[bbctvtechop]

I'd imagine the same system as currently. World has a dedicated Red Bee suite while Channel uses the NBH network routers to opt in and out. The RB suite already has the ability to show different content to different streams, the domestic version of the core channel will just be another playlist on their system to be triggered during promo breaks. I guess this combined channel means the potential to show different lower thirds and tickers is removed as these are generated manually at NBH. 

Thank you for the technical insight! I really enjoyed the info you shared with all of us~

There's just one more question... If at all possible can you talk a bit more on when will the NC's output be integrated into the current Red Bee suite? Will the NC originate from Red Bee on March 6th at 6AM or the output will be gradually integrated when the merged channel is officially launched? Is the switch as simple as switching the network routers between NBH galleries or are there more sophisticated engineering work behind it? Will there be something like a brief black screen on March 6th at 6AM when the switch occurs?

I assume a technical staff like you would know a bit more on the infrastructure as after the domestic version of the merged channel integrates into Red Bee, your workflow changes and your gallery teams no longer have to run countdowns, trailers and weather right?

Afraid the switching/network arrangement for the new core channel and UK opts is outside my area of expertise, but I can tell you what happens now. 

Red Bee look after the whole of the World News feed, including the different versions of trailers and playouts etc which go to different regions. All the gallery has to do is provide the news programmes themselves, starting with the headline vamp and finishing with the goodbye sequence. Everything else is inserted by Red Bee. Exactly the same process with Arabic and Persian TV. 

News Channel look after their own switching - you always see and hear a brief glitch in the picture and sound when there is a network router change - and all their content comes from the active gallery, including trailers and TOTH countdowns.

In scenarios where the output is joint, Red Bee still look after the World feed, but the same gallery is routed to the Channel network too. For a World opt out, the presenter says "you're watching BBC News, Red Bee opt away, and the presenter then carries on after a few seconds for Channel audiences only.

The workflow of News Channel switching is:

- Content producing gallery selects a spare downstream Viz engine, and informs it which gallery it should look at
- Downstream Viz engine should then accept instructions from that gallery's MosArt machine (to display lower thirds, live locators, etc) 
- Downstream Viz engine overlays the graphical elements over the top of gallery's clean output
- Gallery staff then route the chosen graphics engine to a chosen TX Path, for example TX8. Nominally each channel has its own network path they use every day but this is flexible - any channel can use any graphics engine which can be fed on any TX path. 
- MCR then route the correct TX path out to the transmitters and satellites on the correct frequencies.

The whole system also allows for different MosArt instructions to be sent to different downstream Viz engines, so for example you could have "Chancellor of the Exchequer" on the Channel but "UK Finance Minister" on the World version of the lower third. Or for the national bulletins, a ticker on the Channel TX but no ticker on the TX going to BBC1 Pres. Signing also goes via the downstream Viz engine.