ABC2: C/D

http://www.4bitterguys.com/adam/bbcvabc.jpg

I mean, I expected one day we'd be calling it ABC1 and ABC2, but I thought they'd at least be two properly separate channels, not just the same thing time-slipped.

BAH!

Dunno about SBS, but the other commercial broadcasters aren't allowed to have extra channels because it'd cut into Foxtel's profits. Seriously what a wank.

I agree about the lack of follow-through of all the possibilities that were promised for digital. It's now four years on and there's literally not a single valid reason to own a set top box. Even widescreen broadcasts are token, with 100% of the information squashed into the middle of frame.

Dunno about SBS, but the other commercial broadcasters aren't allowed to have extra channels because it'd cut into Foxtel's profits. Seriously what a wank.

What a fucking shame it would be for Foxtel to have to offer more interseting programming instead of the ridiculous shit they serve up these days. I'd hope SBS gets access to the spectrum (I seem to remember hearing that they might), but they don't even broadcast between 2am and 6am or something, so I can't imagine what they'd be able to pad a whole other channel with.

Even widescreen broadcasts are token, with 100% of the information squashed into the middle of frame.

Watching sports (like the Australian Open, for example) is absolutely awesome in widescreen. As for everything else, I pretty-much agree with you.

The UK tried to make terrestrial digital enticing by creating two whole new channels with substantial new content [BBC Choice [now BBC3] and BBC Knowledge [now BBC4]]. By way of example, Little Britain debuted on BBC3, and the new Doctor Who will have a 13-week supporting 'making of'-style programme exclusive to BBC3.

That's the sort of thing we need to have here. Something genuinely enticing. Not the exact same line-up two hours later.

argh xpost

Exactly. You'd think a little bit of competition wouldn't hurt. Foxtel might offer a bit more quality, rather than the endless mill of syndicated US bullshit on 200 channels.

Watching sports (like the Australian Open, for example) is absolutely awesome in widescreen.

The Aus Open is in widescreen now? Apparently last year 7 went back to 4:3; I didn't know they'd gone back. Awesome.

Different angles for the tennis would be fantastic.

Yeah, we could choose to not have that horrid side-on angle every five points.

crosspost

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~vu4o-mtmr/image89.jpg

It reminds me of a Viz photocomic where a man gets visited by the ghost of television past, present and future. The ghost of television future says something like: Thousands of channels! Satellite! Cable! Digital! Live monster truck feeds from America! Bavarian farmyard pornography! Eighteen channels that play Keeping Up Appearances 24 hours a day, staggered at two-minute intervals!

That actually sounds pretty good to me.

I'd have hoped for something unique from ABC2, even if it's digging into the archives and playing Tomorrow People marathons. Think about it: All that content has to be bought twice in order to be screened twice, right? So why can't the ABC buy different content, and screen that? That'd be a real choice of viewing.

Largely rubbish but it's a start.

This service is at least something - I mean its free innit. Also, $130 is pretty damn cheap for a STB. And what happened to "all tv will be digital by 2007"?

Also wasnt there already a digital ABC feed? ABC kids or something?

It's free, but it's the same shit two hours later. Hardly worth paying for.

And what happened to "all tv will be digital by 2007"?

Analogue broadcasting has always been booked to cease eight years after digital begins in the same area. For Melbourne that's 1st January 2009.

That's been one of the best things about digital, Chose which court you want to watch at the tennis, or which olympic event, or which stage at glastonbury. The BBC seems to have huge amounts of spare bandwidth to do innovative services with. We got the full feeds US Party conventions at 1/4 resolution. I don't know of any other broadcaster it the world that can let can throw money around at whatever the hell it wants.

a) it's a 2, how different can it be? and
b) if you've seen the whole of the bbc2 2 you'll know that it's a sharp little fucker, nothing like the abc2 2.

http://www.tvradiobits.co.uk/idents/BBC2aj.jpg

cool, those bbc2 idents are online here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/downloads/index.shtml
http://www.tvradiobits.co.uk/idents/bbc2a.htm
http://www.tvradiobits.co.uk/idents/bbc2b.htm

(btw, those new ch4 idents are even better)

ABC2 will broadcast a range of quality documentaries, covering many subjects from arts and architecture to history, science and lifestyle programming.

Loads more in the Link [pdf], but here's the best bit:

There will also be some programs scquired exclusively for ABC2, with a focus on engaging arts shows [...] and live performance programs Brian Wilson - Pet Sounds Live and Bjork - Live in Concert.

