May 2009
19/05/09 09:20
March 2009: Making radio waves...
Hard on the heels of a visit into the studios of BBC Three Counties Radio to talk about the magic and dark art of the digital TV switchover, I find myself heading west to BBC Radio Bristol for a spot of the same. This is catching...
The issues and concerns correspond wherever you go in the country at the moment. “What am I gaining by digital – what am I losing from the analogue switch-off?”
BBC Bristol were ready and waiting with studio staff getting in first before we went on air, asking me questions for their own benefit, notably to ascertain when and what they would have to do themselves to ensure the switchover at home actually worked.
We went live pretty sharpish and I was struck immediately by the depth of the questions from so many technically minded listeners, and also how the questions were postcode specific.
One chap asked when a particular relay within a chain was going to switch and would it switch at the same time as the main transmitter or at a later point and if so when? Not your average punter then.
There was a question on HD - when that would be launched and would existing consumer products still work?
The answer to this raised a few eyebrows (an achievement on radio) as the realisation that recently- purchased Set Top Boxes would have to be replaced with the HD version. Not very good news, given one caller thought his integrated TV was already HD!
And so they kept coming, until time had run out, and even though there were questions still flagged up on the monitor, I had to turn to a summary of what the future held for TV. Recent demos of 3D certainly excited a load of interest.
The producer was keen to know if I could be involved in follow up sessions at Bristol – the short answer is, of course. Switchover is the tip of the digital iceberg, after all.
Hard on the heels of a visit into the studios of BBC Three Counties Radio to talk about the magic and dark art of the digital TV switchover, I find myself heading west to BBC Radio Bristol for a spot of the same. This is catching...
The issues and concerns correspond wherever you go in the country at the moment. “What am I gaining by digital – what am I losing from the analogue switch-off?”
BBC Bristol were ready and waiting with studio staff getting in first before we went on air, asking me questions for their own benefit, notably to ascertain when and what they would have to do themselves to ensure the switchover at home actually worked.
We went live pretty sharpish and I was struck immediately by the depth of the questions from so many technically minded listeners, and also how the questions were postcode specific.
One chap asked when a particular relay within a chain was going to switch and would it switch at the same time as the main transmitter or at a later point and if so when? Not your average punter then.
There was a question on HD - when that would be launched and would existing consumer products still work?
The answer to this raised a few eyebrows (an achievement on radio) as the realisation that recently- purchased Set Top Boxes would have to be replaced with the HD version. Not very good news, given one caller thought his integrated TV was already HD!
And so they kept coming, until time had run out, and even though there were questions still flagged up on the monitor, I had to turn to a summary of what the future held for TV. Recent demos of 3D certainly excited a load of interest.
The producer was keen to know if I could be involved in follow up sessions at Bristol – the short answer is, of course. Switchover is the tip of the digital iceberg, after all.