I can't think of any PBS programmes I've seen here
That's usually because the programmes are co-produced by individual PBS stations rather than generically.
WGBH and the BBC and ITV co-produce quite a lot of drama (costume and crime), and WGBH and the BBC used to co-produce / re-version quite a lot of Horizon's (which were badged as Nova in the US) prior to the BBC's Discovery deal.
Other PBS stations like KQED and WNET have also co-produced with UK broadcasters over the years.
There is also Sesame Street of course... (A CTW production for PBS I believe)
Did anyone watch/record the programmes shown very early this morning?
There were no idents just a black screen before and after the programmes. 30 minutes in to 'Living Old' which was broadcast in 16:9, it gained black bars at the top and bottom of the screen so it was being broadcast in 'double widescreen'. I thought this was a mistake, but at the end the credits appeared over the black bars, so it wasn't a problem with the broadcast, it was part of the programme? It doesn't really make sense to me. Can anyone guess why and how that could happen?
The credits also seemed to be edited, maybe to remove sponsor credits. However, it did include the IPP for the next episode of the programme.
I guess that is why these programmes are being played out at 2am, to keep the EPG slot from being revoked and to iron out these problems before launching with the full PBS name and branding. The programmes themselves had PBS branding and promoted pbs.org quite a bit.
Frontline started off in 4:3 letterbox aspect ratio but an aspect flag was added at 25 minutes into the show and switched to 16:9 but the letterbox bars were still in place.
Famous WGBH 2006 end tag/ident appeared right a the end, I love that ident.
The sound mostly garbled for most of the broadcast but was corrected before the end.
The Victory Garden started in 16:9 but switched to its correct 4:3 quickly with a mess of a pixels when doing so. This show has a very This Old House Feel to it, you can tell it was created by the same guy who created This Old House.
WGBH 2002 end tag/ident appeared.
Here is the most interesting one, The Great African Wildlife Rescue which was not even made by a PBS station but an ABC/Kane production and distributed by Buena Vista.
Frontline started on in 4:3 letterbox aspect ratio but an aspect flag was added at 25 minutes into the show and switched to 16:9 but the letterbox bars were still in place.
This makes sense and you assume that the letterbox bars were left on by mistake but how did the end credits (scrolling up the screen) manage to appear over the letterbox bars?
Frontline started on in 4:3 letterbox aspect ratio but an aspect flag was added at 25 minutes into the show and switched to 16:9 but the letterbox bars were still in place.
This makes sense and you assume that the letterbox bars were left on by mistake but how did the end credits (scrolling up the screen) manage to appear over the letterbox bars?
Oh never even noticed that, that's disappointing they only have 4:3 sources then.
A This is PBS sting from 2000 like this one on TV Ark but with a women appeared after The Joy of Stress last night copyright WGBH 1999 so maybe from the original broadcast.
