Just saw a 5-second promo on BBC America.
It just said Coming "2008"

About time. :)

I always found it so weird to watch 14:9 letterboxed content pillarboxed in a 4:3 frame on a 16:9 TV.
It's always very tempting to crop.



I'm guessing that this channel will be one that crops 4:3 to 14:9, but no stretching. That's how they do it on the BBC News website, at least.

Somehow I don't expect much quality programming to go with it.

YES! About time!

How much is Discovery responsible for BBC America? Wikipedia says they "distribute", but do they also produce, the content? If so, expect stretch-o-vision.

Just saw a 5-second promo on BBC America.
It just said Coming "2008"

About time. :)

I always found it so weird to watch 14:9 letterboxed content pillarboxed in a 4:3 frame on a 16:9 TV.
It's always very tempting to crop.



I'm guessing that this channel will be one that crops 4:3 to 14:9, but no stretching. That's how they do it on the BBC News website, at least.

BBC News produces all content internally in 16:9 - and broadcasts in 16:9 domestically on BBC One, Two, Three, Four, News 24, Parliament and CBBC. Because some News reports contain a mix of 16:9 and 4:3 originated material, the 4:3 stuff is converted to 14:9 pillarbox rather than 4:3/12:9 pillarbox, as it is slightly less jarring, but doesn't crop too much off vertically top and bottom.

However this use of 14:9 pillarbox is specific to BBC News (and BBC Childrens programmes on the CBBC and CBeebies channels) - the main BBC Networks show 4:3 material as 4:3 - either 12:9/4:3 pillarbox with an AFD signalling 4:3 central area active only, or as 4:3 full-width with an MPEG 4:3 header. (An exception to this is occasional 4:3 material used within an otherwise 16:9 show - this is more often cropped and zoomed to 14:9 or 16:9)

I would be surprised if BBC America cropped and zoomed entire 4:3 shows to 14:9 pillarbox in 16:9 - but if they upconvert BBC World News bulletins then these will contain 4:3 material as 14:9 - including the 4:3 BBC Washington studio from where they anchor the new BBC World News America and a BBC World News Today bulletin as of today.

(The BBC doesn't routinely stretch 4:3 content to 16:9 either linearly or non-linearly - however mistakes are sometimes made...)

How much is Discovery responsible for BBC America? Wikipedia says they "distribute", but do they also produce, the content? If so, expect stretch-o-vision.

Discovery are involved in marketing the channel, providing playout facilities, and at one point hosted the channel management (though I think BBC America has since left Discovery's Maryland HQ?)

However the BBC are editorially responsible for the channel - and most of the content is either produced or commissioned by the BBC, or purchased from other UK broadcasters or production companies.

Does Discovery actually produce any content of its own? My understanding was that, unlike the BBC, Discovery doesn't make shows in-house, and instead commissions from 3rd party production companies, or other broadcasters like the BBC? Discovery have (or had) a "first look" deal with the BBC allowing Discovery a first refusal on co-funding some BBC shows (particularly factual) being made in-house by BBC production departments (like BBC Science in London and BBC Natural History in Bristol)

I would be surprised if the BBC embraced "strech-o-vision" - after 10 years since they launched their first 16:9 network in the UK they have always gone for "circles staying circular" techniques...

My 2 cents on this:

BBC World News America (both at 7 and 10) will go High Def, as well as the field cams (like CNN is starting to do). Also, any program that shows on BBCAHD will be upconverted to 16:9 widescreen, and by the time the channel rolls out a lot of programs will originate in HD anyway.

Anybody agree/disagree?

Does Discovery actually produce any content of its own? My understanding was that, unlike the BBC, Discovery doesn't make shows in-house, and instead commissions from 3rd party production companies, or other broadcasters like the BBC?

They apparently do a little bit of both.

My 2 cents on this:

BBC World News America (both at 7 and 10) will go High Def, as well as the field cams (like CNN is starting to do). Also, any program that shows on BBCAHD will be upconverted to 16:9 widescreen, and by the time the channel rolls out a lot of programs will originate in HD anyway.

Anybody agree/disagree?

BBC World News America is presented from a studio in Washington DC, but the studio production (recorded material, graphics, outside sources etc.) are all done via a BBC News studio gallery (aka control room) in London... These studios aren't going HD anytime soon (they are relocating to Central London in 2012ish) - though they may be being upgraded partially soon. (The four main BBC News studios in London have all been running their current kit for about 10 years - with only servers, and in some cases, cameras upgraded in that time.)

The BBC Washington and New York bureaux are still based on SD Betacam SX tape (look at the publicity photos of Philippa Thomas on the BBC America site - all those yellow SX boxes) - and are VERY 4:3.

Hopefully the BBC will upgrade Washington soon - but whilst the BBC's main newsgathering partner in the US - ABC News - is still 4:3 in the field, I suspect the Beeb will stick with 4:3 in the US as well.

What is possible is that BBC World News America and the US anchored BBC World News Today shows - which are studio produced in 16:9 in London - could be upconverted from 16:9 SD to 16:9 HD (I just watched the UK re-run of the first edition and elements of it - the stuff from outside the US... - were 16:9)

They apparently do a little bit of both.

Ah - I wasn't aware that Discovery had an in-house production department with staff producers, researchers etc. What shows do they produce?

They showed the promo again tonight during Top Gear.

I had downloaded (guilty) a copy of the BBC-HD Top Gear Polar Expedition and it looked great. So this channel is a winner. I wonder if it will replace DHDT one day?

Ah - I wasn't aware that Discovery had an in-house production department with staff producers, researchers etc. What shows do they produce?

Honestly, I have no idea. Wikipedia just had a small thing on how Discovery "both produces original programming and acquires content from producers worldwide", but I do know that a great majority of their big-name documentaries and the like are done by various outside producers, including the BBC. Somehow, though, I don't think such a prestigious organisation would produce something like American Chopper.

Somehow, though, I don't think such a prestigious organisation would produce something like American Chopper.
The Weakest Link comes close. :p

Can't wait to start getting the Office in HD :)

Somehow I don't expect much quality programming to go with it.

I've watched a lot of good mysteries on it through the years.:)

Can't wait to start getting the Office in HD :)

The UK Office and Extras were both shot in 16:9 SD I'm afraid...

(Both were shot 576/50i 16:9 DigiBeta mainly and processed in post to give them a 25p "film look". Extras also contained 25fps film sequences, telecined as 16:9 576/50i with a 25p motion characteristic, and the sitcom elements were shot 16:9 576/50i and left at 50i for that "sitcom and soap" look)

Top Gear in HD please! The Polar Special looked great.

This is definantly a good thing. More and more shows on BBC are shot in HD (Torchwood, and the latest season of Hustle for instance). Plus 720x576i anamorphic (I believe most of their primetime shows are broadcast that way now) upconverted to 1080i should look much better than 640x360i (letterboxed).

This is definantly a good thing. More and more shows on BBC are shot in HD (Torchwood, and the latest season of Hustle for instance). Plus 720x576i anamorphic (I believe most of their primetime shows are broadcast that way now) upconverted to 1080i should look much better than 640x360i (letterboxed).

It isn't most of our primetime shows - it is all of our shows. Full stop.

The only 4:3 shows broadcast on BBC outlets are either old US imports (Murder She Wrote / Diagnosis Murder), old repeats of BBC shows shot last century, and one or two shows commissioned in 4:3 (I can only think of two - Talking Movies and the recent Mitchell and Kenyon series re-visiting early 1900s film shot around the UK and Ireland)

It isn't most of our primetime shows - it is all of our shows. Full stop.

The only 4:3 shows broadcast on BBC outlets are either old US imports (Murder She Wrote / Diagnosis Murder), old repeats of BBC shows shot last century, and one or two shows commissioned in 4:3 (I can only think of two - Talking Movies and the recent Mitchell and Kenyon series re-visiting early 1900s film shot around the UK and Ireland)

You guys are really lucky over there. I've bought a few PAL DVD's, and on my 32" HDTV they look pretty close to high definition.

Here its either 4:3, 4:3 letterboxed to 360 lines, or HDTV. And HDTV channels are still rare, although thats quickly changing on Sat.

Top Gear in HD please! The Polar Special looked great.

Sadly - that Polar Special was an HD one-off AFAIK - the regular series is still in SD - though we live in hope.

I suspect the mix of location single-camera and multi-camera outside broadcast production for the regular show means HD may be a less than trivial move. On the other hand it is one of the highest - if not the highest rating - show on BBC Two - and definitely a prime candidate for HD on BBC HD in the UK I'd suggest.

You guys are really lucky over there. I've bought a few PAL DVD's, and on my 32" HDTV they look pretty close to high definition.

Here its either 4:3, 4:3 letterboxed to 360 lines, or HDTV. And HDTV channels are still rare, although thats quickly changing on Sat.

Yep - though some of our 16:9 SD outlets aren't 704/720x576 and instead subsample to 544x576 to reduce their bandwith. (Ofcom - our broadcast regulators - mandate all analogue terrestrials have to simulcast in at least 704x576 - but other digital terrestrials don't have to... On satellite anything goes)

So we kind of have SD-lite here in some cases - though AIUI some US SD digital satellite services also don't use the full SD 720x480 resolution and instead use 360x480 in some cases?

