[James2001]

I find it interesting that BBC Choice and Knowledge seemed to put more effort into their programming in 1998/99 when barely anyone could get it than BBC 3 and 4 15-25+/ years later when everyone could get them.

[Stooky Bill]

I find it interesting that BBC Choice and Knowledge seemed to put more effort into their programming in 1998/99 when barely anyone could get it than BBC 3 and 4 15-25+/ years later when everyone could get them.

Two reasons.... firstly there was more money then. There was a lot of funding for digital, the content on the channels was probably the cheapest part compared with the new distribution networks, satellite uplinks, studio refits, playout areas, infrastructure upgrades etc

And of you saw some of the early programmes they weren't that expensive to make. BBC3 and 4 a few years later launched with content that was a lot better funded and better quality.


Secondly.... They were new TV channels using new technology so what else could they do but fill them with new content? Digital was all about the new and modern it was wide-screen, it was all digital. Filling them with old 4:3 PAL content wasn't going to be much of a draw.

It was the same with BBC2 of course, their early schedules were full of new ideas and new programmes and were made for new TV technology and later colour. Barely anyone could watch it. But you have to have the carrot on a stick

[Chad Blake]

Speaking of CBBC Choice and 4:3 content, I know that CBBC presentation didn't officially go to widescreen until a minor branding and set refresh in September 2001. From what I've seen CBBC presentation was letterboxed on BBC One and BBC Two digital before then. Was it the same for CBBC Choice? I've seen a video of the idents being 16:9 but all of the presentation I can find on YouTube is cropped.

[Stooky Bill]

Speaking of CBBC Choice and 4:3 content, I know that CBBC presentation didn't officially go to widescreen until a minor branding and set refresh in September 2001. From what I've seen CBBC presentation was letterboxed on BBC One and BBC Two digital before then. Was it the same for CBBC Choice? I've seen a video of the idents being 16:9 but all of the presentation I can find on YouTube is cropped.

I think it was wide-screen. The CBBC studio was 16:9 compatible from when it opened, however when it was used live on BBC1 or 2 the programmes came from the studio too so they could mix in and out of them creatively. When their programmes started being made 16:9 having the studio doing ARCing and aspect ratio switching for the analogue and digital versions was very complicated so the studio stayed 4;3 and the 16;9 programmes were played from presentation.

Going by [a] clip of the last CBBC Choice link they were 16:9.... however because almost all the CBBC Choice programmes were 4:3 the whole block went out mainly with the 4:3 flag so most viewers didn't see the links in 16:9


Mod edit 1: Link from websnatcher Youtube channel 'MediaCe**' removed as per the forum rules on how such accounts are treated.
Updated edit 2: Suspect the correct link being sought should have been...
www.youtube.com 

[VMPhil]

It's hard to tell because that video has been uploaded in the wrong aspect ratio, but after CBBC presentation switched to widescreen in 2001, all 4:3 programmes were shown cropped to 14:9 instead.

[Stooky Bill]

It's hard to tell because that video has been uploaded in the wrong aspect ratio, but after CBBC presentation switched to widescreen in 2001, all 4:3 programmes were shown cropped to 14:9 instead.

The video (which has been removed for some reason*) was in anamorphic - it was a 16:9 studio link in 4:3.

On CBBC Choice all 4:3 programmes (which I think they all were except for one) were shown pillarboxed to 16:9 and the links were 16:9. However the were broadcast with a 4:3 flag. Therefore Sky viewers would have had it in 4:3 and Ondigital/DTT viewers in either 16:9 or 4:3 depending on how their box was set. The playout area it came from was native 16:9, there was no 4:3 raster video anywhere except on the output to satellite


* search for CBBC Choice Final Link

[James2001]

CBBC Choice was in 4:3 until the main BBC1/2 went 16:9 in September 2001. The reason that final link video is 16:9 is because it's from Feb 2002- a few months later.

[WillPS]

CBBC Choice was in 4:3 until the main BBC1/2 went 16:9 in September 2001. The reason that final link video is 16:9 is because it's from Feb 2002- a few months later.

CBBC on Choice certainly was. Not so sure about CBBC Choice tho.

[James2001]

Yeah, I meant CBBC on Choice, no idea about CBBC Choice as that had gone before we got digital.

Easy to confuse them though, as it was very similar names for 2 quite different services.

As has been said before, the 1997-2001 CBBC idents were made in 16:9- but the only time I've ever seen any of them that way was on a Lambie Nairn showcase video. Even when CBBC went 16:9 and started using the remixed idents, they just cropped the 4:3 versions to 16:9 (and the logo was huge as a result).

[Stooky Bill]

CBBC Choice was in 4:3 until the main BBC1/2 went 16:9 in September 2001. The reason that final link video is 16:9 is because it's from Feb 2002- a few months later.

As someone who was around when it was launched, I'm very certain that it's links were recorded 16:9.

In fact I think at some point the pre recorded links for BBC2 started to be made in 16:9 ariud that time too. They were played by presentation and once the digital transmission area was on air 24 hours a day (in late 1999) there was no issue doing it. It was easier for presentation as 16:9 meant they were delivered on Digibeta which was much more convenient.

Of course they might not always have been shown by receivers at home as 16:9 as explained above

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As for the Saturday afternoon CBBC on Choice, I don't think that ever had studio links. It was just a regular continuity announcer over the CBBC in Choice idents