[bilky asko]

I'm not sure - ISTR the final 'breakdown' loops that Bid/Price Drop put out were generated somewhere other than Acton (where a cable was pulled to remove them from air).

Someone said that was the case on TV Forum, but the loop on Price Drop was exhibiting a glitch that occurred every time they played a VT, so I doubt they were correct.

[frasergj]

Ideal Extra is now showing a sync test similar to the old BBC HD one. It's branded Ideal World and the logo flashes white with the audio click.

[Orry Verducci]

I then wondered if the Ideal World stream was still going, if I used manual tuning on Sky. It was, but the apology slide has gone - it has been replaced by their logo, with "Ideal World HD" next to it. I hear that on Freeview, it just says Ideal World.

Firstly, I wonder why they've done this. Secondly, I wonder why they've decided to do these two separate slides, as I am not sure there was ever any difference between the SD and HD versions, barring the resolution of course.

I switched playout from the suspension slate to the logos at the start of the week. The output of all the channels is still coming from our playout suite in Peterborough.

You are right that the SD service on Freeview and the HD service on satellite usually broadcast the same feed from playout, but the lines out the building have always been separate for the two services, so we've always had the capability to split them with different content/branding if required.

All outputs are able to switch between the normal feed from playout and an "emergency" fall back feed. I flipped that switch, so what you're seeing now is the fall back which has different logos for SD and HD so that the outputs can be quickly and easily indentified.

Ideal Extra is now showing a sync test similar to the old BBC HD one. It's branded Ideal World and the logo flashes white with the audio click.

Did wonder how long it'd take someone to notice that. As Extra is no longer on any platforms I've switched the line out from playout to one of our test sources.

I put together the sync test that you currently see. I will hold my hands up and admit I blatently ripped off the BBC's one.

[WillPS]

I switched playout from the suspension slate to the logos at the start of the week. The output of all the channels is still coming from  our playout suite in Peterborough.

You are right that the SD service on Freeview and the HD service on satellite usually broadcast the same feed from playout, but the lines out the building have always been separate for the two services, so we've always had the capability to split them with different content/branding if required.

All outputs are able to switch between the normal feed from playout and an "emergency" fall back feed. I flipped that switch, so what you're seeing now is the fall back which has different logos for SD and HD so that the outputs can be quickly and easily indentified.


Did wonder how long it'd take someone to notice that. As Extra is no longer on any platforms I've switched the line out from playout to one of our test sources.

I put together the sync test that you currently see. I will hold my hands up and admit I blatently ripped off the BBC's one.

Thank you so much for the inside info. Interesting to know that technical staff are still on site - is playout for C&C/Extra still going via Peterborough?

Wishing you all the best in case your future is still not certain.

[Stooky Bill]

That's interesting to know what's happening from the horses mouth.

Curious to know what the point is of having anything coming out of the building, I'd have assumed everything would have been turned off by now, possibly even decommissioned and ready for sale. Or is it being kept up and running for some potential future use?

Also Orry, what are the remaining staff such as yourself doing there post closure?

[Orry Verducci]

Thank you so much for the inside info. Interesting to know that technical staff are still on site - is playout for C&C/Extra still going via Peterborough?

Wishing you all the best in case your future is still not certain.

Playout for Create and Craft and Craft Extra ceased coming from us at midnight on the 25th February last year (24th February's broadcast day). They now come from Hochanda (aka C&C) which is located just outside Peterborough.

Thanks for the wishes. Let's just say the job hunt is on.

That's interesting to know what's happening from the horses mouth.

Curious to know what the point is of having anything coming out of the building, I'd have assumed everything would have been turned off by now, possibly even decommissioned and ready for sale. Or is it being kept up and running for some potential future use?

Also Orry, what are the remaining staff such as yourself doing there post closure?

I'm limited in what I can share publicly, but as with any administration there's multiple options that the administrators will explore, ranging from a sale of the business or parts of it to a sale of the assets individually. The channels are assets, so although we're no longer broadcasting programmes it's in the administrators interest to keep them running as long as we're allowed to. If we took them off air their LCN's would be revoked and they would no longer be assets that the administrators can sell, either with the business or individually.

As you know Sky were very quick to take us off their platform, but Everyone TV allow a grace period during which we can remain on Freeview and Freesat. As those channels are being kept active we are naturally expected to keep the DTT and DSAT feeds running, which is why they're still there.

As for staff, there's only a very small team that have been retained to help the administrators with various things (e.g. maintaining IT systems, dealing with customer service issues, etc). I'm now the only person remaining on the broadcast technology/operations side of things, slowly working on decomissioning the facility. The studios and galleries are now completely shut down and out of action. Playout and core infrastructure is obviously still online, and my next job will be to take that down once transmission of the channels cease.

[WillPS]

Genuinely fascinating reading, thanks so much for sharing Orry. If there's more you can share of your experience when all is done and dusted I'd be really interested to read it.

[James2001]

I'd be interested to know if Orri knows if those last moments of the channel were live or recorded, and if they were live if the presenters had any idea the channel was about to go off air when they told us to keep watching for the next hour.

[Orry Verducci]

I'd be interested to know if Orri knows if those last moments of the channel were live or recorded, and if they were live if the presenters had any idea the channel was about to go off air when they told us to keep watching for the next hour.

It was live. The decision to come off air was made/communicated while that last programme was on air.

The gallery team were informed during the show that live programmes were ceasing after that show, and that was passed on to the presenters, but I don't think they fully realised the channel was coming off air entirely. I think the presenters assumed repeat programmes would be going out (as would normally happen), hence why they said to keep watching.

[Stooky Bill]

Interesting stuff Orry.

Must be an odd and very disheartening experience to be single handedly decommissioning a TV channel. That said I'd be so tempted to put something more than a sync test on air :-D Are you allowed to say why you were the one chosen to do it?