The UK Office and Extras were both shot in 16:9 SD I'm afraid...

(Both were shot 576/50i 16:9 DigiBeta mainly and processed in post to give them a 25p "film look". Extras also contained 25fps film sequences, telecined as 16:9 576/50i with a 25p motion characteristic, and the sitcom elements were shot 16:9 576/50i and left at 50i for that "sitcom and soap" look)
Booo....why did the show stop filming anywhere in Britain? Specific reason?

Booo....why did the show stop filming anywhere in Britain? Specific reason?

I would guess money. :confused:

I think (don't [/quote] me on this) a lot of UK series have a significantly smaller budget than US series.

Booo....why did the show stop filming anywhere in Britain? Specific reason?

The Office stopped in the UK when the team behind it thought it had gone as far as it could go - better to end on a high.

Historically UK TV has shot a lot more on video than the US. This is both for monetary and historical reasons. The US TV drama and sit com production has a heritage inherited from the US movie industry - and thus has traditionally shot on 35mm film. The UK TV drama and sit com production has a heritage inherited from the UK theatre industry - and has a strong history of multi-camera studio production on video, with some 16mm round the edges. Most UK broadcasters stopped using 35mm when they moved from B&W to colour.

Unlike the film-only US style, many UK series were shot multi-camera video in-studio, and on 16mm film for exteriors, but by the 80s series were increasingly shot entirely on video (using multi-camera video techniques for location shoots as well as in studio)

In the 90s a clear split took place - high-end drama moved to Super 16 production, but lower budget shows moved from multi-camera video to single camera video when Digital Betacam camcorders arrived, and by the mid-90s the "film effect" post-production technique became feasible, giving DigiBeta video productions a "film look" on a video budget. Sitcoms have remained, in the main, as a studio multi-camera operation - with single-camera video exteriors.

The Office and Extras were exceptions to this - as they were shot single-camera in a style known as "mockumentary" (mocking fly-on-the-wall documentary shooting) - but again for budget reasons they were shot on video not film.

HD is now replacing both Super 16 and DigiBeta for drama production, and it offers savings over film production - particularly productions previously edited on film rather than SD video, but does require a small budget increase for those productions previously shot and posted on DigiBeta.

I would guess money. :confused:

I think (don't me on this) a lot of UK series have a significantly smaller budget than US series.[/QUOTE]

I don't think anyone would dispute that as a generalisation. If nothing else, talent costs in the UK are much lower. The lead actors in our dramas and sitcoms don't command the stratospheric salaries of actors in the major US TV series (but the series in the UK also generate less absolute ad revenue for US and UK broadcasters - and in the BBC the shows don't generate ad revenue at all)

There are highly paid talents in the UK - but they are often bought out with golden-handcuff deals to tie them to a single broadcaster across multiple productions - and are more likely to be TV/Radio presenters than actors or actresses these days. (Jonathan Ross who has a successful Radio 2 programme, and fronts various shows, including a popular late evening chat show, for BBC One and documentaries - often on Japan and Anime - for BBC Three is a prime example that caused controversy when he was allegedly given an £18m multi-year deal...)

The Office stopped in the UK when the team behind it thought it had gone as far as it could go - better to end on a high.

Historically UK TV has shot a lot more on video than the US. This is both for monetary and historical reasons. The US TV drama and sit com production has a heritage inherited from the US movie industry - and thus has traditionally shot on 35mm film. The UK TV drama and sit com production has a heritage inherited from the UK theatre industry - and has a strong history of multi-camera studio production on video, with some 16mm round the edges. Most UK broadcasters stopped using 35mm when they moved from B&W to colour.

Unlike the film-only US style, many UK series were shot multi-camera video in-studio, and on 16mm film for exteriors, but by the 80s series were increasingly shot entirely on video (using multi-camera video techniques for location shoots as well as in studio)

In the 90s a clear split took place - high-end drama moved to Super 16 production, but lower budget shows moved from multi-camera video to single camera video when Digital Betacam camcorders arrived, and by the mid-90s the "film effect" post-production technique became feasible, giving DigiBeta video productions a "film look" on a video budget. Sitcoms have remained, in the main, as a studio multi-camera operation - with single-camera video exteriors.

The Office and Extras were exceptions to this - as they were shot single-camera in a style known as "mockumentary" (mocking fly-on-the-wall documentary shooting) - but again for budget reasons they were shot on video not film.

HD is now replacing both Super 16 and DigiBeta for drama production, and it offers savings over film production - particularly productions previously edited on film rather than SD video, but does require a small budget increase for those productions previously shot and posted on DigiBeta.

Great response. Thanks

An article in today's Media Guardian mentions that BBC Worldwide (the commercial arm of the BBC) is aiming to launch 30 new channels globally - bringing their global channel count to 70.

These will be based around the BBC Entertainment, BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle and CBeebies brands and will include on-demand services as well as linear channels on the platforms that support this kind of content. It is likely that they will increasingly feature a mix of UK and locally produced content - depending on their geographical area. (BBC World already carries shows produced in India and Singapore on their feeds to these regions)

In the article the BBC has again confirmed the launch of a mixed-genre HD service for the US (no mention of Canada) I would expect this to be similar to the BBC HD service in the UK - showing a mix of documentary, comedy, drama and music. (Unlikely to carry any sport, any acquired shows, and shows co-produced with US broadcasters may be shown in a different window?)

The success of BBC America recently - with Robin Hood (shot in HD) - getting the channel's highest ever ratings - have strengthened the BBC's resolve to increase its output in the US. (These days the BBC are probably the only UK broadcaster capable of delivering global channels)

BBC World is also moving studios next year and getting a rebrand - though I doubt it will be moving to HD (as the rest of BBC News isn't) and so I wouldn't expect a US BBC HD channel to carry news.

The success of BBC America recently - with Robin Hood (shot in HD) - getting the channel's highest ever ratings - have strengthened the BBC's resolve to increase its output in the US.

Has the next series of Robin Hood been released in the UK? We look forward to its return on BBCA.

We watched it every week. The production isn't quite up to Hollywood standards, the Arab female charater (Jack) wore modern day combat boots type things, but the stories were well written and well acted. I am in LOVE with Marion! Never heard of her before this, but she is good and good looking!

Has the next series of Robin Hood been released in the UK? We look forward to its return on BBCA.

We watched it every week. The production isn't quite up to Hollywood standards, the Arab female charater (Jack) wore modern day combat boots type things, but the stories were well written and well acted. I am in LOVE with Marion! Never heard of her before this, but she is good and good looking!

Yep - Series 2 of Robin Hood started a few weeks ago in the UK. It runs straight after Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One on Saturday evenings, similar "Family Drama" slot to Doctor Who. The same two shows are also simulcast back to back on BBC HD.

It hasn't been a total ratings smash in the UK - it isn't Doctor Who - but it is doing OK. I know what you mean about the production values - it has a slight "small scale" TV feel at times, but setting it with modern language works pretty well for it, and the cast are a good mix of newcomers and stalwarts. (Keith Allen is suitably OTT as the Sheriff and Richard Armitage suitably credible as Guy.)

Top Gear in HD please! The Polar Special looked great.

I wish. Those supercars look fabulous - even in SD - and the artistic way they shoot them puts the beauty shots in car commercials to shame.

So. Is Keith Allen trying to do an "Alan Rickman"? :)

I still can't forget AR's best line in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves"..... "I'm going to rip your heart out ...... with a spoon" :D:D:):D

I wish. Those supercars look fabulous - even in SD - and the artistic way they shoot them puts the beauty shots in car commercials to shame.

Yep - Top Gear shoot their location stuff very well indeed. Location stuff is shot 576/50i, "film effected" in post to 576/25p. The studio at the airfield is shot 576/50i and left in this format (as are the celeb driving sequences if you get them) - giving the studio and VT reports very different feels.

They are heavily graded - but this is kind of justified - and they do it very well.

So. Is Keith Allen trying to do an "Alan Rickman"? :)


Not really - different kind of OTT!

Not really - different kind of OTT!

Right. He gets most of the OTT campy lines to deliver, and does so with such relish.

I suspect the mix of location single-camera and multi-camera outside broadcast production for the regular show means HD may be a less than trivial move.

I imagine it is a matter of budget and/or logistics rather than technical. Technically, it's just a matter of replacing the OB scanner with an HD capable one (I'm presuming they haven't built facilities at the airfield) and the camcorders/in-car cameras with HD models (I suspect the HDX900 or the new 1080-line sensor P2 model), and online in an HD suite.

Of course, when they started filming this series (and at least some of it I understand was shot before Hammond's crash I understand) there was a chance that BBC HD wouldn't even exist now. So to allocate the budget to shooting in HD over SD wouldn't necessarily have been seen as sensible.

However, I suspect that as soon as the BBC HD channel is given the full go-ahead it will be one of the first programmes to switch.

