[Technologist]

Whilst we're on the topic, here's an item from Points of View that was broadcast in March 1998 about the BBC transmitting an evening of its programmes in 14:9, as an experiment for the upcoming digital service that was to launch later that year.

As one of the techies able to put everything "back to normal" that evening the lack of viewer response totally
was at one level gratifying (In that 14*9 would be accepted) and surprising (as there were fewer complaints about the content than usual) - so we stood down most of the extra call handlers we had in .....

Getting programmes made in 16*9 was not as easy as you may think.....
News got things very right with a golf ball before each shot
- so if the camera was not set up right you could see the probelm and sort it out before editing!
(others with a "circle after white balance" less so as it was never square onto the camera)

But there were a few early disasters from which the whole industry learnt...
for instance the programme introduced /hosted by the President of the Ramblers Assocation -
one Janet Street- Porter.
She is rather tall and gangly - and thus does not look like the average person ...

But what went out was most peculiar so much so that a senior engineer phoned the Duty Engineer at TC and he and the Pres Editor impounded the tape.... and contacted the Commissioning Editor.
The tape was analysed shot by shot by his tech team the following day as the Comissioner demanded the Edit Decision List From the Production company / Post house ... and the analysis and EDL agreed about 98% of the time!
There then was a burst of re- education of everyone in the chain - to just be careful -
alongside the wave of panic that the BBC could "see" and "describe how" the error was made
AND were prepared to call in the EDL -
(which was seen as one of those contractual terms that the lawyers had added for no good reason!)
and then demand a re edit for retransmission ......
(which I think in this instance was impossible)

Getting 4*3 material shot 14*9 protected was a good way of getting something recoverable if there had been errors made ......
and this "shoot everything 14*9 protected" message was eventually understood....
(but for reason very different for why Analogue TV was transmitted 14*9)

It also got Directors/ camera operators very senstive to looking towards the edges of frame which led to better overall compostion .....