This Week - BBC1

I've finally got around to watching thursday's This Week and I'm just wondering if anybody knows the reason why the picture qualty is so bad.

The main problem seems to be a ghosting effect, almost like the kind of effect you'd get if you used one of those horrible white 'y' analogue splitter things used to split coax.


Also, the continuity on cbeebies has a similar picture quality issue, but many of the programmes look fine and crisp.

presumably, the entire broadcast chain is digital so why this apparent analogue style image degredation?

This Week is from BBC Millbank. I know at one time programmes which were routed through Millbank such as Question Time OBs were covered in artefacts because the circuits between Millbank and TV Centre were still PAL but I think that has been upgraded since. It would be interesting to know if you see the same issues with The Daily Politics which is from the same studio.

CBeebies continuity is pre-recorded at Teddington studios, so the issues could be to do with the recording and subsequent ingest into the playout systems at RedBee.

Yes, there are the same issues with The Daily Politics, and indeed any broadcasts from Millbank.

that explains it then.

on a side note, why do the bbc record their cbeebies continuity at teddington when they've got their own studio facilities?

Because of the wonderful internal market system at the BBC, it's cheaper to go elsewhere

A number of reasons.

1. The cameras at BBC Millbank are the not-at-all-pleasant Thomson 1707s. They may have digital triax, but the actual cameras are bloomin' awful. (They were also the camera of choice for a number of 16:9 BBC English regions - though BBC London managed to escape them and got LDK100s or 200s ISTR - because that camera was already in use in the training studio next door)

2. There may still be some composite - even analogue composite - points in the chain. The circuits between Westminster and TVC used to be 140Mbs composite digital (though I think only with analogue connectivity) for resilience reasons - and may still be. And ISTR that some of the routing infrastructure to the VT areas may have been analogue composite as well.

As for CBeebies, the programmes are played out from component digital server at Red Bee Media - and some shows are now originated in HD. However the continuity links are recorded at Teddington studios - and that may well be using ancient cameras and possibly a composite infrastructure. (Composite footprints aren't - yet - enough to fail a BBC Tech Review - though they really should be in this century)

And it may ACTUALLY be cheaper to go elsewhere as well...

The studio previously used by CBeebies at TVC was not a studio - it was a converted music recording space (with a parquet floor...), and the cameras used were positively horrible (JVC multicore ISTR...) - as TVC has no really small studios other than TC10 and TC11 (which aren't THAT small) - and which aren't that great (and also have the same horrid cameras)