Steven

Right. He gets most of the OTT campy lines to deliver, and does so with such relish.

Or the camp lines if you are a Brit ;)

Any updates on BBC America in HD? Do we know if D* or E* plan to carry it?

Anyone have any news about a launch date?

(...)
BBC World is also moving studios next year and getting a rebrand - though I doubt it will be moving to HD (as the rest of BBC News isn't) and so I wouldn't expect a US BBC HD channel to carry news.

I would expect that BBCA HD would carry BBC World News still since BBC News produces a program directly aimed at the american audience. However I do not expect the news to be in HD anytime soon, infact I believe BBC World who produces the program will be one of the last channels to convert to HD as it has a massive global audience that won't benefit from HD for quite some time.

I do hold out hope that BBCA HD will carry at least a 16:9 feed of the BBC World bulletins. Even if the BBC generally does not like to put non-HD content on HD channels.

I would expect that BBCA HD would carry BBC World News still since BBC News produces a program directly aimed at the american audience.


Suspect it depends on how they market and target an HD BBC channel in America.

They presumably have a number of options :

1. Make the channel a "Best of BBC in HD" service - so different to BBC America, as many of the shows on BBCA are not shot in HD, and the BBC has other shows it produce in HD (not sport) that aren't shown on BBCA. Of course there could be problems with this as other US broadcasters may have bought the HD rights, or co-producer funded the productions.

2. Make the channel a simulcast of BBCA - with 16:9 SD shows upconverted to HD, and HD shows shown in HD.

3. Make the channel a simulcast of BBCA - with 16:9 SD shows still treated as 4:3 (i.e. 14:9 letterboxed and then pillarboxed) and only HD shows shown full-frame.

Suspect 2 would be the most sensible option - though I'm not sure how many of the "US Edits" of BBC shows have been done in the 4:3 domain. (The BBC have to edit almost all their shows for UK commercial outlets and also for US commercial outlets.)


However I do not expect the news to be in HD anytime soon, infact I believe BBC World who produces the program will be one of the last channels to convert to HD as it has a massive global audience that won't benefit from HD for quite some time.


Yep - though to be technically accurate, BBC News produce the news programmes for BBC World Ltd - BBC World don't produce the shows themselves... Very semantic difference - but important.

BBC News is entirely 16:9 in studio terms and the output of the BBC World News operation is 16:9.

HOWEVER the BBC World playout and presentation option is still 4:3. If BBC America have a direct feed from the BBC News studio making BBC World News then they will have access to a 16:9 SD feed. HOWEVER I think it more likely that BBC America opt-in and opt-out of a BBC World North America channel feed (now also carried on a few US platforms AIUI) - which will be 4:3. Can't be sure about this though...


I do hold out hope that BBCA HD will carry at least a 16:9 feed of the BBC World bulletins. Even if the BBC generally does not like to put non-HD content on HD channels.

Think what the BBC do in the US and what they do in the UK are less likely to be linked...

The BBC Worldwide channels operated commercially are pretty independent of the BBC domestic services.

I know it's never going to happen but I would prefer it if BBCA HD were a premium channel similar to HBO. It makes me cringe watching shows on BBCA that have been cut to ribbons because of content and the need to run advertising. You only have to compare the presentation of Torchwood on HDNet and BBCA to see the difference. By the time the self imposed censorship has finished with any show containing mature themes they are essentially neutered.

The screen pollution on BBCA is awful!

Sneals,

Is Kitchen Nightmares in HD in the UK? I love that show.

I don't watch BBC America anymore, way too much crap with the promo bugs and having to tell the viewer what you are watching. E-mailed them and got a curt reply about needing to advertise shows. HD BBC America will be even more crap on the screen. And I liked watching UK "Nightmares"

I'd guess BBCA HD will be a simulcast of BBCA, which means airing the same shows over and over and over again. Kitchen Nightmares has less than 30 episodes, yet BBCA shows it once every weekday, plus twice more on Thursday, and usually a few more repeats over the weekend for good measure!

Same with Coupling, which is a wonderful show (I own all 4 seasons on DVD), but BBCA airs the 28 episodes once every weekday, plus twice more on Friday. The 5:30pm EST time slot goes through the entire run of the show every 6 weeks!

There is so much great British programming that could be shown on BBCA, so it's a shame to see endless repeats of the same set of shows -- I could program the channel better with my own BBC DVD collection! Now that Life On Mars is over, the only show I watch on BBCA is Torchwood (I've seen every episode of My Family and Coupling several times, I refuse to watch Dancing with the Stars again, I own Doctor Who on DVD already, etc.).

I know it's never going to happen but I would prefer it if BBCA HD were a premium channel similar to HBO. It makes me cringe watching shows on BBCA that have been cut to ribbons because of content and the need to run advertising. You only have to compare the presentation of Torchwood on HDNet and BBCA to see the difference. By the time the self imposed censorship has finished with any show containing mature themes they are essentially neutered.
Agreed. I'm set up to record Torchwood on HDNet, not BBCA, and will keep it that way even if BBCA ever goes HD.

BBCA is supposed to be having a new series of Kitchen Nightmares starting this week. Last time there was a new series a few months back there were only about 4 new episodes IIRC.

Any updates as to when this channel is launching?

Oh, and BTW, was Coupling shot in 16:9 and/or HD?
I've been watching it lately and loving it.

Any updates as to when this channel is launching?

Oh, and BTW, was Coupling shot in 16:9 and/or HD?
I've been watching it lately and loving it.

Definitely not HD - but almost certainly 16:9 SD. (If you mean the UK series - and I'm assuming you do!)

Torchwood... bad teeth in HD!!

I don't watch BBC America anymore, way too much crap with the promo bugs and having to tell the viewer what you are watching. E-mailed them and got a curt reply about needing to advertise shows. HD BBC America will be even more crap on the screen. And I liked watching UK "Nightmares"

Hooray for UKNova!!

It's March.
Any updates?

FYI, with very few exceptions, the cuts on Torchwood are mostly for time, not content. In series 1, 2 sex scenes were trimmed and some words were blanked... everything else was to cut the show to 45 minutes.

Watching it on HDNet is still much better, of course!

Robin Hood on D* 101 in HD tonight at 8PM, with several episodes (9 total) to air over the next two days. Taping the first few to see if its worth it.

Are these the new season or last season?

BBC HD is on my HD On Demand here in Goldsboro TWC and has about 13 eps of Robin Hood. Don't know which season.

BBC HD is on my HD On Demand here in Goldsboro TWC and has about 13 eps of Robin Hood. Don't know which season.
I believe there's only one season so far in the US.

I went to T101 and they are the 1st season with the first episode of season 2 as a "sneak preview."

I watched the first two eps and am hooked. I like it a lot.

They showed the promo again tonight during Top Gear.

I had downloaded (guilty) a copy of the BBC-HD Top Gear Polar Expedition and it looked great. So this channel is a winner. I wonder if it will replace DHDT one day?

Since we can't get uncut Top Gear in the States, Usenet is your friend. The polar special in HD was wonderful.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather have an uncut Top Gear than an edited HD (45-minute) version shown on BBC-A.

I'll assume that it's foregone, BBC-A won't carry F1 in HD...

Since we can't get uncut Top Gear in the States, Usenet is your friend.FYI: Talking about that stuff here will get you banned from the forum.

Uncut Top Gear is really the best, there's lots of stuff that gets cut out to make the edit for international viewers, which is sad because the news segment is always funny.

And anyway TG on BBC America looks awful, not to mention all those on screen graphics they've got going.

Exactly how much crap is BBC-HD have on the screen? If it is going to be a bug-fest, I'll pass. The promo bug logos for upcoming shows are getting bigger and bigger (ROBIN HOOD), trying to tell them it is out of control gets a curt British reply.

Apologize if this has been asked. I'm an avid Top Gear viewer, but I download the Torrents from finalgear.com. I'll continue to do so, because I like them unedited and commercial free. I'm interested in getting into Dr. Who and Torchwood but was wondering if they get the same chopped up treatment on BBC America? Are they edited down to 40ish minutes where you lose content to fit commercials? Are the shows already under an hour without Editing?

Apologize if this has been asked. I'm an avid Top Gear viewer, but I download the Torrents from finalgear.com. I'll continue to do so, because I like them unedited and commercial free. I'm interested in getting into Dr. Who and Torchwood but was wondering if they get the same chopped up treatment on BBC America? Are they edited down to 40ish minutes where you lose content to fit commercials? Are the shows already under an hour without Editing?

Doctor Who and Torchwood are ~45 minutes long. Since it's standard in the US to play 18 minutes of commercials an hour I suspect they're cut by 2 or 3 minutes. Not as bad as A&E when they played Spooks (MI-5) and cut at least 15 minute off per episode. Doctor Who is still not made, and there are no plans to, in HD.

Doctor Who and Torchwood are ~45 minutes long. Since it's standard in the US to play 18 minutes of commercials an hour I suspect they're cut by 2 or 3 minutes. Not as bad as A&E when they played Spooks (MI-5) and cut at least 15 minute off per episode. Doctor Who is still not made, and there are no plans to, in HD.

