DOG Thread

Its presentation related, the area of onscreen logos and text, controversal as it is. There's no existing thread for this discussion and there were a couple of channels with revised DOG policies that it seems more appropriate to make a general thread to cover all the channels.

Sky Three have started doing E4 impressions with their DOG now on widescreen broadcasts - it's now outside the safe area and actually sits in the corner of the screen as opposed to floating in the middle but its bigger than it was before - in fact it looks stretched.

Flicking round, Cbeebies seems to have adopted the BBC Three and Four approach of drop the DOG for certain programmes. BBC Three continues to pick and mix what it wants to DOG.

I've found E4, E4+1, More4 and More4+1 a lot easier to watch (E4 more so when Celebrity BB finally finishes - it makes E4+1 look so pointless) when the bugs are out of the safe area. Sky Three became a damn sight more watchable overnight.

How long do you reckon before most channels start DOGging in the E4 way? I've never really been one way or the other on channel DOGs pre-widescreen but since they started floating in mid-screen they get irritating. I do admire E4 for DOGging the way they do as it looks far cleaner and hopefully that's the future.

Thoughts? Contributions?

Oops, wrong forum. Can somebody move it please?

E4's DOG does look far better in the corner - I notice T4 keep it 4:3 safe and it appears to be virtually half way across the screen when watching in widescreen.


Generally, I don't mind channel DOGs or strand DOGs (like T4, CITV etc) at all - but I think the sub-DOGs telling us things like "New", "First Look", "Second Chance", "Comedy Tuesday" etc. should be banned, along with promo-DOGs like "Shipwrecked begins today 12.30pm".


And a final issue - I've said it before but DOGs really do look much better in the bottom right hand corner - they are far less intrusive.

And though I'm not suggesting for one minute C4 should be DOGed, the adverts for 4 DVD projects (such as Max and Paddy) with the C4 dog in the bottom right are an example of how it should be done!

I personally don't mind DOG's as long as it's reasonbly transparent and is bottom right or out of the safe area.

While the E4 DOG may look nice and tidy in the corner it is spoilt by the long line of text tell us it's a second chance or first look.

People complain about Sky One or ITV2 having their DOG's 'halfway across the screen', however while this looks strange for Widescreen viewers those 4:3ers out there would only see "ne" or "v2" if it weren't placed as such.

HDTV will make this become null and void soon. As it's a 16:9 native format their is no worry about 4:3 safe areas, so DOGs can be placed to the far right/left and they can be made smaller without loosing clarity.

I think that Sky Three's DOG blends in quite well with skin colour so you don't actually get as much disruption as other DOGs!

Exactly ... "not as much disruption" - does anybody actually PREFER them to be there though? There seem to be a lot of people tolerating them but are you actually happier that they are there than you would be otherwise?! I find them terribly annoying! In the digital age they are completely pointless.

Ofcom should step in and sort them out ... [SFX: Canned Laughter]

The worst DOG has to belong to UKTV History.

I thought people pedants when I heard some turned over on anything DOGed, and indeed I'll watch most things with a DOG begrudgingly, but not UKTV History with it's rediculous DOG - or should that be B ITCH?
http://www.spyit.co.uk/adr/tvf/uktv_history-inventing_our_world.jpg

The DOG even obscures (or gets obscured) by text in adverts it's so big:
http://www.spyit.co.uk/adr/tvf/uktv_history-inventing_our_world2.jpg

I prefer - like most here - when the DOG is outside the 4:3 safearea where possible as it is less intrusive, but even better is an unDOGed programme -- the networks know this as they darent DOG the analogue channels (as they tried and failed).

I find ITVs DOGS quite unobtrusive, really. They are nice and small, though I agree with Brekkie Boy; they should move to the bottom right.

Same here, apart from the "next" banner, which really should be at the bottom.

Or, preferably, not there at all. Nothing pisses me off more than them presuming I can't press a button to find out what's next. Especially when it's announced 20 seconds later.

I don't mind channels having DOGs at all - and E4's whole presentation package is absolutely fantastic.

Unfortunately, in the age of PVR's 'sub-DOGs' are becoming necessary for channels to advertise their biggest programmes - it's the only way to ensure viewers don't just skip past the trailers and miss all the advertisements of programmes / times.