BBC News - Reduction in size of rolling news headlines

"PeterC" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:14:14 -0000, Geoff Pearson wrote:

I would be one to complain - I find the junk on these screens very
distracting.

Especially during something like Click for example.

Click is repeated on BBC2 on Mondays at 10.35am now, without tickertape.

--
Max Demian

On Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:14:26 GMT, The Other John
wrote:

On Thu, 21 Mar 2013 22:53:29 +0000, Ian Jackson wrote:

My wife is complaining about the reduction of the size of the font on
the BBC News rolling news headlines. They are now about a quarter of
what they were, and are even smaller than the normal subtitles (which
she relies on).

It seems to be part of the BBC's 'new look' and it's as if they think
everyone now watches on 32" screens or larger. End credit fonts have got
smaller too and they seem also to have dumped the 'protected 14:9' section
of the screen because they think everyone now has 16:9 TVs. I still have
two 4:3 sets and watching BBC's Breakfast I often see the person on the
left hand sofa only as a pair of knees because they're outside the 14:9
area. My main set is 16:9 but it's in the living room, whereas I watch
Breakfast while eating same in the kitchen.

TOJ

On the subject of protected areas I disagree. 16:9 is now the
established format and producers should now be allowed to paint the
whole canvas as they see fit.

And I am sure that your TV and/or STB can be configured to display a
16:9 letterbox.

--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

On Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:49:24 +0000, Graham. wrote:

On Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:14:26 GMT, The Other John
wrote:

On Thu, 21 Mar 2013 22:53:29 +0000, Ian Jackson wrote:

My wife is complaining about the reduction of the size of the font on
the BBC News rolling news headlines. They are now about a quarter of
what they were, and are even smaller than the normal subtitles (which
she relies on).

It seems to be part of the BBC's 'new look' and it's as if they think
everyone now watches on 32" screens or larger. End credit fonts have got
smaller too and they seem also to have dumped the 'protected 14:9' section
of the screen because they think everyone now has 16:9 TVs. I still have
two 4:3 sets and watching BBC's Breakfast I often see the person on the
left hand sofa only as a pair of knees because they're outside the 14:9
area. My main set is 16:9 but it's in the living room, whereas I watch
Breakfast while eating same in the kitchen.

TOJ

On the subject of protected areas I disagree. 16:9 is now the
established format and producers should now be allowed to paint the
whole canvas as they see fit.

Apart from disagreeing, do you actually know whether there has been a
recent change in the rules?

On Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:15:53 -0000, Max Demian wrote:

"PeterC" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:14:14 -0000, Geoff Pearson wrote:

I would be one to complain - I find the junk on these screens very
distracting.

Especially during something like Click for example.

Click is repeated on BBC2 on Mondays at 10.35am now, without tickertape.

Ta - I'll set that to record. Trouble is, things like Click tend to get
dropped or curtailed if there's 'important' 'news' on, such as one
Remembrance Sunday when the whole parade etc. was shown on BBC 2 /and/ News!
Oh - there was another one that was lost due to events in Burma, but the
only content was repeated video loops and inane prattle when there's nothing
to say because SFA is happening.
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

On Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:49:24 +0000, Graham. wrote:

I am sure that your TV and/or STB can be configured to display a 16:9
letterbox.

You're right! I checked the STB setup and found it had inadvertently been
switched to 'zoom' - I hadn't noticed the missing black bars top and
bottom - doh!

TOJ

On Fri, 22 Mar 2013 21:10:11 +0000, Scott
wrote:

On Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:49:24 +0000, Graham. wrote:

On Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:14:26 GMT, The Other John
wrote:

On Thu, 21 Mar 2013 22:53:29 +0000, Ian Jackson wrote:

My wife is complaining about the reduction of the size of the font on
the BBC News rolling news headlines. They are now about a quarter of
what they were, and are even smaller than the normal subtitles (which
she relies on).

It seems to be part of the BBC's 'new look' and it's as if they think
everyone now watches on 32" screens or larger. End credit fonts have got
smaller too and they seem also to have dumped the 'protected 14:9' section
of the screen because they think everyone now has 16:9 TVs. I still have
two 4:3 sets and watching BBC's Breakfast I often see the person on the
left hand sofa only as a pair of knees because they're outside the 14:9
area. My main set is 16:9 but it's in the living room, whereas I watch
Breakfast while eating same in the kitchen.