Thanks! I've been wondering that. I know HDNET plays Torchwood, and I've been hoping to catch it again when they start back up with episode 1.

I also knew that about Dr. Who... just figured it would look better even in SD on an HD channel.

I've caught a little of both and they are genuinely up my alley. BBC has some great programming and this will be a welcomed addition.

Oh for those Top Gear viewers, I got an email that the show is suppose to be going HD next season.

Interesting development. In my guide today on Comcast, I noticed that some episodes of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares are marked HD and so is World News America. A sign? Or just bad guide data sent?

Interesting development. In my guide today on Comcast, I noticed that some episodes of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares are marked HD and so is World News America. A sign? Or just bad guide data sent?

I don't know about your provider, but on my Charter DVR, somebody at the data source is overly optimistic about which shows are now HD...about 85% of the programs in my guide are now showing up with an 'HD' in the description. This includes channels that have never announced plans for an HD version.

Interesting development. In my guide today on Comcast, I noticed that some episodes of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares are marked HD and so is World News America. A sign? Or just bad guide data sent?

In the case of World News America - definitely bad guide data.

World News America comes from a 4:3 SD studio in BBC Washington, via a 16:9 SD control room at Television Centre in London.

Many of the non-US reports and lives are produced in 16:9 - and air in 16:9 on World News America when it is broadcast on the BBC domestic BBC News Channel (formerly called BBC News 24) which is a 16:9 SD outlet. Some of the West Coast reports are also now shot and produced in 16:9 - but the BBC Washington and NY bureaux are still 4:3 - though this may change when ABC start field production in 16:9 (as the BBC and ABC are news partners).

The BBC have no live national or international news outlets - in the UK or abroad - shooting daily news in HD at the moment, and the West Londond TV Centre facilities are likely to remain 16:9 SD until they relocate to Broadcasting House in Central London (just off Oxford Circus for those who know London) next decade (2012ish?).

(The only BBC daily news production in HD that I know of is the BBC Scotland news production studio in their new Pacific Quay building in Glasgow - which has recently opened with full HD studios for both news and non-news production - though the HD news studio is downconverted to SD for broadcast. Oddly the studio doesn't, apparently, run in SD mode - all the SD sources are upconverted and the output downconverted...)

The only remotely possible reason for WNA to be in HD would be if they were doing a one-off special anchored using HD production facilities for a specific reason. The standard BBC News infrastructure in London and North America is simply not HD capable.

Interesting sneals. I thought the BBC News division was going to move to Broadcasting House much earlier than that.

If BBC News Channel can run 16:9, why not BBC World News or BBC America? And when are they going to upgrade the infrastructure in the NY/DC bureaus? When ABC goes 16:9??

Also, I've noticed BBC America is switching to a more BBC One style...using the same exact idents that BBC One has and the same breakdown video.

BBC America to Let 'Robin Hood' Fly In HD

Channel Ad Says HD Outlet Will Launch This Fall

-- Multichannel News, 6/2/2008 2:11:00 PM

BBC America hit series Robin Hood will join the BBC America HD schedule when the new channel launches this fall, a trade ad said Monday.

The network did not offer any specifics on when or where BBC America HD would launch this fall. Previously, the British Broadcasting Corp. outlet had said the HD version would launch sometime this year.

The ad also referred to a high-definition "sneak peek" of Robin Hood's first season on DirecTV’s Channel 101 and Time Warner Cable’s HD Showcase on Demand before season 2 launched (in standard definition) on BBC America in April.

The second season of the costume action-adventure drama is in the middle of a 13-episode run Saturday nights on BBCA.

The HD version of BBCA’s biggest hit series, Torchwood, is shown in the U.S. now on Mark Cuban’s HDNet. Only two seasons of that sci-fi series have been produced, to date, and HD versions of both ran on HDNet.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6566266.html

Interesting sneals. I thought the BBC News division was going to move to Broadcasting House much earlier than that.

If BBC News Channel can run 16:9, why not BBC World News or BBC America? And when are they going to upgrade the infrastructure in the NY/DC bureaus? When ABC goes 16:9??

Also, I've noticed BBC America is switching to a more BBC One style...using the same exact idents that BBC One has and the same breakdown video.

If you mean 16:9 letterboxed, they should be able to do that easily. However, unlike PAL systems NTSC has no way to do an anamorphic widescreen broadcast (at least I have never seen one). So it's either 4:3 SDTV, HDTV, or 16:9 SDTV upscaled on an HDTV chan (like FOX).

If you mean 16:9 letterboxed, they should be able to do that easily. However, unlike PAL systems NTSC has no way to do an anamorphic widescreen broadcast (at least I have never seen one). So it's either 4:3 SDTV, HDTV, or 16:9 SDTV upscaled on an HDTV chan (like FOX).

If course NTSC has anamorphic. DVD's are anamorphic. Also FOX used to be anamorphic ED before they went HD.

If course NTSC has anamorphic. DVD's are anamorphic. Also FOX used to be anamorphic ED before they went HD.

Yes, I knew that about DVD's. Was FOX's channel actually 720x480 anamorphic, or was it scaled to 720p? Of the 100's of channels on comcast, and dozens of OTA ATSC channels (including 6 PBS's in my area) I have never seen an anamorphic widescreen broadcast.

Originally FOX fed anamorphic 720x480i to the affiliates that then converted it 480p 16:9 for air.

Yes, I knew that about DVD's. Was FOX's channel actually 720x480 anamorphic, or was it scaled to 720p? Of the 100's of channels on comcast, and dozens of OTA ATSC channels (including 6 PBS's in my area) I have never seen an anamorphic widescreen broadcast.

Because they choose not to, but they can send anamorphic SD very easily.

Yes, I knew that about DVD's. Was FOX's channel actually 720x480 anamorphic, or was it scaled to 720p?


Prior to Fox introducing their 720p broadcasts they distributed a 16:9 480/60i feed to their affiliates, which was de-interlaced at the station to 16:9 480/60p for MPEG2 encoding and broadcast. (To this day it has perpetuated the myth that Fox shot - and continue to shoot - 16:9 ED in 480/60p. They didn't shoot in this format, they just de-interlaced to it for broadcast at the stations prior to HD and Splicers. You can't buy 480/60p production gear other than 1080i/720p gear that has it as an optional output mode - which almost nobody has every used AFAIK)

AIUI most shows shown on Fox in 16:9 in that era were post-produced in 16:9 480/60i, or shot live in this format - though the better quality productions used a component rather than composite production path. (It is possible that some shows were shot in HD and downconverted but not many were AIUI)

This 16:9 480/60i is sometimes called "anamorphic" or "Full Height Anamorphic" though this is not universally liked as a term in the broadcast industry - and these days, in the UK at least, the phrase 16F16 (i.e. 16:9 image filling a 16:9 frame) is the more commonly used phrase.

16:9 production using the standard SD digital format of 720x480 (as also used by DVDs) is still used by Fox for some of their shows (Hells Kitchen is an example - shot on 16:9 SD camcorders I believe, whilst SYTYCD is shot in an HD studio but with the cameras and rest of the studio running in 16:9 480/60i mode AIUI)

Of the 100's of channels on comcast, and dozens of OTA ATSC channels (including 6 PBS's in my area) I have never seen an anamorphic widescreen broadcast.

Yep - I believe that although it is part of the ATSC spec 16:9 SD (aka 16F16) broadcasting is rare (as opposed to a 4:3 SD broadcast containing 16:9 letterboxed content - aka 16L12) In the US I believe almost all 16F16 broadcasts are HD 720p or HD 1080i, with the only SD/ED 16F16 broadcasts being the original Fox Widescreen 480/60p broadcasts from 480/60i distribution.

The UK - and much of Europe - is a totally different kettle of fish. All Five national networks in the UK broadcast nearly universally in 16:9 720x576/50i SD (aka 16F16) - as do most of the commercial and subscription networks - on digital OTA, satellite and cable.

Interesting sneals. I thought the BBC News division was going to move to Broadcasting House much earlier than that.

Not sure what the public date is - but there is currently a not-quite-empty hole in the ground where the building that will house BBC News is going to be. They've got to build an entire new studio complex (and this is not a green or even brown-field site - it is in one of the busiest bits of Central London. Kind of like demolishing Rockefeller and rebuilding it) AND commission it. I've even heard mutterings of 2013...

This is why BBC News have been upgrading all of their studios at TV Centre in West London since January - the 16:9 SD kit in most of them is/as getting on for about 10 years old (though some have had new cameras more recently) - they're all getting new Sony DVS 8000G vision mixers, and have recently had their Tektronix Profiles replaced by Omneons. The production infrastructure is now pretty much entirely Quantel ServerQ, QEdit/QCut based, with tape and Profile production phased out, though a few Avids still lurk in darker recesses. Field shooting is 16:9 DVCam (with some 16:9 BetaSX in some areas)


If BBC News Channel can run 16:9, why not BBC World News or BBC America?


