UK Net Users demand film downloads..Newdesk.

In a recent survey conducted by Broadbandchoices.co.uk, it has been revealed that 61% of UK internet users where most interested in having the ability to download DVD quality movies quickly.
UK users voted this feature in favour over video calls, High Definition video and home surveillence. The survey was carried out in an attempt to find what consumers wanted from the next generation of broadband technology. The survey also made uneasy reading for Internet service providers, as 60% of those questioned stated that they would not be prepared to pay extra for the faster transfer speeds.

Interestingly, it seems that the result of this survey are a little contradictory - as watching television and downloading movies appears (according to the survey) to be something that users currently spend less time doing over the week than other, more traditional activities such as E-mails and general browsing.

An explanation to this "could be the that the current services are not at a high enough standard/speed to warrant using video services. If (transfer) speeds were improved, consumers are more likely to use broadband to stream TV and download movies." said Michael Philips, who is product director at BroadBandChoices.co.uk.

Regulator Ofcom is in the middle of a consultation on the issue of future net services while MPs hosted a Westminster eForum on the issue two weeks ago, which was followed up by a broadband summit, hosted by minister for competitiveness Stephen Timms.
The issue hinges on whether the UK is falling behind the rest of the world, where fibre networks capable of delivering speeds of up to 100Mbps are starting to become commonplace.
In South Korea, one of the world's most advanced nations when it comes to super-fast broadband, some 90% percent of homes can get connections between 50 and 100Mbps.

Virgin Media has pledged to upgrade its cable network - which reaches more than 50% of the population - by the end of next year while BT is considering the option of rolling out a limited fibre network. There are many who think the most important job is to sort out current broadband speeds, where there is a huge disparity between advertised speeds and the speeds people are actually getting.

A report from consumer group Which earlier in the year found that some customers on so-called 8Mbps packages actually get less than 1Mbps.

Ofcom's own speeds tests found that the average customer got 39% of their promised speed.

BBC's £100m Local news drive goes on. _ newsdesk week3

The BBC is pressing ahead with proposals to invest £100m in new local text and radio broadband services.
Appearing in front of the Lords communications select committee today, the BBC director general, Mark Thompson, reiterated the fact that a lower-than-expected licence fee will mean the corporation will not launch local broadband television services.

Thompson then went further to say that "actually Local Radio, complemented by the web is probably a complete solution"..

In regards to these new services, users will be able to personalise the sites around news and sport and again, according to Mr Thompson, the services are to be 'Map-based'.

Viewers of BBC programmes such asd 'Coast' will be able to type in their postcode and find places to visit near them that have been featured in the series.

Newsdesk (week 2 - Jake)

Rival TV Companies to form On-Demand Media Streaming Service.

Telvision companies Channel4 , ITV and the BBC are about to unveil plans to launch a new on-demand online streaming service.

The as-of-yet unnamed service, which is hoping to go live in 2008, will dwarf the current UK TV streaming services available at present. As the service will carry both old and current material in its archives it will hold many thousands of hours of content.
What is yet unknown, however is what media player(s) the new service will depend on - and if (the much controversial) 'DRM' anti-copy technology from Microsoft will be applied to it .
Interestingly, all three channels involved in this project have already launched their own channel specific streaming services, with each one having its own problems and luke-warm reception.
ITV and the BBC have already confirmed that there own services, iPlayer and ITV.com will continue to exist and serve to 'compliment' the new joint venture service.
Channel 4 however, have announced that their own streaming service, '4oD', will be dropped once properly integrated into the new project.

The project has been hailed as an "Historic Partnership" between the competing companies - by the chief executive of BBC Worldwide John Smith. ITV's executive chairman, Michael Grade, said that new service will be "an important shop window for UK broadcasters, and a great destination for viewers"
Channel 4's chief executive, Andy Duncan has said that this service will "give viewers total control over what they watch and when they watch it".

I will be watching this unfold with great interest.

BBC BRISTOL

Last week, me and for other students from Bath Spa University's Broadcast Media course where given the opportunity of a whistle-stop tour through the department responsible for BBC Bristol's 'Points West' daily news program.


It was very enjoyable and an eye-opener. The tour started in the main (open plan) offices that contained the news reporters, presenters, internet/ceefax reporters workstations.
The first thing that hit you when you first entered this huge room, was the 'Hustle and Bustle' of the place - it was immediately obvious that a lot was being done, and at a very rapid pace.