House of Reps is reviewing the digital situation in light of bugger-all Australians buying into digital. Apparently the government can't work out why digital hasn't taken off. GEE I CAN'T FACKING THINK.

why did you buy it Adam? I don't think I will be for a good while yet.

Then i remembered this thread (funnily) and wondered if it'd be worth it.

Question: at the very least, does it give yer a clear reception on all the FTA chans, ie 7 9 and 10 as well as ABC?

Trayce: Yeah it does, but we're on the UHF transmitter at Como. Going by what you said last week you're picking up the Dandenongs. Is your picture good on all channels? If so you should be fine.

Some blocks of flats have a system that basically excludes the digital frequencies, so yours mightn't work if you get one.

The one I got is from DSE, it's $138, it's more than good enough for my 4:3 set and you can take it back if you can't get digital.

Alternately you're probably better off getting a DVB with a built-in hard drive for around $4-500. Dunno if you can get your shows off that though.

Oh and I can recommend the DSE box based on probably about half an hour of fiddling. The picture looks stunning and it's easy to use and set up. Excellent value.

Can such a setup be done at the present anyway?

I think the cheapest option is just to get a DVB from DSE, but I didn't research anything other than plain DVBs. You don't care about HD or interactive wank, do you?

You really should just get a new one, loads cheaper than buying a new one. Example. Is only mono, but does SP/LP and has event programming. You could do better than that elsewhere though.

WTF? I meant cheaper than fixing your old one.

The link's a dud, try this: http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/425a127802bbb6d42742c0a87f9c071c/Product/View/G1680

What about amateur TV? I forget the frequency (It's Channel 4 on the telly at my parents' house if that's any help), but it's great! I was once treated to different aeroplanes taking off for 25 minutes, then a live feed from someone's rooftop in the suburbs to watch the sky get dark for 3 hours!

Once I saw a handwritten sign in front of a camera (station ID), then a hand came and moved the sign a little bit! It was the second-greatest moment in Melbourne TV since the footage of someone stealing one of the fishcam fish.

SBS yes. 31 no, because getting digital equipment costs money it doesn't have.

What about amateur TV? I forget the frequency (It's Channel 4 on the telly at my parents' house if that's any help)

Ahaha sounds like one of them pirate things.

I think it was a bit below SBS on the UHF band.

Suddenly the purchase was worth it.

Coonan reveals plan to boost take-up of digital
By David Crowe

Communications Minister Helen Coonan is considering lifting restrictions on the digital television channels broadcast by the ABC and SBS under a plan to encourage viewers to shift to digital TV.
The public broadcasters could also gain additional funding to create more content for the digital channels, which are currently barred from showing sport, national news or local drama.

The limits, known as genre restrictions, were designed to prevent the public digital channels from introducing unfair competition to pay TV operators, including the Foxtel joint venture between Telstra, News Corp and Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd.

Senator Coonan said she would begin talks with the ABC and SBS about adding new content to their digital channels, ABC 2 and SBS World News.

"That may be some way in which we can encourage further digital take-up by allowing the national broadcasters to do more," she said. "I do expect to talk to both SBS and the ABC about what they can do in digital."

ABOUT. FUCKING. TIME.

Of course putting signs in shops saying IF YOU DON'T BUY ONE OF THESE BEFORE 2009 YOU WILL NOT GET TELEVISION would also do it.

-- Autumn Almanac (ada...), May 10th, 2005 3:52 PM.

Well, maybe in about four years.

ABC to become ABC1. New kids' channel ABC3. Branding to be similar to the BBC. Seminal ABC logo to be discarded wtf.

Wait, I mean this.

yuck

Seminal ABC logo not to be discarded after all.

"Lissajous curve"

that logo is one of the great designs of our time. abandoning it would be suicidal

Absotutely.

A reorg needed to happen, though. I've been calling it ABC1 for years because it's just too f'n complicated otherwise. Especially when my fogey relatives keep calling it 'channel 2' even though that's what ABC2 is now.

I mean, I expected one day we'd be calling it ABC1 and ABC2, but I thought they'd at least be two properly separate channels, not just the same thing time-slipped.

-- Autumn Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Thursday, 27 January 2005 14:25 (3 years ago) Bookmark Link

OMG VINDICATE REPAZEN

The ABC logo is base on a oscilloscope waveform, guyz.

ABC1/ABC2 is brilliant news - might help actually get this country over to digital by 2050 if we're lucky. (As long as they keep on LATE NIGHT LEGENDS.)