BBC News Channel (formerly BBC News 24) feeds a domestic digital transmission and distribution infrastructure with no 4:3 SD outlets to worry about.

However BBC World is an international channel and thus, like CNN International, Sky News (who are 16:9 domestically in the UK), Al Jazeera English (who are 16:9 HD internally) the only universal distribution format is 4:3 SD still. Until the rest of the world switches to 16:9 SD they are unlikely to make the switch, and the costs of distributing both 4:3 and 16:9 in 16:9 regions is still too much.

As for BBC America - I don't know how well US cable and satellite networks would cope with a 16:9 SD outlet - do SD cable and satellite receivers have aspect ratio configs so that 16:9 SD content is output in 4:3 for 4:3 TVs? (All UK OTA, Satellite and Cable SD receivers have to)


And when are they going to upgrade the infrastructure in the NY/DC bureaus? When ABC goes 16:9??


I'd expect the ABC move to be a reason to switch - I don't know how much of the BBC infrastructure in DC needs upgrading - it may just be running in 4:3 mode prior to switching. (Not sure about the studio cameras) Don't know what the DC field-cameras are - the Beeb use SX VTRs in their bureau but I don't know if they are shooting SX or SP. (SP would be easier to feed from ABC affiliates across the US I guess?)

AIUI the BBC NY studio is based in Thirteen's (on of the NY PBS operations) studio facility - and has 4:3 BVP 7s (I know - they must be old enough to vote...) that are certainly not 16:9 SD capable...

Increasing amounts of field-edited and field-shot material fed independently of the NY/DC bureaux (such as via IP links) directly to London is being shot and fed in 16:9 SD - as is the case with most West Coast stuff as well.

World News America in the UK is interesting - as it airs in 16:9 SD on the BBC News Channel. The DC studio is 4:3 (ARCed to 14P16), as are most of the DC reports. However almost all of the rest of the news shot by the BBC (and not agencies) ouside the US is 16:9 SD!


Also, I've noticed BBC America is switching to a more BBC One style...using the same exact idents that BBC One has and the same breakdown video.
Yep - they seem to be aligning BBC America back with the BBC One presentation style - as it was when it launched with the BBC One Balloons. I suspect this fits the channel a bit more - though AIUI it has far more on-screen text than any UK BBC channel. Oh and it has commercials?

Yep - they seem to be aligning BBC America back with the BBC One presentation style - as it was when it launched with the BBC One Balloons. I suspect this fits the channel a bit more - though AIUI it has far more on-screen text than any UK BBC channel. Oh and it has commercials?

Text? Oh yes it has text.

I switched over a few week back to see "You're watching Doctor Who" running from left to right on the bottom in huge letters and I haven't watched since.

Right now Coupling is on. I know this because I just turned on to see if it's improved and it says at the bottom left "Coupling" just in case I somehow forgot when I turned it on and the banner appeared.

Not content with that it also has a nice promo for "Robin Hood All New Saturday 9pm" fixed permanently over the BBC America network bug. And just to make sure ... here comes an animated snipe for the same show.

Whatever quality UK imports BBC America show is now buried under the same promotional garbage as every other second rate cable station.

With the HD version I won't be surprised if they don't just leave everything in the 4:3 safe zone just to make it more intrusive. As that seems to be the current trend.

Text? Oh yes it has text.

I switched over a few week back to see "You're watching Doctor Who" running from left to right on the bottom in huge letters and I haven't watched since.

Right now Coupling is on. I know this because I just turned on to see if it's improved and it says at the bottom left "Coupling" just in case I somehow forgot when I turned it on and the banner appeared.

Not content with that it also has a nice promo for "Robin Hood All New Saturday 9pm" fixed permanently over the BBC America network bug. And just to make sure ... here comes an animated snipe for the same show.

Whatever quality UK imports BBC America show is now buried under the same promotional garbage as every other second rate cable station.

With the HD version I won't be surprised if they don't just leave everything in the 4:3 safe zone just to make it more intrusive. As that seems to be the current trend.

+1 QFT.

I think BBC America started the practice of putting the program name in the bottom left of the screen. I haven't seen this anywhere else.

It does give the impression that the BBC thinks Americans are too stupid to know what TV program they are watching. :(

It does give the impression that the BBC thinks Americans are too stupid to know what TV program they are watching. :(

Not sure if it is still the case - but initially BBC America was actually operated for the BBC by Discovery Networks. However this may have changed recently.

Not sure if it is still the case - but initially BBC America was actually operated for the BBC by Discovery Networks. However this may have changed recently.

Sneals,

Does the BBC in the UK put the name of the program currently being broadcast on the bottom left hand corner of the screen?

Here in the USA their representative, BBC America, does !?!?!? :(

I use the term "their representative" as a lot of Americans think that the BBC owns/runs BBC America, e.g. a lot of people on this forum think that ALL BBC America output is made by the BBC even though you have explained that some is made by/for ITV, Channel 4, etc.

More thoughtful and illuminating posts from sneals.
Thanks. You set a high standard for us all to aspire to.

Sneals,

Does the BBC in the UK put the name of the program currently being broadcast on the bottom left hand corner of the screen?

Here in the USA their representative, BBC America, does !?!?!? :(

I use the term "their representative" as a lot of Americans think that the BBC owns/runs BBC America, e.g. a lot of people on this forum think that ALL BBC America output is made by the BBC even though you have explained that some is made by/for ITV, Channel 4, etc.

No they don't, but at least some of their channels (ie BBC-3) have a 4:3 safe bug.

Also its easy to tell if a show was BBC produced (or produced for the BBC) by watching the end credits. If it doesn't say BBC anywhere, its probably ITV or Ch4. If it says Kudos its made by Kudos productions for BBC. Granada is an ITV region that produces a lot of shows, and if you see Hat-trick its Channel 4.

Edit: I guess not all hat-trick shows are made for Ch 4.

Also its easy to tell if a show was BBC produced (or produced for the BBC) by watching the end credits. If it doesn't say BBC anywhere, its probably ITV or Ch4. If it says Kudos its made by Kudos productions for BBC. Granada is an ITV region that produces a lot of shows, and if you see Hat-trick its Channel 4.

Edit: I guess not all hat-trick shows are made for Ch 4.

Hattrick make programmes for all channels, as does Granada and Kudos. The easiest way to spot a BBC programme (in the UK at least, and I doubt it is removed) is that it'll have the BBC logo in the first minute or so.

Steven

Also its easy to tell if a show was BBC produced (or produced for the BBC) by watching the end credits.


Yep - all BBC in-house productions, with few exceptions will have a BBC copyright line, with no mention of any other production company. Very recent productions made in London (apart from Sport and The One Show) will have "BBC Productions" on their closing copyright, with shows made outside London having "BBC Manchester", "BBC Birmingham" etc.

Independent productions will often say "A XXX Production for the BBC" or similar - though these end boards may only be used on the BBC domestic delivery versions.


If it doesn't say BBC anywhere, its probably ITV or Ch4.


It won't be BBC in-house - but it doesn't mean it isn't a BBC commissioned show that the BBC haven't retained overseas rights for. If the overseas (and that includes BBC America) rights are owned by the independent producer, then they may well deliver to BBC America without any mention of the BBC, and just end with their independent end board.


If it says Kudos its made by Kudos productions for BBC.


No - Kudos make shows for broadcasters in the UK other than the BBC. They've recently made Echo Beach and Moving Wallpaper for ITV for example.


Granada is an ITV region that produces a lot of shows.


Not any more - ITV is now no longer regionalised in that way. Granada and Carlton merged a while back, and themselves contained most of the other ITV regional operations. As a result the production arms merged- so "Granada" now includes Granada, Anglia, Yorkshire, Carlton, London Weekend, Tyne Tees, Meridian, West Country, HTV, Border. In other words all bits of ITV plc - but not the UTV, Scottish/Grampian and Channel TV regions that are also part of the ITV network.

A "Granada" show could be made in London, rather than North West ITV region based in Manchester that the original Granada franchise originally existed in.

That said - most of the network production operations (and in many cases studios) in Bristol, Cardiff, Newcastle, Norwich, Southampton, Plymouth, Carlisle etc. have been closed or massively reduced. Current "Granada" Productions are mainly based in London, Leeds and Manchester.

ITV Productions as a brand is also appearing - not sure if this is a rebrand of Granada Productions or a subtly different entity.

Also - Granada productions make shows for the BBC... (Some drama, as well as the long running "What the Papers Say" which started on ITV, moved to C4, and has been running on BBC Two for about 20 years - though the BBC have now axed it)



and if you see Hat-trick its Channel 4.

Edit: I guess not all hat-trick shows are made for Ch 4.

No - you can't equate a production company with a broadcaster... Most production companies will work for more than one company.

The end copyright in the UK would normally be :

A Hat Trick production for Channel Four
A Kudos production for BBC
etc.

However as I mention above - the international versions may ditch the broadcaster mention...

Most BBC shows will have a large BBC logo promininent during the opening sequence - though I guess indies who retain rights may deliver without these if they sell their shows independently.

