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BBC ONE / TWO Clock

(March 2005)

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TV
tvarksouthwest
Steve D posted:
Seriously though - and I write as someone with a life-long obsession with time and timekeepers - I doubt anyone actually set their watch to the pres clock. I always used the speaking clock myself. Accurate time is now easily available by many different means, so the need for an in-vision clock is redundant, other than its use as a presentation device.

Correct me if I'm wrong but did you not treat us to the BBC2 widescreen clock in 2001, before a pre-Learning Zone break?
TE
Telefis
Must count ourselves lucky the orgy in the rain isn't put on before the News...

Deadringers had some good sketches with CAs making a mockery of the 'lovely dancing people - aren't they having fun' etc.
TV
tvarksouthwest
The use of pres is part of the appeal of Dead Ringers - along with the biting satire. Will Series 2 onwards ever make it to DVD?
TE
Telefis
Good question.....i.e haven't a notion Smile

Yes the almost vicious anti-dumbing down theme was always the best part; the sketches of Sophie Raworth and her 'look at the colourful pictures on the screen that make things a bit easier for you' coming a close second.
PE
Pete Founding member
James Malcolm Burns posted:
Yup I feel I can agree there. Removal of the BBC clock is dishonesty. It is a coverup to mask the fact theres a larger delay on digital platforms WHICH incidentally - I hope can be overcome gradually in the future, but I always think is best to be honest about time, especially since London is the centre of the universe of mesuarable time!


Right, the keyword in there is *larger*

There was always a delay on analogue TV too. On Channel 4 the delay is in theory longer on analogue as analogue is delayed to make it match with Freeview
SD
Steve D
tvarksouthwest posted:
Steve D posted:
Seriously though - and I write as someone with a life-long obsession with time and timekeepers - I doubt anyone actually set their watch to the pres clock. I always used the speaking clock myself. Accurate time is now easily available by many different means, so the need for an in-vision clock is redundant, other than its use as a presentation device.

Correct me if I'm wrong but did you not treat us to the BBC2 widescreen clock in 2001, before a pre-Learning Zone break?


Well someone may have, but I certainly didn't!
AN
Ant
Maybe with the new controller at BBC One, it might make a return. I can see what people are saying about accuracy, but look at BBC News 24 for example. They have a clock on screen almost 24/7!
EQ
Equidem
What's wrong with the idea of simply having a large animated BBC ONE logo coming onto the screen with a subtle soundtrack. Something similar to the BBC World ident or something with a sting and simply a long hold afterwards?

The dancers really are boring now. I just don't notice them anymore - a bit like the old 1991 globe.

But of course, the BBC always knows best and will continue to be a sluggish and behind-the-times broadcaster when it comes to design and presentation.
DE
denton
Steve D posted:
In those days there was a separate clock for the analogue pres area which was spot-on.


If the Clock used in your analogue Con was spot-on (exactly in time with network's Clock, with no added delay), how did you manage to manually cut from your Clock to the network feed without (a) catching a glimpse of network's Clock ... or (b) seeing you Clock move on to one-second-past the hour?
HA
happy-clappy-jappy-chappy
James Malcolm Burns posted:
It's just after One O'Cock.


Excuse you
SD
Steve D
denton posted:
Steve D posted:
In those days there was a separate clock for the analogue pres area which was spot-on.


If the Clock used in your analogue Con was spot-on (exactly in time with network's Clock, with no added delay), how did you manage to manually cut from your Clock to the network feed without (a) catching a glimpse of network's Clock ... or (b) seeing you Clock move on to one-second-past the hour?


Easy! By that time the NTA were using Compass and their cut to presenter in vision - as I'm sure you'll remember - was fixed to go bang on the second. We were still using the old manual Pro-Bel mixer, so it was just a case of being quick off the mark and hitting the big orange CUT button (well, pressing it gently actually) the nano-second that you saw presenter in vision on your preset. In effect you had a second to execute the cut, and as the presenter always left a beat pause when they were cued, it was never a problem.

49 times out of 50 it worked and indeed, when I joined, letting the second hand move into the next quadrant before the cut was regarded as something of a hanging offence!

Strictly speaking it wasn't exactly sync to the network clock, it was sync to station timecode, the master clock of which was sync to the the same standard (Rugby LW) as network.
TV
tvarksouthwest
Steve D posted:
Well someone may have, but I certainly didn't!

I can upload the video if you like...

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