I found the first talk we had with the Weather Presenter particulary interesting. The Weatherman is responsible for producing his own segment - including content, scripting and graphics. The vast amount of information regarding the weather is gained from the MET Office, and fed into the Weatherman's server. It is then his responsibility to then strip out what is nessercary to the Region, and to produce the appropriate graphics to get across this information to the viewer in the best possible way. The Weather is a very important component to the regional news, as apart from being of high interest to the viewer, it is also the most flexible in regards to its duration. If the show is running a few minutes ahead or behind, it is quite easy, or should I say easier, to take from or add to the weather. As a result of this the Weather presenter is not 100% of his shows duration and absolute content until very close to broadcast time.
The regional Internet news (and Ceefax) offices where also very Interesting. The man we spoke to at the time (I forget his name) explained how they would constantly scan for news coming in to their servers (from a few sources), and how they would decide what they were going to use. The news story would then be edited by him - to maybe change poor grammar and/or spelling, or to shorten the length of the piece in order to allow it to fit into its alloted space on the net. I found this process very impressive - in regards to how streamlined it was, as it allowed the news story's to be processed from the BBC's servers, edited for content and length and then posted on the Internet and Ceefax in a matter of minutes. I was also very impressed when I was told that this role did not require even basic knowledge of web-coding protocols such as 'HTML'.
I also did not realise that BBC regional online news was constantly moving 24 hours a day (which it is).

After speaking to these departments, we were then ushered into the BBC Radio Bristol. I have to say, I was very suprised to see how small this department was! It consisted of a modest reception area and just Two studios. The presenter who was live on-air saw us from his studio and invited us in for an uber-mini live interview! - at which point Will (one of us), choked with embarrassment, almost forgot his own name! After our 15 seconds of fame, we were taken into the next studio which was not being used, and an off-duty presenter explained the setup to us.
They were using very simple analogue desks, the reason being that the easier simpler it is - the less can go wrong. The music itself was called up on a computer which itself was feeding from a server - and the playlist's were pre-made. That was that, there really was nothing else to it, very simple indeed but it obviously does the job well!

One thing of interest that was pointed out, was the presence of a blue light above the studio door. I'm sure that anybody reading this blog will be aware of the commonly found 'On-Air' red light found in radio stations and recording studio's, but the Blue light is only used in the event of a death in the family. In this situation all normal programming stopped, and all air -time would be focused on this event.
Just below the blue light, was a CD (in it's jewel case) that was mounted to the wall and labelled "Emergency Music". As the name suggests, this CD contained several hours of music and inbetween 'jingles' to keep the station at least on air in case of emergency.
From here we where then led into the 'Points West' studio. Again, like many of the other departments I visited that day, I was suprised by its small size. The studio would be instantly familiar to anybody that has seen the news show on television, whats suprising (at least to me) was the amount of space between each of the studios main parts (Main presenter chair, Interview couch and table, and the Weather) I think that the clever use of camera placement gives the viewer a false impression that the studio is a lot bigger than it is in reality. For example, if the main news presenter was to have stood up from where his seat is and walked forward just a couple of paces - he would have been touching the camera's, and most definitely 'off-set' ! . The amount of lighting equipment present on the studio was also impressive, you could barely see the ceiling through a brick wall of industrial lighting rig.


As by this time, it was getting very close to the lunchtime news broadcast, we were quickly guided through to the gallery. This is where all the magic happens.
I was quickly introduced to another method that I was completely unaware of. Close to broadcast time, when the presenter and gallery have final scripts/cues, they choose to quickly pre-record the opening headline being readout by the presenter. This also allows both parties to make any last-minute changes to the script.
When the show starts these headlines are played back, and the presenter picks up live once they have finished. The atmosphere in the gallery was very professional. I instantly picked up that although (as with any live broadcast) the pressure is high, it was being dealt with properly.
In fact, it was quite bewildering being in a gallery for the first time, as you didn't really know where to look!
At the end of the news show, as normal, was the weather - it was interesting seeing the man we had just spoken to minutes earlier going out live on air with the graphics and scripts he had just shown us.

All in all, it was an extremely interesting day, and I certainly learned a lot. As with my previous trip to the BBC, it has only strengthened my desire to join myself as a runner when I finish University in 2009.

Hope you enjoyed reading! - feel free to comment...;)

UK Broadband Use at an Alltime High!