That said - most of the network production operations (and in many cases studios) in Bristol, Cardiff, Newcastle, Norwich, Southampton, Plymouth, Carlisle etc. have been closed or massively reduced.

Amusingly, Central TV Studios are now owned by my employer (the University of Nottingham) and are being converted into offices. Quite sad really.

I checked, and everything I've seen made by Kudos (Spooks, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Hustle, Mrs Pritchard) was for the BBC. But obviously they're an independent production co, so they can sell their shows to whom they like. And they do all say made for BBC at the end, in the states.

According to wikipedia, the name ITV Productions is used on ITV channels, but they still keep Granada for shows made for other channels.

I checked, and everything I've seen made by Kudos (Spooks, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Hustle, Mrs Pritchard) was for the BBC.


They've got a good track record at the BBC - but as I mentioned - they've recently been producing the twin Echo Beach/Moving Wallpaper (the former is a soap, the latter a fictional drama set around the production of said soap. Very post modern... Not very watchable IMHO)


But obviously they're an independent production co, so they can sell their shows to whom they like.


Yep - though the original shows are less "sold to" more "commisioned by" in the UK. It is very unusual for an indy to make a show and then try and sell it to a broadcaster - far more usual to pitch the idea to the commissioners at the broadcaster, get a commission, and then make it under contract.

Whether the BBC or the indy retain rights depends on the contract. Some indies will use BBC Worldwide to sell their shows overseas (alongside BBC in-house shows), others will deal direct or use a different sales organisation (which - at least at one stage - some BBC in-house shows were also free to do).


And they do all say made for BBC at the end, in the states.


Ah - wasn't sure if they re-edited the end boards. Presumably there is a big BBC logo in the opening as well?


According to wikipedia, the name ITV Productions is used on ITV channels, but they still keep Granada for shows made for other channels.

That would make sense - but is a relatively recent change. Prior to this, but post the Carlton/Granada merger, a lot of ITV shows airing on ITV had Granada productions boards (even though they weren't made by the old "Granada" regional operation)

Amusingly, Central TV Studios are now owned by my employer (the University of Nottingham) and are being converted into offices. Quite sad really.
That is presumably the Lenton Lane operation. Very sad that such a reasonably new, purpose built, studio centre should be closed. That said it was built entirely for political reasons...

ATV had to shift production from Elstree - where they made the original Muppets TV show - which is well outside the ATV Midlands region, and build a studio centre in Nottingham, alongside their studio centre in Birmingham. They also renamed themselves Central in the process...

I was in Birmingham for work for most of the summer of 2006, and it was very sad seeing the small local news studio that was all that was left of the Birmingham/Nottingham studio complexes. The old Birmingham studios were boarded up - you could just see the reception desk through the window - sadly the building is now being demolished. This studio complex was built in the 50s or 60s at the start of ITV I believe - and along with many other studio complexes in the UK (Westward/TSW in Plymouth, Southern/TVS/Meridian in Southampton, Tyne Tees in Newcastle?) has been closed down as a TV production centre or demolished entirely.

I'm sure BBCA will stretch, so their bugs and snipes look a lot bigger.

I'm sure BBCA will stretch, so their bugs and snipes look a lot bigger.

Though almost any programmes shown on BBCA that were made since 2000 (whether by or for the BBC, ITV or Channel Four) will have been made in 16:9 SD - so there will be no need to stretch - assuming 16:9 masters of a suitable length to accommodate US adverts are available, and assuming SD content will be carried...

Bump for any news on BBC America

BBC Worldwide have announced a BBC HD Australia channel recently. Not sure if that is relevant.

Bump, does anyone have any info?

And, a sort of relevant question: Since ABC finally is going HD with their news, does that mean BBC News can also go HD? I thought I recall sneals saying something about how ABC has to upgrade first before the BBC can..

From the HDTV Programming Synopsis:

BBC HD
Multichannel News quoted Darren Childs of the BBC as saying they are "working very hard now to try and get a BBC HD service launched....the BBC is going to be one of the biggest producers of HD content in the world....it just seems a natural for us to have a strong presence in one the biggest HD markets in the world, as well." Fall 2008.

Bump, does anyone have any info?

And, a sort of relevant question: Since ABC finally is going HD with their news, does that mean BBC News can also go HD? I thought I recall sneals saying something about how ABC has to upgrade first before the BBC can..

BBC News is VERY unlikely to move to HD until they relocate from their current West London base to Central London - which is slated for 2012 (which is also the year when the whole of the UK should get the new DVB-T2 Nationwide OTA HD services) Many think 2013 may be more realistic (though 5 years without HD news is quite a long time - I wonder if Sky News will go HD first - suspect they might. ITV News has only recently gone 16:9 SD - 6 or 7 years after the BBC did - so I don't see them going HD anytime soon - especially with their finances as they are at the moment)

My comments about ABC and the BBC were more to do with why BBC News in the US (East Coast) is one of the last 4:3 SD operations left in the BBC, and this was because ABC's field operations (who the BBC work closely with) were still 4:3 (as they share lots of material)

When ABC goes 16:9 SD (which is I believe the plan, rather than going HD?) in the field then I suspect that BBC News will finally go 16:9 SD on the East Coast. Obviously ABC News is HD in-studio now for many programmes - but AIUI their field reports are still 4:3 SD in the main?

Encouragingly there have been increasing numbers of US 16:9 field reports on BBC News recently - all of the Hurricane Gustav stuff shot by the BBC was 16:9, and their exterior "White House" live shot location is now also 16:9. The West Coast BBC News operation has been doing 16:9 stuff for quite a while - as I think it is more self-contained and uses much less ABC infrastructure. (Channel 9 and Pacific TV in LA are both much more 16:9-friendly operations and have been for a while. BBC News were routinely doing 16:9 live shots from LA in 2002 for their entertainment shows of the time.)

Whether the Washington DC studio (used for the DC anchored World News America and World News Tonight) can easilu go 16:9 I don't know - I don't know if their studio cameras are 16:9 switchable. (The rest of the infrastructure - vision mixer, US VizRT graphics etc. - should be switchable)

The BBC NY bureau is based in the Channel 13 operation, and the NY bits of World Business Report come from a 4:3 SD studio run by Channel 13 there (with BVP-7 cameras - which are very 4:3, and also pretty ancient, though the infrastructure is digital component not composite...) I think the chroma-key self-operated interview operation in NY could go 16:9 - both the foreground camera and the background camera are likely to be 16:9 switchable (and indeed the background camera is HD 16:9 and also used to feed the projector in HD in the studio)

Even if the BBC upgraded their North America news facilities to HD it wouldn't help much - as all the shows made in the US still use a London control room for integration (graphics, non-East Coast US field report play-ins, co-ordination of live interviews from outside the US etc.) and these aren't slated to go HD anytime soon.

Thank you sneals, for a vast amount of interesting information. It's amazing to hear from someone who knows the business thoroughly. Please tell me what AIUI means.
Cheers
Archie in Stroudsburg PA

AIUI = As I Understand It

Just wondering whether anyone had heard anything. Seems like it might not happen this year

Just an update - BBC World News America's studio is now 16:9 SD, it switched in the last week or so. BBC World News America airs in 16:9 SD on the 16:9 SD BBC News Channel (formerly called BBC News 24), the BBC World News channel (formerly called BBC World) and BBC America.

The BBC Washington DC studio has been given quite a make-over to go with the switch to 16:9. Most of the lives from the field are still 4:3 originated - but lives from the Whitehouse and from LA are often 16:9 SD now. Increasing number of field reports from across the US shot by BBC crews are also 16:9 SD. (The show is, and always has been, routed through a 16:9 SD gallery in London - which has always used 16:9 SD sources where available - so the show has included 16:9 content since it launched. It just has a lot more of it since the studio got upgraded!)

If BBC America launches an HD version - there is now scope for World News America to air as a 16:9 SD upconvert potentially.

AIUI BBC New York is still 4:3.

Also - I believe that an internal change has been made in the playout areas for BBC World News. Until recently these ran in 4:3 - with 16:9 studios and programmes being converted to 14:9 letterbox as they entered the area. AIUI the area itself now runs in 16:9 - with the output of the playout area converted to 4:3. This doesn't mean a huge on-screen difference - but it does potentially mean that the BBC World News channel (formerly BBC World) could start appearing in 16:9 on some platforms?

Deutsche Welle - the German international news channel - is now broadcasting in 16:9 on many European platforms.

Sweet news sneals!

Also, the show Skins on BBCA is shot in 720p according to the wikipedia page. One more HD show on BBCA! Come on, launch the bloody channel!

Yep - AIUI Series 2 (not sure about Series 1) of Skins aired in 1080/50i on Channel Four HD (aka C4HD) in the UK. (Skins is not a BBC show in the UK)

However imdb lists it as being shot on an HDW-750P Sony camera, which is an HDCam model, and also confirms HD Cam as the shooting format.

