BBC One Nightlight - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: BBC One Nightlight (/showthread.php?tid=286)

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RE: BBC One Nightlight - interestednovice - 16-10-2023

I wonder whether, on the date of the closure as announced above, they will actually cut the stream or will they simply replace it with a full-screen last chance caption for a few weeks?

We think they have the transponder until February, so that would make the most sense. Make all the SD feeds all caption, all the time.

I have also been thinking about the BBC Red Button HD feed. We know that the BBC have one regional variation of BBC One on Sky capacity currently, as they couldn’t fit it into their own transponders. We also know that Nighlight will end and they will hand back the Nighlight transponder. Lately, they have been pushing iPlayer delivery of Red Button content a lot more. Once Nightlight is no more, any laggards will have been forced to upgrade to modern Freesat and Sky boxes. So will the BBC then close RB HD and force satellite viewers to stream that content via iPlayer? If they did, they could move the “extra” BBC One HD region to their own capacity and no longer need to pay Sky to rent an extra stream.

A possible clue to this is that there isn’t a listing for BBC RB HD on Sky Stream, if I recall correctly.

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RE: BBC One Nightlight - Spencer - 16-10-2023

(16-10-2023, 06:34 PM)interestednovice Wrote:  I wonder whether, on the date of the closure as announced above, they will actually cut the stream or will they simply replace it with a full-screen last chance caption for a few weeks?

We think they have the transponder until February, so that would make the most sense. Make all the SD feeds all caption, all the time.

Sky’s rule that any channel on the EPG must carry a minimum amount of programming could make this tricky. We could see a BBC Three closure situation in which they run a few programmes in the middle of the night to make this possible.

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RE: BBC One Nightlight - Stuart - 16-10-2023

(16-10-2023, 08:14 PM)Spencer Wrote:  Sky’s rule that any channel on the EPG must carry a minimum amount of programming could make this tricky. We could see a BBC Three closure situation in which they run a few programmes in the middle of the night to make this possible.

That's certainly the rule for Sky's platform EPG slots, but I don't think it applies to Freesat.

I'm not sure how much notice people need. A year is surely sufficient.

DSO was only such a tortuously long process because engineering work was required at all the DTT transmitters. No such thing needs to happen for turning off BBC Nightlight on DSat, they simply flip a switch.

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RE: BBC One Nightlight - interestednovice - 16-10-2023

(16-10-2023, 08:14 PM)Spencer Wrote:  Sky’s rule that any channel on the EPG must carry a minimum amount of programming could make this tricky. We could see a BBC Three closure situation in which they run a few programmes in the middle of the night to make this possible.

Good point. On one hand, they could easily run the “Joins BBC News” part of the schedule with no slate (or the smaller slate) overnight on BBC One to meet the rule.

On the other hand, perhaps Sky will waive the usual rules given the circumstances here? The purpose of the rule is basically to prevent EPG squatting, but the BBC will still be using the same EPG numbers for their HD services so it doesn’t really achieve anything to prevent them from doing this. It’s actually helpful, as it stops 101 from simply going dark or appearing missing - directing viewers to seek help from Sky to get them migrated. Given that Sky did not insist on their usual testing period ahead of the regional switches, it seems that they may be willing to work pragmatically with the BBC during this change and give them some latitude outside of the usual rules.

It’s also strategically beneficial, to Sky especially, to allow the BBC to lead viewers into expecting HD only, as then Sky will be able to end their own dual-emission more quickly.

As to why it would be worth bothering - we all know that some people are immune to visual clutter and will simply ignore the current captions, etc. Sometimes you just need to throw the news right into the viewer’s face!

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RE: BBC One Nightlight - Keith - 17-10-2023

With the nightlight service closure announced for Freesat I wonder if the BBC might look to do something similar on Freeview. With the BBC channels now being available in HD there's an opportunity to do something similar, perhaps in phases. Perhaps the first phase being to replace the BBC One English regions with a single feed, which may provide some cost savings. Then depending on spare capacity English regional radio stations could move to PSB3, allowing PSB1 to be nation variations only.