I could never refer to aunty as channel 2 much around say, my family, causr it isn't channel 2 in canberra (its channel 3. I dont know why).

I ended up getting a digital feed by buying a HD recorder last year, to update from my previous posts on this thread. And now I never use the fucking thing (mmmm $700 waste). I should watch ABC2 sometimes. Or TV at all, even.

There was some decent stuff on ABC2, although our outgoing housemate has appeared to have thrown out the vital set top box controller when tidying room. hmm.

Beware, for as of next week ABC2 will be known as ABC2.

oh shi

Also ABC3 will be a dedicated children's channel, freeing up ABC1's daytime schedule for more pornography.

Waht? ABC1's daytime schedule includes pornography?

Sure it does. Adam *loves* Playschool.

...I am so very sorry.

It is possible many young Australians had their sexual awakenings to Playschool hosts.

Not me, though, honest.

Mmmm Juanita in her denim overalls.

Oh man am I ever showing my age.

open wide cum inside etc.

UPSIDE DOWN MISS JANE *pant pant*

And here I was thinking I'd gone too far.

let's look through the "round window"

I seriously cannot ever remember them looking through the arch window once. (Sorry, I've temporarily derailed the smut train)

let's ride the smut train! toot toot!

'And who's riding the smut train? That's right, it's Mrs Clunge'

Yes, because adding a '1' to the end of its name did ITV so well in the UK.

Er, this is a bit different to ITV.

This is officially based on what the BBC did.

(I'm sure ITV's was as well, but the ABC has a public charter remit thing and can't afford to cock anything up the way ITV did)

Friday is relaunch day, apparently.

Gotta get the universal remote working with the box...

Do ABC still replay vintage football matches? Had a wonderful night watching the 1976 North Melbourne/Hawthorn match once instead of going to a party...

Late Night Legends? Yep.

OR MAYBE NOT.

ABC2 will for the first time have completely different content. The network has joined forces with the Australian Film Commission, Opera Australia, and the Australian Ballet to provide a range of live coverage.

It will also air a new half hour program hosted by Walkley Award winning journalist Steve Cannane called Hackfest.

The channel will have a major focus on Australian arts.

So ABC2 = BBC Radio 4

Radio 3, rather

Oh, fuck that.

- more Triple J concerts
- more theatre
- new Hack show
- logo = ABC1 but yellow instead of blue
- 11:55am tomorrow is nu-ABC launch time

ABC1 would retain its emphasis on quality programming, he said. ABC2 would be about the new 'entertaining, energetic and exciting alternative.'

This could be an adapted quote from the BBC in 1964.

BBC1 would retain its emphasis on quality programming, he said. BBC2 would be about the new 'entertaining, energetic and exciting alternative.'

ffs

Website's up

Me (reading headline): Television Just Got More Exciting!!
Colleague: Are they running Airwolf?

I just had a look at the corporate launch video. The station idents and branding (~2:30 in) are genuinely fucking superb. Seriously impressive. It feels like a proper modern broadcaster now. Good ideological separation of 1 and 2, too.

This is a landmark turning point for the ABC, I guarantee it.

I guess I better fire up the PVR later and have a squiz.

okay the watermark has to go.

not gonna happen :(

(not that I have digital telly or anything, just :( at watermarks on principle. also ads over credits.)

Smaller and fainter would do.

Last year the BBC mandated that all end credits be ENORMOUS and have no spoken audio content, so they can squish them into a tiny box in the corner and run ADS in the rest of the screen AND audio. It's incredibly annoying. I assume that's the next thing we'll steal.

The glaring omission from this whole process is communication. The ABC is not telling the public about the changes, it's just made them and hoped everyone would get it.

I realised this yesterday when my mother:

a. didn't know that the whole television division had restructured
b. didn't know why 'channel 2' is suddenly calling itself ABC1
c. didn't know 1 and 2 are changing LCNs
d. didn't know what to do when they do change
e. had all sorts of trouble trying to say 'channel 2' and ABC2 in the same sentence

It's okay for our generation. We see ABC1 and ABC2 with similar logos and get what's going on pretty quickly. Old people won't know wtf is going on for months or years.

Several years after SBS became SBS, my (late) grandfather was still calling it 'channel 0/28.'

yeah, saw the ABC1 bug at a friend's last night - they definitely need to ghost it out, have it transparent white instead of almost-solid blue. also in the corner of the screen would be better than floating in the middle.