Given that C4 (like all UK HD broadcasters) is a 1080/50i broadcaster I would have expected that the show had been shot in 1080/25p (as most UK drama is - with the exception of Robin Hood series 1, which was shot 720/25p on Varicams, though series 2 was shot 1080/25p)

In fact - I'm not sure HDCam supports 720p as a recording format - I think this was introduced with HDCam SR.

Sweet news sneals!

Also, the show Skins on BBCA is shot in 720p according to the wikipedia page. One more HD show on BBCA! Come on, launch the bloody channel!

Trouble is that BBC America show it as 200i :mad: Talk about fuzzy television. You should see BBC Canada by comparison. It looks like someone cleaned the windows. It really is amazingly different

Trouble is that BBC America show it as 200i :mad: Talk about fuzzy television. You should see BBC Canada by comparison. It looks like someone cleaned the windows. It really is amazingly different

I was amazed at how soft BBC America was when I was in the US. Is Skins aired in 14:9 letterbox over there - as it does on 4:3 SD outlets over here? If so that will be around 412i? However the horizontal resolution and pre-compression softening was horrible... I was watching on an NTSC composite monitor as well - which won't have done it any favours.

I was amazed at how soft BBC America was when I was in the US. Is Skins aired in 14:9 letterbox over there - as it does on 4:3 SD outlets over here? If so that will be around 412i? However the horizontal resolution and pre-compression softening was horrible... I was watching on an NTSC composite monitor as well - which won't have done it any favours.

Yes, 14:9 letterbox. Personally it doesn't look THAT bad but it could be better...much better (especially in HD! :D)

Yes, 14:9 letterbox. Personally it doesn't look THAT bad but it could be better...much better (especially in HD! :D)

Well most UK original shows (outside sport) are commissioned in 16:9 but shot to be 14:9 safe - so at least you are seeing it in the same format as 4:3 viewers in the UK.

Anyone else starting to think this isn't going to happen this year like they said?

Any news?

Anyone else starting to think this isn't going to happen this year like they said?

Any news?

I'm wondering about this too, it along with MSNBC and Comedy Central are my last remaining SD holdouts. But BBC America, most of all, deserves an HD channel because nearly ALL of its content is 16:9 (or is at one point in the distribution line). It's really sad to flip through the D* guide and have every other channel around it be HD, making it almost like going back in time to watch it.

Anyone else starting to think this isn't going to happen this year like they said?

Doesn't seem likely at this point.

First we have to get the channel, then we have to get the carriers to carry it. Any predictions? My money is on 2012 if ever :(

I just got the canned reply from BBCA for any that are interested

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate your interest
in seeing BBC America in High Definition. Please know that plans to
launch the channel are in the works. However, at this time an exact
launch date is not available. We appreciate your patience and are
working tirelessly to bring you this service in the near future.

We thank you again for your interest and continued support.

Regards,
Viewer Relations
BBC America

A year ago, or so, I would have strongly cared to see BBC America in HD. I love UK mysteries.

Since BBC America has not shown any good mysteries in a year, though, I could not care less. Seems like "reality" shows are all they care about now.


John

Or can afford, perhaps.

BBC America had announced plans for an HD channel in 2008. That had been “pushed back” to mid-2009, executive vice president of communications Jo Petherbridge said.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/162650-Sole_Survivors.php

Good job we are not waiting :(

Any news?

Someone on BBCA's Facebook page asked when BBCA would be available in HD, and this is the reply from Garth Ancier on May 7, "BBC AMERICA will become fully HD in July, so bug your cable or satellite operator to carry it!!!
http://discussion.bbcamerica.com/jiveforums/thread.jspa?threadID=12121&tstart=1
Reads mid-'09ish here, too. -- John

I don't care when they go HD. I just want to know when they are going to air 'The next Doctor'.

I was assuming that July was the current plan since they pushed back airing Torchwood Season 3 until that month. The original plan supposedly was to show the episodes on the same days as the UK airings (June 15th-19th according to reports). Good to see a confirmation about the launch, but I would assume that the situation remains fluid.

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/torchwood/message/6209

I don't care when they go HD. I just want to know when they are going to air 'The next Doctor'.

I imagine SciFi will be showing it first, as usual.

I was assuming that July was the current plan since they pushed back airing Torchwood Season 3 until that month. The original plan supposedly was to show the episodes on the same days as the UK airings (June 15th-19th according to reports). Good to see a confirmation about the launch, but I would assume that the situation remains fluid.

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/torchwood/message/6209

Other reports (http://www.endofshow.com/2009/05/12/torchwood-returns-in-july/) indicate that Torchwood will be airing in July in both the US and the UK.

I honestly don't think the Torchwood date would have anything to do with it in any event. So few cable operators will have it at launch that it seems unlikely they would hold off for that reason.

What I am interested in about Torchwood, however, is whether they plan to show it in longer time slots, the way AMC did for Hustle. By all reports the Torchwood episodes will be ~56 minutes each -- if BBCA is planning to show these hacked to pieces in one hour slots, well, it doesn't matter how close to the UK airing they are -- many fans will still be using "alternate methods" to watch the show as it was meant to be seen.

I saw a promo for BBC America HD while watching Top Gear. The HD logo isn't the same as BBC HD. It's a different logo though. It mentioned all the BBC shows. They said it would come out this summer. It was a quick promo though.

BBC America just announced that they have picked up the US first-run rights to the new Doctor Who specials which have already aired in the UK. "The Next Doctor" airs on June 27th, while the HD filmed "Planet of the Dead" is earmarked for July. If they actually get the HD channel up and running in July as they claim (and if they actually have the HD rights to PotD), they should have quite a bit to excite the SF fans who are lucky enough to have a provider who carries that feed ("Torchwood: Children of Earth" is still on tap for that month).

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118004221.html?categoryid=19&cs=1

And if they don't get their HD channel up and running, and carried by service providers serving applicable viewers, then there will be a number of such viewers who will wait for the DVD, or do without.

And if they don't get their HD channel up and running, and carried by service providers serving applicable viewers, then there will be a number of such viewers who will wait for the DVD, or do without.

or use "alternate" means :) and those that advertise on BBC America will lose out :p

"Alternate" means don't work for the hearing impaired.

I guess it is time to start bugging DirecTV to make sure they add this ASAP.

I guess it is time to start bugging DirecTV to make sure they add this ASAP.

Good luck with that. I've been waiting nearly two years for AMC and Lifetime and the rest of the HBO's and Cinemax channels in HD. Hopefully when D12 launches and settles in it's orbit, we'll hopefully get some new additions, but it's not a certainty.

And if they don't get their HD channel up and running, and carried by service providers serving applicable viewers, then there will be a number of such viewers who will wait for the DVD, or do without.

A small number. I'm going to guess that for the average Doctor Who fan, seeing the show sooner will outweigh the need to see it in HD. I, for one, will happily tune in regular BBCA to watch the good Doctor. In fact, I was glad to hear that BBCA will get them first instead of Sci-Fi channel, even though Sci-Fi is HD.

The BBC is going through the trouble of making and supporting the show we love so much, and they should be rewarded with viewership. Even if they don't get the HD version up and running in time.

I think you're rather special in that regard. I'm a big teevee fan, but I don't care enough about any show to "reward" a network for carrying it, in the manner you imply. I evaluate all my choices, look at the prices for each (and BBC America would basically cost me an extra $10 per month) and make my decisions based on that, without any consideration of what the network has "done for me" before.

I'm pretty sure that I am not in the minority of AVS posters who have watched most of their favourite BBC programmes via other means. While SciFiHD has the capability of showing BBC-produced HD programs, the reality is that they very rarely do so. So, there is automatically the hope that BBCA can and will air what SciFi does not. Whether or not they are eventually get an HD channel up and running is almost academic, as the HD version of the channel is no less likely to have wall-to-wall commercials, pop-ups, snipes, logos, bugs, etc., nevermind the unconscionable slicing and dicing they have done with nearly all programming for a number of years now.

So, I have to ask: why would any readers of this forum consider that anything other than objectionable, and NOT WATCH THE CHANNEL?

I'm pretty sure that I am not in the minority of AVS posters who have watched most of their favourite BBC programmes via other means. While SciFiHD has the capability of showing BBC-produced HD programs, the reality is that they very rarely do so. So, there is automatically the hope that BBCA can and will air what SciFi does not. Whether or not they are eventually get an HD channel up and running is almost academic, as the HD version of the channel is no less likely to have wall-to-wall commercials, pop-ups, snipes, logos, bugs, etc., nevermind the unconscionable slicing and dicing they have done with nearly all programming for a number of years now.

So, I have to ask: why would any readers of this forum consider that anything other than objectionable, and NOT WATCH THE CHANNEL?

I'm not sure SciFi has ever had any HD programs to broadcast, Primeval is only an upconvert, it doesn't look too bad, but I don't think Primeval has ever been shot in HD. Robin Hood and Torchwood are HD, but the recent Easter Dr. Who special was the first time Dr. Who was shot in HD.

I'm pretty sure that I am not in the minority of AVS posters who have watched most of their favourite BBC programmes via other means.Yes, within that specialized niche, I'm sure you're not in the minority.

