BBC1 HD WALES and NI

Hi Everyone,
back in early 2014 BBC 1 HD(Nations), BBC3 HD and BBC4 HD had sound issues(crackles and pops) this resulted in all HD channels reverting to 2.0 stereo for a period of time while the issue was 'fixed'. This appeared to have been done by late April 2014, however unfortunately for whatever reason(I'll get there!) BBC1 HD Wales and NI were not.

Having gone backwards and forwards over the last 2 years with various people at the BBC it now has gone all quiet. I am not getting any answers from Technical support and emails to the contact at the BBC(Alan Boyle) have gone unanswered since sept last year. I know he is still there as his out of office message pops up when he is out of the office. Below ids the last reply i had in july

Things are moving slowly in the right direction. The original industry known fault with a specific audio card has been fixed and 5 of the 6 faults that where masked have also been resolved. We are now soak testing over the next few weeks to see if the final fault has been resolved (this is the pain of intermittent faults). If all OK then we will look to roll out. However, the roll out process will itself take some time.

With September rapidly approaching I am not totally confident we will make the first episode of Dr Who but we will try!

So I am reaching out to members of this forum to see if any other members have info on this issue. This ONLY applies to BBC1 HD in Wales and NI, and is across all platforms. England and Scotland have no issues.

Greatly appreciate any info any one can provide.

Thanks
Mark

Strictly (pedantically) speaking it's not Dolby Digital on Freeview, it's AAC. But I digress.

I went to put on my Freesat box to have a look, before remembering that I don't know when the next 5.1 programme is scheduled - according to Digiguide it's The Peacemaker next Sunday, but I think it might actually be Great Barrier Reef on Wednesday.

And, too late, I remembered that simply physically moving my Freesat box puts my Free view box into a boot loop. So if anyone's got any ideas about that ...

Two years is a bit much, even if most viewers wouldn't notice.

LOL, yes on Freeview it is AAC! However still the same issue on Freeview, no 5.1 unless you can receive Eng or Scot

I believe Silent Witness tonight will be 5.1

M

I just tried it - the Dolby Digital logo comes up on my amp (which it doesn't do on SD channels), but it's only stereo on all the BBC One HDs I could find on Freesat.

5.1 sound should be Match of the day, I had trouble recording coming out of that jct.

The non-narrative/AD audio on DSat HD channels is always Dolby Digital (the narrative/AD versions are usually MP2). The DD should dynamically switch between 2.0 and 5.1 based on the programme - however if the channel is running permanently in stereo it is likely to leave the DD in 2.0.

Your Dolby lamp will light up whenever you watch a DSat BBC HD channel - that doesn't mean it is in 5.1 mode (our amps display the audio config of the incoming stream)

Strictly (live on Saturday, but not recorded on Sunday), Doctor Who, recent US movies (sometimes) and Match of the Day are usually 5.1 shows on the BBC.

On a similar note ITV don't broadcast in 5.1 at all, even during movies, apparently because they wouldn't pay for the upgrade. Although you're better off not watching ITV for movies anyway as they like to meddle with the aspect ratio (and cuts for daytime broadcasts, but that's another matter).

I've noticed that Channel 5 seem to broadcast everything, including adverts and news, in 5.1 - I think they do this on content that isn't surround by removing what is common in both the left and right channels of the stereo image (explained here in 'Case 1' http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tutorial_vocal_removal_and_isolation.html ) with audible artefacts.

For example I was watching the 5 News today and I could hear dialogue coming from the surround speakers as well as from the front - very distracting (although it didn't sound like they were using the vocal removal effect I describe above).

Why wouldn't they do what some US broadcasters do - and just map the stereo 2.0 to the front left and right channels (leaving surround, and centre silent)? For a while the BBC used this as well - I think after a few people complained about muting in 2.0/5.1 switching... (They did a bit of work and I think now try to do the format change on the transition to the ident rather than the programme I think - so the ident is clipped rather than the programme on systems that mute)