PC
I quite agree, a fine send off for BBC 2 NI analogue - the recreated 1979 symbol as the final image, animating off to black, was a very nice decision I thought.
IS
Presumably the old '2' was still knocking around from that 70's season a while back?
GE
That's what's generated at the transmitter when it loses its incoming data feed. I have seen it once before from CP - although that one was in a slightly more modern (ha!) style.
Here's the analogue BBC Two bay in CCA today:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8032/8071943647_96dfd0035f.jpg
I think all it's doing is feeding the teletext decoder which does Pages from Ceefax, but nobody's told us when it's safe to unplug it...
thegeek
Founding member
watch what happens to the Ceefax feed!
Here's the analogue BBC Two bay in CCA today:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8032/8071943647_96dfd0035f.jpg
I think all it's doing is feeding the teletext decoder which does Pages from Ceefax, but nobody's told us when it's safe to unplug it...
GE
Central Communications Area, Television Centre. It is (for now) the switching hub of live TV in the BBC. Everything from the main block studios goes through there on its way to presentation at the Broadcast Centre (or onwards to other broadcasters via BT Tower); contributions between the regions (and London) are switched from there; it's the UK's principal gateway to the EBU's Eurovision network; and it controls the BBC's satellite operations - downlinking from news and programme OBs and uplinking the direct-to-home service to satellite.
(You may also hear references to the Central Apparatus Room, International Control Room, and Sat Ops - these are all areas - but no longer rooms - within CCA. There's some details on this comprehensive history of TVC)
thegeek
Founding member
Central Communications Area, Television Centre. It is (for now) the switching hub of live TV in the BBC. Everything from the main block studios goes through there on its way to presentation at the Broadcast Centre (or onwards to other broadcasters via BT Tower); contributions between the regions (and London) are switched from there; it's the UK's principal gateway to the EBU's Eurovision network; and it controls the BBC's satellite operations - downlinking from news and programme OBs and uplinking the direct-to-home service to satellite.
(You may also hear references to the Central Apparatus Room, International Control Room, and Sat Ops - these are all areas - but no longer rooms - within CCA. There's some details on this comprehensive history of TVC)
DE
Northern Ireland does (or rather until a few days ago, did) have the ability to opt separately on satellite, DTT, and analogue. It was done regularly for several years with different versions of BBC Two Northern Ireland being transmitted on analogue and digital on weekday evenings (and even some weekend daytimes due to sports rights). In fact if memory serves me I think there was at least one occasion of a few hours (again due to sports rights and complicated scheduling) where there were three different BBC Two services available at the same time to viewers in NI.
If you were wondering why the Digital Switchover announcement wasn't just made to analogue viewers, there were several reasons. The announcement included a DTT retune message, so needed to go out on DTT as well as analogue.... and I believe that one of the analogue transmitters was receiving its feed from satellite.
I sort of hoped on analogue after the 2 animated out somebody would have lit a candle (so as to bookend BBC 2's launch on 625). It was really nice though, and I appreciate NI don't have the same ability to opt between digital/analogue as Wales did.
Northern Ireland does (or rather until a few days ago, did) have the ability to opt separately on satellite, DTT, and analogue. It was done regularly for several years with different versions of BBC Two Northern Ireland being transmitted on analogue and digital on weekday evenings (and even some weekend daytimes due to sports rights). In fact if memory serves me I think there was at least one occasion of a few hours (again due to sports rights and complicated scheduling) where there were three different BBC Two services available at the same time to viewers in NI.
If you were wondering why the Digital Switchover announcement wasn't just made to analogue viewers, there were several reasons. The announcement included a DTT retune message, so needed to go out on DTT as well as analogue.... and I believe that one of the analogue transmitters was receiving its feed from satellite.
JA
That's what's generated at the transmitter when it loses its incoming data feed. I have seen it once before from CP - although that one was in a slightly more modern (ha!) style.
I've also seen it only once before, when Emley Moor BBC2 transmitter carried ITV1 for two weeks post-DSO1. There were occasional drop outs of the ITV1 feed at the beginning, and this Ceefax fault caption replaced ITV's teletext. Caption was the same style as the one seen here, but Emley's version had the full Ceefax header with clock.
watch what happens to the Ceefax feed!
I've also seen it only once before, when Emley Moor BBC2 transmitter carried ITV1 for two weeks post-DSO1. There were occasional drop outs of the ITV1 feed at the beginning, and this Ceefax fault caption replaced ITV's teletext. Caption was the same style as the one seen here, but Emley's version had the full Ceefax header with clock.