ITV Discussion Thread

Could somebody clear this up for me, please - will this become part of a Sky package or a completely separate ESPN-like subscription for ITV?

Ah - beg pardon, didn't realise you meant they'd switched medium entirely.

So if the Beeb won't classify 16mm or Super16 HD scans as HD - does that mean that although something like P&P may end up on BluRay, they won't put it out on their HD channel?

It means they won't pay extra to commission Super 16 productions in HD as they don't believe that Super 16, once it has been through a broadcast HD transmission chain, delivers HD quality. The problem is that Super 16 has a much smaller image area than 35mm film, meaning it is inherently "noisier" or "grainier". Noise/Grain is inherently random, and as a result it will hammer any form of spatial and temporal compression - leaving less data free to encode real picture content.

Blu-rays can run at 30Mbs, broadcast HD now runs at around 8-15Mbs...

Once there has been a full change-over of BBC One to BBC One HD, then there is an argument that broadcasting shows like P&P from an HD re-telecine rather than an SD upconvert is preferable. However there is a counter argument that the SD upconvert may end up looking better to viewers at home...

The major issue until now has been funding - the BBC wouldn't pay extra for HD if the show didn't meet certain HD quality standards (and Super 16 production failed in the quality standards). However from the next financial year (beginning April 2011) the BBC expects all commisions to be in HD, and expects suppliers to deliver in HD as standard (unless there is a good reason not to). I suspect this probably means the end of extra money for HD for most shows, as HD costs have been dropping year-on-year (and in some cases may now even be lower than legacy SD stuff)

The channels will become part of the Sky+ HD package, and join channels such as E4hd, Eurosport HD, FX HD, Hallmark HD, Sky1 HD etc behind the subscription / pay wall.

Anyone already taking out the Sky HD+ package will be able to receive the ITV channels without any extra cost. Sky will pay ITV carriage fees for allowing them to carry the channels on their HD service. There is no stand-alone fee for the ITV channels.

Off the current topic, but I've not watched it and am curious...

How similar is Magic Numbers to Talking Telephone Numbers? Not once have ITV referenced the original, and yet it seems extremely similar on paper.

But then Winning Lines was effectively a much better more polished quiz show version of Talking Telephone Numbers - even Philip Schofield later hosted after Simon Mayo left. But then both Talking Telephone Numbers and Winning Lines were made by Celador. In fact both shows were devised by the creators of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and Keith Strachan did the music which is why they all feel rather similar.

So it may not surprise you that Magic Numbers is made by CPL Productions - formerly Celador.

Didn't you used to have to have all six numbers in the last six on your phone line in Talking Telephone Numbers? In Magic Numbers you only need two out of the six, and to enter calls cost £1. Seems like they are widening the pool as wide as possible in the format now, and getting plenty of £££ in the bank.

Magic Numbers uses an 0330 as well as the premium rate number so most people will probably be able to enter for free. This was never an option on Talking Telephone Numbers. Magic Numbers has less viewers than Talking Telephone numbers and is being shown in an era when ITV's reputation for not messing up a simple phone-in competition is at an all time low. Despite the fact that many more people are eligible to enter Magic Numbers than Talking Telephone Numbers, I'd guess that Magic Numbers is the less profitable of the two formats.

An almost complete episode of Talking Telephone Numbers is available here...
http://www.2waytraffic.com/en/business_lines/formats/talking_telephone_numbers/episodes/talking_telephone_numbers_low_quality

and has been for at least a year because that's when I last watched it.

I think I'm right in saying that all ITV channels on DSat are now 704x576. They started upgrading them around February time.

Noggin doesn't watch ITV much.

Its another reason I hold him in high esteem.

I realised the ITV1 variants had switched - hadn't paid much attention to ITV2-4, CITV etc. They may well have upped the resolution - they're still pretty horribly compressed though - and the Freeview stuff is still low-res.

Just out of interest is anyone enjoying or finding 3@Three good?

After watching a couple of the shows it comes across as having quite low production values, down to the titles and graphics and even being picky the branding on the mics, having peeling edges and just looking a bit shoddy when they're voxpopping with the public on the streets.

Is it just a trial set up or is this a permanent look for the programme?