Network 2 in Widescreen

Round Cable

QVC is now available in widesceen (anamorphic), in other words a cheap, lowest form of TV Channel: A shopping channel is in widescreen. While Ireland's national broadcaster can't say the same, I find this

E152 a year wasted, RTE spend my money on widescreen and DECENT home programming, instead of DOG generators.

Round Cable

I swiched on at the the at the start of The Rally Review Show, I noticed that it looked like it was in widescreen (without black bars) I try to change the settings on the NTL remote, but it stayed the same. I left the room for a minute and when I cam back it had small black bars, (14:9) with slight cropping at the sides, compared to the 16:9.

Mistake or testing?

Mossy Monk

it is something i have noticed a lot lately on Network 2. probably just someone not able to use the machinery correctly

EDIT - moved to broadcasting

channelsurfer

rte seem to have made a decison to broadcast in 14/9 the american programmes like sopranos and er etc.. they get them in in 16/9 but crop them .. dont know why must be a policy decision.. cant see what there excuse is for not broacasting films in 16/9 like bbc and channel 4 do..
dont bother emailing rte cos you wont get a reply on the subject i am still waiting 3 months later...

celticfc

Originally posted by channelsurfer
rte seem to have made a decison to broadcast in 14/9 the american programmes like sopranos and er etc.. they get them in in 16/9 but crop them .. dont know why must be a policy decision.. cant see what there excuse is for not broacasting films in 16/9 like bbc and channel 4 do..
dont bother emailing rte cos you wont get a reply on the subject i am still waiting 3 months later...

It's RTÉ after all, their probably still busy looking up anamorphic in the dictionary. :rolleyes:

Round Cable

Originally posted by channelsurfer
dont bother emailing rte cos you wont get a reply on the subject i am still waiting 3 months later... [/B]

I already did it took just over 3 months, you should be getting the exact same reply in a week or two.

10000maniacs

How RTE embraces technology
1962 First Irish TV channel. (25 years after Britain)
1975 First Irish Colour transmission (8 years after Britain)
1986 First Irish teletext transmission (13 years after Britain)
1992 First Irish Nicam Stereo teansmission (10 years after Britain)
2002 First Digital Transmission (On sky's family pack)

RTE Widescreen?..... Dream on. Watch BBC instead.

channelsurfer

the boys (and girls) in rte are probably saying to themselves that they dont have to go fully 16/9 cos why should they.. they are always last with technology and have to be pushed into anything..

Michael Collins

Originally posted by 10000maniacs
How RTE embraces technology
1962 First Irish TV channel. (25 years after Britain)
1975 First Irish Colour transmission (8 years after Britain)
1986 First Irish teletext transmission (13 years after Britain)
1992 First Irish Nicam Stereo teansmission (10 years after Britain)
2002 First Digital Transmission (On sky's family pack)

RTE Widescreen?..... Dream on. Watch BBC instead.

I hate to be one of the complainers about how backward this country is but in this case it's damn true. I thought recently that this little country of ours was getting better (broadband and the likes) but RTE has to be the embodyment of a backwards, extremely badly run, inefficient organisation. If they invested a little bit of money into new technologies instead of paying the riduculous amounts of money they do to Pat Kenny and others we might actually have Widescreen broadcasts, not to mention our own digital platform. Obviously they can't be as good as the BBC but they DO get a licence fee from everyone with a TV - and keep demanding a bigger fee for the same dreadful service.

Elmo

How RTE embraces technology
1962 First Irish TV channel. (25 years after Britain)
1975 First Irish Colour transmission (8 years after Britain)
1986 First Irish teletext transmission (13 years after Britain)
1992 First Irish Nicam Stereo teansmission (10 years after Britain)
2002 First Digital Transmission (On sky's family pack)

RTE Widescreen?..... Dream on. Watch BBC instead.