It definitely needs to be blue (and ABC2's yellow), because colour is such an important part of the new cross-channel strategy. The whole thing needs to be dimmer, though, and the squiggle doesn't need to be under it all. Too much crap in one watermark.

I think the new logos should have had the squiggle next to the 1 and 2, instead of the letters 'ABC.' The squiggle has significant cachet that there is no need to spell out what it means. Also, ditching the horribly dated neon/mercury look for a simple flat white would have been sensible.

BUT WHAT WOULD I KNOW I'M NO IMAGE CONSULTANT

The relaunch appears to have paid off in spades.

Also, ABCHD is broadcasting separate programming now, too. No fanfare.

it is?!

On and off, yeah. Usually after 10 and on weekend afternoons.

Still missing Late Night Legends.

SERIOUSLY WATCHING SOUTH ADELAIDE'S 1964 SANFL PREMIERSHIP >>>>>>>>>>>> REPEATS OF AT THE MOVIES

and on weekend afternoons.

...you're not talking about when local telly is showing VFL and the rest of the country is watching normal programming, maybe?

i probably watch abc2 more than even sbs now

xp Nah, it was arts on 1 and some documentary on HD, I think. Not this weekend, though.

rly RLY don't think so dude! would be v fascinated to hear what it was though

I wish I could remember.

Anyway, the programming is definitely different in Melbourne. Friday night after 11 was 100% different.

yr not watching via F()xtel by any chance?

Melb was completely different BEFORE 11pm on Friday! VFL grand final on ABC1, network on HD.

We don't have Fuxtel.

Next time I spot it I'll note the schedules here.

Radio National dumps loads of shows, wtf??

replaced with waht

Online content.

RN is part of second round of redundancies, somewhere between 30 and 50 peeps in TV got fired a couple of weeks ago

RN dump deets at Crieky

ugh, I was out of the country for that. Bit shit.

column on this by zombie Errol Simper in the .au today

Murdoch paper in 'acknowledges ABC' shocker

Freeview-branded DVRs won't allow you to skip ads.

That's the end of THAT initiative.

Went to watch 'On the WEaterfront' which had tap[ed off ABC2 on Sat night--found had cunningly used a 60min tape. So much for THAT!

Freeview to manufacturers: 'can you make Freeview-compatible equipment (i.e. TVs that prevent ad-skipping) and have it in shops by May?'

Manufacturers: 'can we fuck'

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/TVs_And_Large_Display/Industry/B3N9P8E6?page=1

What Freeview is promoting as unique, say TV vendors, will be available via any integrated TV. They also claim there is no real benefit for consumers and that all the proposed marketing campaign will do is add an additional layer of confusion for consumers.

As one vendor said bluntly "Freeview is designed to slow down the skipping of TV commercials and to muddy the Foxtel message that they have over 100 channels of TV including all the Freeview channels which with Foxtel can be recorded and the advertising skipped through".

Freeview = cockberries, seriously.

ABC News 24 win. Opening with a massive scoop is the best thing ever.

deadwood and the goodies!!!

(not together)

ABC News 24 win. Opening with a massive scoop is the best thing ever.

Can't get as have no high-def. Am sad.

Yeah the fact the Goodies is coming back on is the ONLY thing iun the last fucknose how many years that's made me decide to hook the PVR/receiver back up to the teev. If only so I can record it all (cos the DVDs were useless)

In fact I'm thinking I might buy a new PVR, the one I have is one of those very early-model crappy jobs.

24 is HD? wtf

I thought you can still watch HD on normal TVs, you just dont get the HD signal quality obv.

Also I have just discovered a little digital TV/PVR peripheral for the PS3 called PlayTV, I am so getting one.

ABC HD was a) never full HD and b) only had about 2 hours a week of fake-HD programming

You can watch iView through PS3 BTW T

Ya k1t have already been doing so, its v nifty. Sadly goodies doesnt look like it'll be inc on iview, tho that may remain to be seen next week?

The series are, the specials aren't.

Oh nice, ok. I wonder if theres some way to record iview data, hmm.

Not that I endorse stealing from Aunty, obv, hem hem.

Meh, you can buy all the specials anyway (I think).

this 'the old guys' show is not really the best show any of its cast has been in

katherine parkinson in actually a terrible actor non-shocker

Mark Scott is my hero.

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2010/12/chris-uhlmann-leigh-sales-to-host-new-look-730.html

The ABC has announced Chris Uhlmann and Leigh Sales to host the newly-titled 7:30.

Uhlmann is currently Political Editor for ABC News while Sales has been a co-presenter for Lateline.

