Channel 4

Channel 4 has returned from a breakdown not long ago, after problems during the horse racing... 4 minutes, still caption with periodic announcements, but otherwise silence (no music on standby at all these days?). None of the live action appeared to be missed.

They came back from an ad break, started an interview and then went to black. 20 seconds later we joined a feed that was showing a horse race. It didn't have any graphics but it did have commentary. A few seconds of this and we were then shown a bit more black before a static Channel 4 caption, "Programmes will continue shortly" appeared.

The CA constantly apologised without actually giving any information. She wasn't telling us what the problem was, she wasn't telling us how long it would take to fix. Her presence was pointless after the first apology. Very much like a modern BBC breakdown. TV channels seem to be worried that people will turn over if they don't hear a CA apologising constantly. I don't know why. Is there some research that suggests that viewers turn over when a breakdown occurs? I would guess the opposite is true. Surely viewing figures go up during a breakdown.

Anyway. as Paul Clark mentions above, this went on for about 4 minutes. She then said we can go back to the racing so they played out a sponsor sting and the presenter told us they had had some technical problems and we hadn't missed any of the live racing. He seemed to be under the impression that we never came back from the break and hadn't seen the start of the interview, he introduced the interview and it played out from the start again.

A quick Google of the horse names mentioned by the commentator on the feed that Channel 4 briefly went to during their breakdown reveals that the race being shown was the 14:55 from Market Rasen. I believe this was being shown on Racing UK at the time but the pictures shown on Channel 4 did not have any graphics. I'm guessing this came in to Channel 4 from IMG rather than Channel 4 themselves having instant access to it and accidentally switching to it, the black either side of it seems to back that theory up.

For big events, it's not unusual for the pres suite to be provided with a main domestic feed, with graphics and presenters and all the rest; and as a reserve, the international clean feed of the event they're covering. With the BBC, they might use the international clean feed with radio commentary - clearly Channel 4 don't have such a luxury..

From what you say, it's a bit disappointing that the CA wasn't able to fill in a bit better - they have managed something sightly inventive in the past. And you'd think that a loop of their menu music would be good, if only to prevent silence alarms going off in the broadcast chain.

(I'm not just imagining that they have some plinky-plonky menu music, am I?)

Well, assuming you're referring to the still text / animated logo menu, it used to be a bit more plinky-plonky than it is now - they switched the original instrumentation for a piano-led arrangement - but still by and large the same tune as always has been used on the menu for the current look.

Anyone know why Channel 4 seem to be running 5 minutes late this evening? I turned over just after 6pm to see Come Dine With Me in no hurry to finish. Channel 4+1 is running late too so it must have been caused by something earlier today. The Simpsons didn't start until 18:05 but there was no mention of why from the CA. Just the standard haiku.

Could be over-running of the horse racing?

What is wrong with The Simpsons today? The picture looks odd.

Something wrong with the chroma, perhaps? Colours seem to be desaturated near the lines. Or perhaps it's just generally over-sharpened. At least they seem to have finally got the audio in sync.

Only the briefest of break bumper flashes coming out of part 1, too.

I thought it was the TV I was watching it on that was doing that to the picture. It did look strange.

I kept digging, as it seemed to me that the background's lines were more crudely drawn than the foregrounds characters:

The live Channel 4 News promo at 6pm featured Krishnan Guru Murthy updating his Facebook status. Good of them to do it for real and not fake it. This is what we saw him posting...
https://www.facebook.com/krishnangm/posts/10151417511282687