[Alf Stewart]

The current Frank is a different Frank. This one is called Frank Blackburn who is an associate of Gavin's. Peter Christian returns to play Frank Rogers in 1987.

I know, confusing!

[Stuart]

I do like the nostalgia.  This is how you edit a document in 1983. 

[James2001]

I'm only watching one episode a day to spread things out, so I don't have long gaps before the next episode is released. Would be good to have more episodes, though someone on DS emailed STV and they said the reason there aren't more is because of the remastering process All3 are doing on the episodes (not that I can see a particular improvement myself over how the episodes that got put on 4OD in the late 00s looked... though the limitations placed on it by the bitrate and frame rate of the stream could be blunting improvements, it's effectively reducing the resolution to 288x720 after the conversion to 25p depending on how they're deinterlacing).

[Stuart]

I'm watching using the STV Player on Sky, which downloads rather than streams and the picture quality seems to have improved in recent weeks.

However, my TV thinks the download is a 1920 x 1080i input from the STB, so I have to manually squeeze it down to a 4:3 picture with sidebars using the TV remote. It's certainly watchable quality now, as I think my 4K TV tries to upscale things anyway.

[James2001]

I might be wrong, but I think the on demand downloads via Sky are proper 50i? They are when I've used other services on there like Channel 4 and UKTV, so I presume STV is the same, not had access to it since Brookside started streaming though. Virgin's on demand used to be the same until a couple of years ago, then it all went 25p when it moved to a new system.

Of course, there's no reason the app streaming versions couldn't be 50p either, apart from slightly higher bandwith requirements if they were to keep the quality the same (though I've noticed the BBC iPlayer has started streaming their old SD library content at 50fps at lower bitrates that used to only be used for 25p and it looks fine, so maybe even a bitrate increase isn't really needed).

I know it's something I've mentioned several times in this thread a bit like a broken record, but I do feel if content's only going to be offered via a streaming route, then making it look the same as it would on TV or DVD/Blu-Ray should be a must. 50/60Hz content only being available in 25/30p shouldn't still be commonplace with streaming becoming more dominant.

[Kojak]

I might be wrong, but I think the on demand downloads via Sky are proper 50i? They are when I've used other services on there like Channel 4 and UKTV, so I presume STV is the same, not had access to it since Brookside started streaming though. Virgin's on demand used to be the same until a couple of years ago, then it all went 25p when it moved to a new system.

Of course, there's no reason the app streaming versions couldn't be 50p either, apart from slightly higher bandwith requirements if they were to keep the quality the same (though I've noticed the BBC iPlayer has started streaming their old SD library content at 50fps at lower bitrates that used to only be used for 25p and it looks fine, so maybe even a bitrate increase isn't really needed).

I know it's something I've mentioned several times in this thread a bit like a broken record, but I do feel if content's only going to be offered via a streaming route, then making it look the same as it would on TV should be a must.

On that note, is there any particular reason why Sky couldn't provide US content in 24p, at least on their online services? I know it's a really geeky thing but the speeding up for 25p really annoys me.

[James2001]

I do like the nostalgia.  This is how you edit a document in 1983. 

Funnily enough I was commenting on watching that episode how there's not a computer in sight... then a few minutes later Petra's boss is talking about sending her on a computer course, so clearly the transisition is underway

[Stuart]

I might be wrong, but I think the on demand downloads via Sky are proper 50i? They are when I've used other services on there like Channel 4 and UKTV, so I presume STV is the same, not had access to it since Brookside started streaming though. Virgin's on demand used to be the same until a couple of years ago, then it all went 25p when it moved to a new system.

Of course, there's no reason the app streaming versions couldn't be 50p either, apart from slightly higher bandwith requirements if they were to keep the quality the same (though I've noticed the BBC iPlayer has started streaming their old SD library content at 50fps at lower bitrates that used to only be used for 25p and it looks fine, so maybe even a bitrate increase isn't really needed).

I know it's something I've mentioned several times in this thread a bit like a broken record, but I do feel if content's only going to be offered via a streaming route, then making it look the same as it would on TV or DVD/Blu-Ray should be a must. 50/60Hz content only being available in 25/30p shouldn't still be commonplace with streaming becoming more dominant.

The download quality on Sky's STV service is actually OK.  The content is fine at 50Hz and I think it's 50fps. You just have to tinker with the aspect ratio when using HDMI as it won't do it automatically.

My old HD TV is in my bedroom, but fed by the RF cable from the Sky STB downstairs, so displays STV Player content correctly in 4:3 for Brookside.

It looks OK quality, but then again I'm not wearing my contact lenses when I'm in bed!

[WillPS]

The current Frank is a different Frank. This one is called Frank Blackburn who is an associate of Gavin's. Peter Christian returns to play Frank Rogers in 1987.

I know, confusing!

I guess they thought nobody would remember, which is a bit of a theme with some of the occurrences later on in the series.

[James2001]

To be fair, they were probably right that people probably wouldn't remember a minor character played by the same actor with the same name from several years earlier.