From March next year, it will be simply called 7.30. Sales will anchor the program from Sydney and Uhlmann will be Political Editor, presenting the show from Canberra when the news demands it. The new focus of 7.30 will be on the range and depth of the program’s reporting, and its ability to break stories and set the news agenda.

Before Great Scott came along the whole ABC (p'raps one (1) fully sick ilx regular is in a position to agree/disagree with me here) seemed to be a complete basket case. Now, with the new 24 channel and individual controllers for ABC1/2 and online trailblazing, it's thoroughly resurgent and pushing Australian television forward and continuing to do amazingly incredible stuff. Compare to the start of this thread when the whole digital exercise was a joke (it still is for ch9, apparently).

people often call the second one 2, in the world.

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 27 January 2005 14:47 (5 years ago)

lol

I'm with Nmtua on this--ABC2 and News24 are really useful, and I even find myself listening to the DIG Jazz channel sometimes (if only they would include track titles in the signal somehow)

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/02/new-abc1-idents-coming.html

New ABC1 branding on Sunday! I love this sort of thing.

when do you think they retrospectively decided to call it a 'lissajous'

it was 'lissajous curve' for a while but they seem to have dropped the 'curve'

dropping the second half of names should be std industry practice imo

'home and away' -> 'home'
'neighbours' -> 'neigh'

never drop the curve imo

when do you think they retrospectively decided to call it a 'lissajous'

1857 iirc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Antoine_Lissajous

starting with the new branding on Sunday: graphics popping up during programs on ABC1 to tell you what is on the other channels

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/55/Galois_icon.jpeg/30px-Galois_icon.jpegThis article about a French mathematician is a stub.

Oh yuck.

I'll still with iview.

(xpost)

graphics popping up during programs on ABC1 to tell you what is on the other channels

o fuc really? what like the BBC does over the credits at the end of stuff, or bang in the middle of shows?

i would 'appresh' dat

not bang in the middle, near the end, but during the actual program. "only watching this through inertia? switch to ABC2 for authentic 1980s cop show violence, on Ashes To Ashes!"

good lord

I know BBC1 and BBC2 whack up a bit of a 'Next: Harry and Paul' type thing in the last scene of a show, but it's in the top left corner and generally out of the way. Still hate it though

sounds good - i like a reminder occasionally

Hey u bitin' my DN or what mister.

pff the one thing I still enjoy about television is that it stays out of my way. Chucking up notifications is just about the worst and most irritating and pathetic thing you can do to a viewer imo.

If this is pulled off tastefully it might be all right but I'm not holding muh breath.

Hey u bitin' my DN or what mister.

― Cyclone Yazoo (Trayce), Thursday, 3 February 2011 11:56 (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

u paranoid imo

haaaa

Aw you guys

speaking as someone who hates it personally, it heartens me that at least one viewer out there will be welcoming this

As much as I like a new ident, and the current lot of ABC1 idents are rubbish, I don't like the sound of this: "Now ABC1 will push its own look." I hope this doesn't mean INCONSISTENT BRANDING, which the ABC are masters of imo.

Also, bring back the clock. I know it hasn't been around for 25+ years or so and doesn't work in the era of digital delay, but bring back the clock.

- Angry of Petersham

New watermark's up. I like that they've finally taken away the superfluous 'ABC' given that the lissajous is strong enough to handle that alone, but the lissajous itself is liquid metal in the watermark which imo is balls.

lissajous lissajous lissajous

http://blogs.abc.net.au/abc_tv/2011/03/abc2-always-brighter.html

impressive

(i hope it's real)

1. It took weeks/months for the main logo of the two channels to match up! (And now ABC3 looks out of place.)

2. Not ~feeling~ the idents.

3. I like the tag but in that font? In those colours?

4. ALL HAIL HOT AIR BALLOON PIG

ABC3 is a great service to all the kiddies who want kiddy content in the four hours a day that ABC1 and ABC2 aren't also running nonstop kiddy content. Brilliant.

ABC3 is for school-age kids, ABC2 daytime for pre-schoolers. (You may construct your own opinions about having a channel dedicated to showing programming for school-age kids during the hours when they are at school; I'm only here with facts)

Look out for changes re ABC1, but nb that digital take-up was still p small when ABC3 launched.

I have so many ~issues~ with the ABC right now that are infuriating me that if I had the time, I would write a fourteen-page letter with that would end in the phrase, "tell Mark Scott to give himself a fuckin' uppercut".