TOJ

On the subject of protected areas I disagree. 16:9 is now the
established format and producers should now be allowed to paint the
whole canvas as they see fit.

Apart from disagreeing, do you actually know whether there has been a
recent change in the rules?

Don't know.
Were they ever OFCOM's or anyone else's rules, or just
recommendations?

--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

"PeterC" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:15:53 -0000, Max Demian wrote:

"PeterC" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:14:14 -0000, Geoff Pearson wrote:

I would be one to complain - I find the junk on these screens very
distracting.

Especially during something like Click for example.

Click is repeated on BBC2 on Mondays at 10.35am now, without tickertape.

Ta - I'll set that to record. Trouble is, things like Click tend to get
dropped or curtailed if there's 'important' 'news' on, such as one
Remembrance Sunday when the whole parade etc. was shown on BBC 2 /and/
News!
Oh - there was another one that was lost due to events in Burma, but the
only content was repeated video loops and inane prattle when there's
nothing
to say because SFA is happening.

I think you'll find that it's much less likely to be dropped or curtailed
now it's on a 'proper' channel.

--
Max Demian

Scott wrote:
On Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:49:24 +0000, Graham. wrote:

On Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:14:26 GMT, The Other John
wrote:

On Thu, 21 Mar 2013 22:53:29 +0000, Ian Jackson wrote:

My wife is complaining about the reduction of the size of the font on
the BBC News rolling news headlines. They are now about a quarter of
what they were, and are even smaller than the normal subtitles (which
she relies on).

It seems to be part of the BBC's 'new look' and it's as if they think
everyone now watches on 32" screens or larger. End credit fonts have got
smaller too and they seem also to have dumped the 'protected 14:9' section
of the screen because they think everyone now has 16:9 TVs. I still have
two 4:3 sets and watching BBC's Breakfast I often see the person on the
left hand sofa only as a pair of knees because they're outside the 14:9
area. My main set is 16:9 but it's in the living room, whereas I watch
Breakfast while eating same in the kitchen.

TOJ

On the subject of protected areas I disagree. 16:9 is now the
established format and producers should now be allowed to paint the
whole canvas as they see fit.

Apart from disagreeing, do you actually know whether there has been a
recent change in the rules?

Don't know about the rules, but they still (annoyingly) make F1 on HD
14/9 safe IIRC with the excuse that SD is derived from it.

It does seem like there is some flexibility though. I just took a look
at a bbc mux recording and the Active Format Descriptions at that time
were 10, 8 and the rest 14.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Format_Description

I don't have any STBs so don't know if it's possible to set them to
follow the AFD and vary between 16/9 and 14/9 letterboxing.

Ah but you do have the ability to turn off subtitles. and in any case its
normally the younger Deaf who kn ow the signing language, not the folk who
loose the hearing later in life. its much the same for Braille in blind
people.

Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Roderick Stewart" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Mar 2013 09:05:59 -0000, "Brian Gaff"
wrote:

Incidentally I read the other day that Deaf folk will soon all be able
to
have an on screen signer as a computer program has been designed with an
avatar that does the signing from a text feed. Now a huge queue of out of
work signers will occur I suppose.

I've often though that the designers of DTTV missed an opportunity to
provide the image of the signing person on a separate channel, to be
overlaid in the receiver. If they'd done that, signing could be added
to any programme at any time, providing a useful service for the deaf
while not bothering anybody else.

Rod.

On 21/03/2013 22:53, Ian Jackson wrote:
My wife is complaining about the reduction of the size of the font on
the BBC News rolling news headlines. They are now about a quarter of
what they were, and are even smaller than the normal subtitles (which
she relies on). I note that Sky News, Al Jazeera and Russia Today also
have the same small font. Were they always like this, or is it something
they've all done in unison?

I hate rolling headlines with a passion. The infuriating repetition, the
fact that the eye is constantly drawn to them whether you want to watch
or not. I have a theory that the brain is not wired to absorb
information when the text is moving across the field of vision. The only
way I can watch the BBC News channel is with the screen set to one of
the zoom settings so that they disappear off the screen.