So, I have to ask: why would any readers of this forum consider that anything other than objectionable, and NOT WATCH THE CHANNEL?I think you're assuming that all the readers of this forum are of the same mind about everything. This would be a horribly boring forum if that were the case.

This ad seems to be show quite often when watching BBCA. One variant mentioned Primeval as a possible HD. The others mention Torchwood and Robin Hood.

I'm pretty sure that I am not in the minority of AVS posters who have watched most of their favourite BBC programmes via other means.?

Well, my earlier comment had very little to do with the myopic viewpoint of a tiny group of people on AVS forum. Rather, I was pointing that in the general TV viewing public, including the subset of the average Doctor Who fans, you won't find the militant view that only HDTV channels are acceptable viewing. Most people want to watch their favortite shows for the story and characters. If it is on an HD channel, they'll watch it there. If not, they'll watch whatever channel is carrying their show. Especially in the case of Doctor Who, which has been created in standard def for most of its run.

If you prefer 'alternate means' that's fine. But you are not representative of the majority of television watchers.

"HD" vs. "not HD" is probably not as big of an issue as "included" vs. "$10 per month extra", and even "in-the-clear" vs. "encrypted". Moving a show to a channel that folks don't currently have, and would have to change their service plan, paying more per month, to get, is probably going to have a significant impact, even on the minority of viewers who were fans to start with.

I dare say that those of us stuck with TWC who like BBC programs are really upset because we DID get very good HD Torchwood via HDnet, which is no longer on TWC systems (although I did read a post that indicated HDNet did not have the HD broadcast rights to the next series).

BUT, let's say BBC-A HD did launch say 7/1/09. While it IS a very critical first step, it really doesn't mean squat if the MSO one is stuck to doesn't carry it. No MSO I know of has any stake in BBC, so my expectation is it may take at least a year for an agreement to be made... especially with TWC. If ever.

And if they don't get their HD channel up and running, and carried by service providers serving applicable viewers, then there will be a number of such viewers who will wait for the DVD, or do without.

Wait for the DVD? you might as well just watch the SD version when it airs.
The DVD is SD and will look lousy compared to HD.

Fo rme, I enjoyed Torchwood from the beginning on HDNet in HD. So I will probably wait until I can watch it on BD in HD or a broadcast channel in HD(or digital download in HD).
For Doctor Who, it's always been broadcast in SD so I'll have no problem continuing to watch in in SD.

Primeval is only an upconvert, it doesn't look too bad....

Ah, that's an interesting point. Can I assume you said that because you thought the visual quality "looked" SD?

I ask because I firmly believe there can be "real" HD that... doesn't look all that great. And by that, it actually could very well be the intent of the producers. I can mention BSG and the Godfather movies as examples.

If one very carefully compares the SD and HD broadcasts of BSG, one can eventually see it is real HD. However, it would not surprise me if folks said it was "upconvert" because it really was shot grainy and very dark. Compare it to Star-Trek Enterprise HD, something nobody would ever say was an upconvert.

Take the Godfather movies, HD versions of which were recently shown on HDNet. Here I gotta believe we DO have "real HD," I firmly believe HDNet would NOT air something that was an upconvert, yet I'd think a LOT of folks would call it such. Not sure what the issue or the trouble is, but I "thought" it should be looking better.

Not sure if that trilogy ever went through a film restoration... what I know is that I've seen stuff that is older that DID go through film restoration and produced pretty much knock tour socks off HD (Breakfast at Tiffany's, West Side Story, ST-TOS).

Ah, that's an interesting point. Can I assume you said that because you thought the visual quality "looked" SD?

I ask because I firmly believe there can be "real" HD that... doesn't look all that great. And by that, it actually could very well be the intent of the producers. I can mention BSG and the Godfather movies as examples.

If one very carefully compares the SD and HD broadcasts of BSG, one can eventually see it is real HD. However, it would not surprise me if folks said it was "upconvert" because it really was shot grainy and very dark. Compare it to Star-Trek Enterprise HD, something nobody would ever say was an upconvert.

Take the Godfather movies, HD versions of which were recently shown on HDNet. Here I gotta believe we DO have "real HD," I firmly believe HDNet would NOT air something that was an upconvert, yet I'd think a LOT of folks would call it such. Not sure what the issue or the trouble is, but I "thought" it should be looking better.

Not sure if that trilogy ever went through a film restoration... what I know is that I've seen stuff that is older that DID go through film restoration and produced pretty much knock tour socks off HD (Breakfast at Tiffany's, West Side Story, ST-TOS).

I've compared the SD DVD to the HD on SciFi, and it's pretty much the same, I'm about 99% sure it's an SD upconvert on Primeval. BSG was HD, the details are there, I know what you're talking about on the style. but Primeval just had no real detail, even the brightly lit outdoor scenes were super soft.

It was shown on ITV and ITV has HD capablility and it has never been shown in HD on ITV, so the consensus is that it's an upconvert. It looks ok and the 2nd season looks to have better quality than the 1st, but I don't think Season #1 is HD.

Primeval is definitely an upconvert there is no detail to see. BSG was obvious it was HD. The grain had nothing to do with whether it is or isn't. But the detail makes the difference between HD and SD.
Primeval from SciFi HD looks basically identical to the upconverted Primeval DVD through my EDGE processor.

Hopefully there will be a season 4 of Primeval.

Wait for the DVD? you might as well just watch the SD version when it airs.No, not really. No matter the numbers, DVDs look better than even the best SD, on my set, and beyond that, DVDs are $17 per month for about 40 episodes of various television series, while BBC America is effectively $10 per month for four or five episodes.

BBCA Goes HD With Sci-Fi Stack
‘Torchwood,' ‘Who' Tapped for Rollout
Kent Gibbons -- Multichannel News, 6/1/2009 12:00:00 AM MT
New York — BBC America launches its high-definition simulcast channel on July 20, stacking the first week with popular science-fiction shows to grab the attention of fans and cable and satellite distributors, according to channel chief Garth Ancier.
Channel officials had hoped to launch the HD version last year, according to BBC America's own trade advertising.
"It took some time to have the right programming mix coming down the pipe to say with a straight face that we have a great primetime high-def schedule," the BBC Worldwide America president said.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/277540-BBCA_Goes_HD_With_Sci_Fi_Stack.php

Now it's just a matter of what providers will carry BBCA-HD at launch. Hopefully FIOS is one of them.

LOL ... Is it time to start the official "When will DirecTV get BBCA-HD" thread yet?

... To be accompanied by the, "Will BBCA air the original versions of Torchwood" thread ...

Now it's just a matter of what providers will carry BBCA-HD at launch. Hopefully FIOS is one of them.

Being selfish, I can wait for a few months for FIOS to get it as that's the timeframe I THINK I need to wait for FIOS to be available in my nabe.

So I am anxious about TWC carrying it... oh, in the NYC market; we have seen some channels take up to a year later for TWC to bring them to all it's markets, even when they announce a national carriage agreement.

Still, it's GREAT NEWS that BBC-A HD will have a definite launch date!

Yes, it's definitely good news that it has a definite launch date, carriers can't carry it if it doesn't exist.

Now it's just a matter of what providers will carry BBCA-HD at launch. Hopefully FIOS is one of them.

I have my fingers crossed. Hopefully there won't be many contractual entanglements to work out and they will add on or near launch. BBC-A is one of the few SD stations I still watch. It's pretty lousy SD too which is a shame since most content shown on there is native widescreen and could look so much better if the bitrate was increased and the content shown in anamorphic.

Hopefully BBC-A HD will NOT be one of those channels that windowboxes widescreen SD content and instead gives us a proper upscaling. That alone will be worth BBC-A HD even if real HD content is rare.

Great we finally going to see this stuff in HD! Now maybe we can lobby for them to leave the content uncut even if it goes over a 1 hour time slot. People are not going to turn off because stuff doesn't fit into a cookie cutter 30 or 60 minute slot.

I have my fingers crossed. Hopefully there won't be many contractual entanglements to work out and they will add on or near launch. BBC-A is one of the few SD stations I still watch. It's pretty lousy SD too which is a shame since most content shown on there is native widescreen and could look so much better if the bitrate was increased and the content shown in anamorphic.

Hopefully BBC-A HD will NOT be one of those channels that windowboxes widescreen SD content and instead gives us a proper upscaling. That alone will be worth BBC-A HD even if real HD content is rare.

They've apparently been working on getting decent upconversion from 16:9 576/50i to 16:9 1080/60i with Snell and Wilcox - so 16:9 SD stuff is likely to be full-screen upconverted - not windowboxed. They mentioned shows like Top Gear (which is still a mix of 16:9 576/50i and 16:9 576/25p)

LOL ... Is it time to start the official "When will DirecTV get BBCA-HD" thread yet?

... To be accompanied by the, "Will BBCA air the original versions of Torchwood" thread ...


Are you volunteering? I'll back you.:D

and the "When will Cablevision get BBCA SD or HD?" thread

LOL ... Is it time to start the official "When will DirecTV get BBCA-HD" thread yet?
The thread will probably be open for 7 - 9 months. :D