I guess with Freeview a lot will depend on what happens at the WRC-23 (20th Nov to 15th Dec). If they vote not to protect the Freeview frequencies beyond 2030 then it'll greatly affect things. According to https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2023/09/21/exclusive-eu-opts-to-keep-uhf-band-for-broadcast-at-wrc-23-but-adds-mobile/  it looks like the EU's position for protecting it "but mobile is added on a secondary level, next to PMSE". If this does get agreed it'll allow more time for DVB-I to be built into TVs as standard, and allow time for people to naturally replace their TVs for ones which support this spec.

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RE: BBC One Nightlight - Jimbo2022 - 17-10-2023

The red slate is shown at all times now except for BBC news simulcast overnight.

It disappears when the bbc1 ident comes on after weather fir the week ahead, IE when they say goodnight.

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RE: BBC One Nightlight - ALV - 17-10-2023

Is "BBC One HD" (the England national version) still on air on Sky/Freeview/Freesat? Will it shutdown on January 8th along with the Nightlight service?

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RE: BBC One Nightlight - Jimbo2022 - 17-10-2023

(17-10-2023, 11:28 AM)ALV Wrote:  Is "BBC One HD" (the England national version) still on air on Sky/Freeview/Freesat? Will it shutdown on January 8th along with the Nightlight service?

Still on iPlayer website if you select England, it don't have region set on a smart TV

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RE: BBC One Nightlight - Technologist - 17-10-2023

(17-10-2023, 08:37 AM)Keith Wrote:  With the nightlight service closure announced for Freesat I wonder if the BBC might look to do something similar on Freeview. With the BBC channels now being available in HD there's an opportunity to do something similar, perhaps in phases. Perhaps the first phase being to replace the BBC One English regions with a single feed, which may provide some cost savings. Then depending on spare capacity English regional radio stations could move to PSB3, allowing PSB1 to be nation variations only.

One of the many possiblities of the Vaizey plan ..... If everyone cooperated - the PSB muxes could be Regional National and UK wide..
even if some UK wide channels fitted on National muxes etc... And more channels in HD ....
But having worked out options sice 2008 (ie. Before Vaizey) - there are so so so many solutions
and a slight variation in the requirements can throw what is on each mux quite a lot!
(Think BBC 3, BBC scotland, Red button etc)
and then with Both PSB2 and PSB3 being software coded .......!
and PSB 1 C&M rather old..... There can be a lot of fantasies!!

(17-10-2023, 08:37 AM)Keith Wrote:  I guess with Freeview a lot will depend on what happens at the WRC-23 (20th Nov to 15th Dec). If they vote not to protect the Freeview frequencies beyond 2030 then it'll greatly affect things. According to https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2023/09/21/exclusive-eu-opts-to-keep-uhf-band-for-broadcast-at-wrc-23-but-adds-mobile/  it looks like the EU's position for protecting it "but mobile is added on a secondary level, next to PMSE". If this does get agreed it'll allow more time for DVB-I to be built into TVs as standard, and allow time for people to naturally replace their TVs for ones which support this spec.

DVB-I could come in soon/ now - after all it is just a federated EPG bridging emitted and IP delivered channels.
What will come out of WRC-23 will be a ouline time table to the removal of DVB emssions (Note not TV emissions)
In the UK the Transmission contracts run to roughly 2035 (2010(ish) plus 25 years)
so that is a better date by which time the UK Goiverment may have sorted out if and how (Commercail rather than technical)
any Broadcast emission is to be done - noting that emiittd FAST is unlikely ,
and TV Channels will be a lot fewer as everyone tends to go VOD ..but the Major COBA are likely to have have an emitted barker channel and there will be PSB ( but which and how many channels is anyones guess)....
and mass viewing is a lot cheaper if it is emitted.
The commercial includes if each telco sustains broadcasting to its mobiles or is there a common carrier
and how is handing off done between the 5G version of Unicast and multicast and how does antenna segmentation /sectoristion come in!! )

BUT 2035 is a long way off -- so a lot will change - lets see what a few more years of change will do - say 5 years- before getting too invovled in what needs to be decided.... but it will then need to be!!!

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RE: BBC One Nightlight - Josh - 17-10-2023

(17-10-2023, 01:42 PM)Jimbo2022 Wrote:  Still on iPlayer website if you select England, it don't have region set on a smart TV

The option for "England" has been removed (for me, at least) and now just defaults to London. Not sure how recently this changed.

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