Well you cann't blame RTE for not getting TV of the ground. I think thats the governments problem. After all How long was Radio Eireann running? Its nearly 90 years, it was I think one of the first things the Irish government did when we became a free state.

I would not consider Digital Transmission a first when it is on sky. I mean sky are just rebroadcasting RTE, TG4 and TV3 on their digital service.

Do TV3 provide widescreen, have you asked them about it? Do TG4 provide widescreen, have you asked them about it?

RTE did produce DDU in widescreen. Also if I remember on saturday nights when widescreen was first introduced Network 2 had widescreen movies sponsored by a Philps or someone????

Also, I think people who don't have widescreen find it annoying to watch widescreen TV on normal TV sets.

One suggestion would be that with the 2 signals that each tv channel has, that one signal is in widescreen and the other is normal. 16:9

extremely badly run, inefficient organisation

Well they need competition something that TV3 is not giving them.

It is all pass the book with Digital TV

RTE = would be up to the minister and ComReg
BCI = nothing to do with us until it is set up by comreg
TV3 = in discussions with the BCI about new services
TG4 = nothing to do with us until it happens talk to the government or ComReg
ComReg = Wait for the government
Government = we will need cross party, public and industry support.


2010 = Full digital broadcast of Radio in Ireland (RTE)
2010 = Shut down of Analogue service in Britian (British Government)

No one in this country has the balls to stand up and do anything. Let face it what would we complain about if everythink was run smoothly. I mean just look at effiecient Europe (Denmark, Germany) my god their so ****in efficent that if we were effiecent we would have what ever rod is up their arse. (no offence to the danish or the germans)

DMC

Originally posted by 10000maniacs
How RTE embraces technology
1962 First Irish TV channel. (25 years after Britain)
1975 First Irish Colour transmission (8 years after Britain)
1986 First Irish teletext transmission (13 years after Britain)
1992 First Irish Nicam Stereo teansmission (10 years after Britain)
2002 First Digital Transmission (On sky's family pack)

RTE Widescreen?..... Dream on. Watch BBC instead.

Some of those figures are a wee bit out....

1961 was when RTE launched (OK, ok, just, 31st December )
When comparing the launch of TV services around the Western world, Ireland did come to the table late, but there was a glut of countries who launched TV between 1954 and 1962. DeValera when Taoiseach wasnt kean, it was Lemass who pushed it forward when he got to power in 1959.

RTÉ's first colour broadcast was in 1971, in that years Eurovision Song Contest. 1973 was when there was regular colour programmes from RTÉ, but the Late Late Show only went into colour in 1976, when they finally converted Studio 1.
Colour TV only launched in Australia in 1975.

Ceefax launched in 1974, so that would be 12 years. The technology only took off in the early 80's when the BBC did in-vision Ceefax reguarily, and promoted subtitles. Aertel was being tested in 1984 when RTÉ was on its knees, full service launched in 1986.

Not sure about when RTÉ started Nicam, 1992 seems right, definately 1993 Eurovision was in stereo (1988's Eurovision was in stereo, but you had to tune into FM3 on Radio at the time!) but are you sure it was 1982 they tried Nicam? BBC 1 only went into Nicam in 1989, Channel 4 in 1986/7. Nicam roll out was slow around the UK, Brougher Mtn in Fermanangh was one of the last, at that was in the mid-late 90's.

The first Digital transmission was on NTL and Chorus, before they launched on Sky.

Arfon went NICAM only in September 1996 and then only on BBC one and two Wales.
Presely went NICAM at the same time but only on HTV and S4c.
I had a nicam TV and prior to that the only time nicam was available on the UK channels was when in high pressure conditions we were able to receive Granada from Winter hill or TSW from caradon.

PK - the king

Here is the standardised reply RTÉ eventually send you back:

Paul

Apologies for the delay in responding to your query.

