[Stooky Bill]

Unless it was made in film, which it almost certainly wasn't, it'll be upscaled. Things for TV just weren't made any higher resolution than they needed to be back then. Not only was their no point, there was only one resolution for video

[Neil Jones]

Almost certainly upscaled I'd have thought, unless a fresh tape has been found from somewhere with a very pristine recording... Tapes do turn up in strange places sometimes (as the Dr Who recoveries will tell you) but even then why would one have that on it?

Artificial AI/Upscaling can generate good results but I feel you need to monitor it/intervene sometimes otherwise you end up with something that looks worse than what you started with.

Don't think there were any channels that did their idents on film? As above, what would be the point?

[Stooky Bill]

Almost certainly upscaled I'd have thought, unless a fresh tape has been found from somewhere with a very pristine recording... Tapes do turn up in strange places sometimes (as the Dr Who recoveries will tell you) but even then why would one have that on it?

Artificial AI/Upscaling can generate good results but I feel you need to monitor it/intervene sometimes otherwise you end up with something that looks worse than what you started with.

Don't think there were any channels that did their idents on film?  As above, what would be the point?

The visuals in some of the 1990 BBC 2 ones were filmed, but of course the actual idents were created on video. In that case of course using film enabled alternative speeds for idents like paint

The best copy that there'll be will be the master tape, and that won't be anything better than 576x720....probably. It being BSB which was D-MAC potentially they might have made them future proofed for HD-MAC and somehow have been made 1152x1440?

I'm not sure what sort of tape they'd have used at BSB, possibly an early digital format like D1?

[VMPhil]

If you look at the “GALAXY” legend and as it fades in - it’s pretty clear it’s one of these awful “4K” “upgrades” (should be called downgrades)

[Bluecortina]

The visuals in some of the 1990 BBC 2 ones were filmed, but of course the actual idents were created on video. In that case of course using film enabled alternative speeds for idents like paint

The best copy that there'll be will be the master tape, and that won't be anything better than 576x720....probably. It being BSB which was D-MAC potentially they might have made them future proofed for HD-MAC and somehow have been made 1152x1440?

I'm not sure what sort of tape they'd have used at BSB, possibly an early digital format like D1?

Just for info, programmes we delivered to BSB had to be supplied on Betacam. Of course they may have used D1 for internal production purposes.

[i.h]

In this video they show the video libraries and the host explicitly mentions Betacam - though I'm sure the keen eyed can name the exact equipment

youtu.be  (about 3:20 in)

[James2001]

That video says that The Movie Channel will broadcast movies in widescreen, did that ever happen, or was it just something that was being planned for the future?

[Stuart]

That video says that The Movie Channel will broadcast movies in widescreen, did that ever happen, or was it just something that was being planned for the future?

The Movie Channel became Sky Movies Screen 2, then Sky MovieMax in 1998.  All the digital services went widescreen eventually in June 2003 after yet another rebrand to Sky Movies Max.

The first widescreen movie channel on BSkyB was Sky Premier Widescreen, itself a rebranding of the old Sky Movies/Screen 1.

In effect, it was the former BSB Movie Channel that was the last to go widescreen. They probably could have done it quicker had they stayed using DMAC on the Marcopolo satellites as the PQ was better. However, by that time the DMAC STBs were becoming useless when the satellites were sold off.

[James2001]

Well, that isn't what I was talking about, on that video they said that thanks to D-Mac, the Movie Channel would be broadcasting in widescreen, and I was wondering if that ever happened (in the BSB days, it never did on Astra), not about how they went widescreen years later on digital.

[nwtv2003]

Well, that isn't what I was talking about, on that video they said that thanks to D-Mac, the Movie Channel would be broadcasting in widescreen, and I was wondering if that ever happened (in the BSB days, it never did on Astra), not about how they went widescreen years later on digital.

I think it was their plan to eventually transmit movies in a widescreen format, once the televisions became domestically available, but as far as I’m aware it never materialised. You have to remember the basis of BSB was that it was intended to be a monopoly and had a long term future in mind, hence why DMAC was used over PAL, widescreen transmissions, programme controls etc. For all of their faults, they were certainly ahead of the curve with the technology, but I also think you’ve also got the IBA to thank for that as it was part of the licence.  Sadly market forces and all that…