[Orry Verducci]

Apologies if this is not pres-related, but I noticed when I was watching ITV twice today, that at the end of the last promo before the show returns, the promo seems to be faded out and the sponsorship ad suddenly comes on. Is this some sort of error only with the main ITV channel perhaps, or is this happening to the other ITV channels as well?

Here's the video:
up.metropol247.co.uk 

Just because ITV usually cuts to black doesn't mean a fade to black is a fault.

ITV does occasionally use a fade rather than cut to black.

It's worth noting that the cut to black following promotions and idents are only there for the benefit of STV. ITV Pres don't insert them on junctions in to programmes that STV aren't taking, or on the other ITV channels.

There's a small delay on the network feed in to STV, so the black 'event' provides a clean in point for STV TX without a flash of the network (ITV branded) ident/promotion making it to air.

However these days the feeds out of ITV all go over an IP network with a delay of only a few frames, which they recently migrated to an enhanced network called "Meganet". Since then Pres have started using fades to black, presumably as they're deemed safe now and look slightly nicer.

The exception to this is the junction during the Lorraine show where STV leave the "dirty" ITV branded feed and switch back to STV branded output. That feed is delayed by an additional couple seconds as it leaves ITV Pres further down the playout chain, so they cut to black with a long pregnant pause to allow STV to cleanly switch feeds and effectively jump back a couple seconds.