I outline below information of interest to you,
reflecting your concerns, as outlined in your e-mail:-

Re: Satellite Service
In relation to your reference to satellite, a number of
issues arise from the presence of the Irish services on
satellite:-
1. RTÉ and the other Irish broadcasters have made their
services available to Sky on the same basis as they
make services available to cable operators i.e. as a
service to viewers who choose to subscribe to such
platform operators. For those who choose not to
subscribe to cable or satellite, RTÉ provides its
services via its terrestrial transmission network.
Neither Sky or any cable operator levy an additional
charge to receive the Irish services.
2. As satellite services are available throughout these
islands and the greater part of Western Europe, the
Irish broadcasters would have to pay programming rights
for all these territories. The BBC, for example, has
rights for the UK and it is relatively cheap for them
to extend rights to cover the Republic of Ireland.
In contrast, the Irish broadcasters could incur
programming costs some 20-30 times greater than at
present. Clearly, it is uneconomic to make services
available free-to-air on satellite.

Re: Widescreen TV
As you may be aware there is no accepted / agreed
International widescreen format. BBC and Sky use a
widescreen 16:9 and some of ITV is also part 16:9.
RTÉ does produce some programmes in this format but
RTÉ's network does not support this 16:9 ratio.
This is the current situation regarding Widescreen,
which will probably change in the future with the
coming on stream of digital television, the time scale
is dependent upon Government policy decision, hopefully
later in 2004.

Re: On-screen logos
The channel identifiers, are one of a series of actions
designed to position RTÉ more clearly within a
constantly changing broadcasting environment. It is
unfortunate that you find the channel identifiers
distracting and annoying. The design was chosen so that
they would not interfere with viewing as far as
possible, but merely identify each channel more
clearly.

Your views on the logo have been forwarded to the Group
Marketing Manager.

RTÉ television is only available in digital format in
the Republic of Ireland on the SKY platform.
Until the Irish government decides on the policy for
the upgrading of the network in Ireland to support
digital television, RTÉ will not be investing any
further finances into the provision of direct
interactive viewer service. Currently the use of mobile
texting and phone lines directly into programmes
represent the extent of the interactive format
currently operated by RTÉ.

Your interest in RTÉ is appreciated.

RTÉ would love to be able to provide top of the range
interactive services to its viewers, but is curtailed
by the lack of government decision/policy and
legislation and by its financial limitations.

Again, thank you for your e-mail.
Kind Regards

Brigitte
RTÉ Communications

Mossy Monk

Originally posted by PK - the king
Re: Widescreen TV
As you may be aware there is no accepted / agreed
International widescreen format. BBC and Sky use a
widescreen 16:9 and some of ITV is also part 16:9.
RTÉ does produce some programmes in this format but
RTÉ's network does not support this 16:9 ratio.

RTÉ television is only available in digital format in
the Republic of Ireland on the SKY platform.

2 highlights there

and it is a load of bollocks. RTÉ should admit they are broke

Gadgie

Originally posted by Mossy Monk
2 highlights there

and it is a load of bollocks. RTÉ should admit they are broke

GO TEAM BRIGITTE!!!

PK - the king

Sure, RTÉ might as well say "There is no agreed / accepted format for broadcasting television" - PAL I 452 / 625, PAL II, SECAM, NTSC. If RTÉ had their way we'd be watching 452 line, black and white, 4:3 format pictures!!!

They may as well take 16:9. Movies, DVD's & most of their programmes are in this format.

Elmo

RTÉ should admit they are broke

RTE made a 2million euro profit in 2003 on the back of You're a Star. They where aiming for 3million.

In relation to what they have said.

1. Yes RTE, TV3, TG4, ComReg, BCI and the government need to sit down and sort out Digital TV.
2. If A digital Reception was available RTE could provide extra channels and Widescreen Channels, like Sky Movies Widescreen etc.


But then I don't think RTE, TV3, TG4 or the rest are interested in Digital TV soon they will be obsolete just like the BCI is in relation to TV.