the interactive app simply change audio stream for commentary/5live/no commentary options, like S4C do rather than change the whole video stream too as they currently do.
urgh, there's no commentary free version in HD? Not even on Virgin?
Rubbish
Surelt the audio description channels could be used for this no?
Not sure on this, Roger Mosey commenting a few weeks ago:
"@marke09: yes, there will be very limited content on the 24 BBC Olympic channels on Sky, Freesat and Virgin before Saturday 28 July. But they will include services like the no-commentary and audio-description feeds of the Opening Ceremony."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rogermosey/2012/07/highlights_audiences_dwindle_i.html#comments
So it looks like only Freeview is losing out. Which is still a large chunk of people, of course, but shouldn't impact on everyone else.
Although I agree, the BBC could make more sensible use of the bandwidth by having the interactive app simply change audio stream for commentary/5live/no commentary options, like S4C do rather than change the whole video stream too as they currently do.
Yeah that is more what I meant, having an app to change the audio on BBC1 would be the neatest solution rather than rebroadcasting the same thing on 301. Is such a thing technically possible?
Although I agree, the BBC could make more sensible use of the bandwidth by having the interactive app simply change audio stream for commentary/5live/no commentary options, like S4C do rather than change the whole video stream too as they currently do.
Yeah that is more what I meant, having an app to change the audio on BBC1 would be the neatest solution rather than rebroadcasting the same thing on 301. Is such a thing technically possible?
Technically, with a blank sheet of paper, yes. Most things are technically possible.
The limiting factor is coping with the existing BBC One SD (and soon BBC One HD) nations and regions infrastructure, and routing a third audio stream (to go with the main audio and the AD) around the various playout areas and regional centres that it gets routed through.
Also - as we haven't completed DSO yet in all regions 301 and BBC One SD aren't on the same mux in all regions - so you wouldn't be able to PID map between them. (i.e. you couldn't link BBC One SD's pictures with a commentary-free audio on a spare 301 stream as they are on different muxes)
It is a pity that the BBC never implemented a system that used extra audio streams on the network feeds (rather than only on the interactive feeds) - but I suspect the reality of distribution and routing (and ensuring apps to select them are correctly enabled/disabled during non-network content - particularly in the nations) makes it a bit too tricky. Easy to implement on a channel that only has one variant (like 301 or the DSat streams) - not so easy on a network with 15+ variations.
I've asked this before but if it is really important to you surely you could just get Freesat or watch online even?
Because their answer to the complaints about the one red button stream on Freeview being insufficient is to axe all but one red button streams on Sky, Cable and Freesat after the games. I was seriously thinking of getting Sky to get the full interactive service for Wimbledon and the Olympics, but now it's not worth it.
And watching online is and never will be a substitute for watching on TV - although thankfully in recent weeks I've finally got somewhere in getting my broadband speed up to a level which can handle streaming.
It does seem they give up a bit too easily when it comes to Freeview. We all know the capacitiy limitations and issues with regionality etc. but considering the idea of having 24 streams in HD for the BBC coverage on Sky seemed impossible months ago and they found a solution to that it's even more insulting that they haven't made the necessary changes to add at least one more SD stream to Freeview. Also a shame they didn't tweak the digital TV switchout programme once the Olympics were announced so the whole nation had switched over in time for the games.
And although I understand how having fewer channels broadcasting boosts the picture quality I just don't believe they can't broadcast either 301 or 302 simultaneously to the event on BBC1. There will of course be more movement than a football match but numerous times during Euro 2012 301 was broadcasting the same game with different audio, plus of course since 2004 all Olympic opening and closing ceremonies have had a separate commentary free feed. Making 301 "audio description" only with no pictures is also hugely discriminating, asssuming blind folk are watching (poor choice of words I know) the ceremony alone when I suspect in reality in many cases they'll be watching alongside family who have no visual impairment, so wish to actually see the ceremony.
