Networked ITV - 1990s and before...

What you have to remember is that it didn't look that bad when it happened. TVs are a lot less sensitive to breaks in sync than video recorders are.... hence they look a lot worse on clips on the internet.


By the time ITV went 24 hour it was happening 15 times a week, as the same procedure was used for TVam. Although that's still only once more than the rest of the country so hardly worth it. The glitch was also seen on Channel 4 which would complicated it even more

Would it be fair to say that Thames and LWT weren't the best of friends (at senior management level at least) and Thames would have little incentive to help make that transition look better?

That said, if LWT had got a feed of CITV from Central (the last network contribution that Thames had taken and presumably were genlocked to) patched onto one of their incoming local ends and genlocked to that, would that have meant that although Thames and LWT wouldn't be exactly synchronised, they might be closer than otherwise and the frame roll not as bad?

By the early-mid 80s the ITV companies were using frame synchronisers to render external feeds syncronous, not genlocking themselves to the incoming source, which played havoc with VTR servos within the station (that was the reason either IVC or a 'live' clock or slide was used into a network prog until the 80s)

As the Inspector says, a non sync cut never looked as bad 'live' as if does on those VHS sourced clips.

I spent a week in 1991 in Belfast, every local junction on BBC 1 NI was non sync into and out of network, I don't know why, I assume their frame sync was back at the manufacturers for repair !

Quite a few English regions gen-locked to Network rather than synchronising - did make the building shake during opts if Elstree had non-sync sources...

I can't remember bbc Scotland flicker in and out programmes from the network but with queen Margaret drive . CA

Here is a clip from ed 23rd March 1988 from Thames: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIeXzMs-k6E&

Clip has promo for NEW ITN news at one, At the end of the has STV, Votes for woman, which later become Scottish woman in 1989, lasting for about 10 years. I wonder why STV repeated this in the afternoon, it would have been better slotting in more CP or Sons and daughters!

Can Anyone remember month or even better the day Central Cake was axed in favour of Carlton branding in 1998?

I have no idea personally, but I remember watching Central in October 1998 and by that time they had switched to the Carlton presentation. From what's available online it appears the presentation only lasted for a year, probably no more.

So the News at 12.30 didn't last very long then?

I _THINK_ it was the Tuesday following a Bank Holiday weekend - one of the ones in May IIRC.

I assumed it was a Thames programme, it doesn't have an STV ident at the beginning.

This really was an STV made programme it was made in Cowcaddens http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/17563

Of course front end caps were gone by 1988 were there not? If not who still had them?