According to a study undertaken by National Statistic (ONS) , September saw 88.4% of Britons are choosing to use a Broadband connection, rather than the aging Dial-up method. Of these connections, 49.2 % are using broadband connection packages of 2MB per seconds and above.

This figure for September is only slightly higher than the June stat of 86.2% - but also shows an increase of 26% over the past 12 months.
These stats emphasis the huge growing popularity that broadband has had on the general public. Broadband, due to its much greater data transfer speeds has given rise to the "New Media" and allowed the general public to stream and download music, films, games and television programs instantly and easily - something that was rarely possible with the much slower dial-up internet connections.

The statics also broke down the broadband connection speeds that UK consumers have signed up to. Of the 88.4 % broadband users, 84.4% are using speeds of between 2-8MB, which leaves just 4% using speeds higher than 8MB.

This take-up of broadband has caused a natural slow-down in the number of new connection packages sold - as the amount of dial-up users has diminished quite drastically.

Currently, in the UK 40% of the population are still to sign up to an internet connection in any way.

The Different Role's in a Television Production.

Hello!
For the next post in my Super Media Blog i have listed and explained the different roles/jobs commonly found in a television production.

Executive Producer : The execuitive producer is the person at the top of the food chain, and the person that everbody is answerable to. An executive producer is a major role within television, and as a result will have many years experience in the business. In a nutshell, His or her role is to guide the overall creative progress of the show's story over the course of its lifespan , and all creative decisions (from casting to script approval) go through them.

Production Executive : The 'Production Executive can best be described as an assistant Executive Producer. Both position are of great importance and carry a huge amount of responsibilities.

Picture Publicity :

Producers : There are many different varieties of 'Producer' found in the television business, each with slightly differing roles. Depending on the show, you will find that the amount and types of producers involved will change. Here is a brief breakdown on the roles of commonly found types of television producer:

*Executive Producer/Production Executive - as above.
*Supervising producer - supervises other producers.
*Coordinating producer - coordinates two or more producers.
*Co-producer - works with other producers.
*Consulting producer - assists writers, sometimes specializing in a particular subject.
*Associate producer - runs day-to-day operations.
*Segment producer - handles one segment of a program.

It is also quite common within the television industry for the original script writer of a show to be given the title 'Producer' - even if they did not engage with the actual production of the show. In rare circumstances, the 'Star' of the show has an influence in the creative aspect of a television production. In these circumstances the actor in question is sometimes also given the title of producer.

Series Editor : The series editor is a major role within a television shows production and post production. The Series Editor will work closely with the script editor and director to ensure that the final cut meets the standard and requirements laid out by the Executive Producer, as well as humanly possible. The role of the series editor is very creative. They are expected to give the show the 'look and feel' that is required and to make sure that the shows follow a consistent pattern.

Script Editor : The script editor has many responsibilities including finding new script writers, developing storyline and series ideas with writers, and ensuring that scripts are suitable for production. The Script editor will have a good working relationship with the series writer(s), often suggesting changes/improvements that can be made to the show while keeping its technical limitations and integrity in mind. As a result, the Script Editor will also have a good working relationship with the shows Producers.

Director : The roles required of the Television director will differ, depending on if the show is live or pre-recorded. However, responsibilites such as camera placement, lighting and microphones are undertaken regardless of the type of show. With pre-recorded shows, the director has a role which is very similiar to that of a film director - communicating with actorsand cameramen regarding their cues and performances. The role of the director is often more of a technical one as opposed to creative - this role is more suited to the Producer. In LIVE television, such as a news broadcast, the director is required to communicate with many other members of staff - in order to successfully co-ordinate the broadcast. This role can be very intense indeed. The Live television director also nees to be able to maintain control the crew when under lot's of pressure at all time.

1st Assistant Director : The Assistant Director, or 'AD' has the role of helping the director with the production of a show. There can be many assistant directors involved in the same show. This can be seen as a hierarchy, with the 1st AD having roles that are deemed to be of higher importance than the 2nd or 3rd AD. The 1st AD has overall AD responsibilities, and will often directly supervise the 2nd AD. The 1st AD is also directly responsible for the Producer and has overall control of the "Floor"/"Set". The role of the assistant director (regardless of rank) is more often than not, non-creative.

2nd Assistant Director : The 2nd AD is responsible for organising and creating the daily call sheets and Production schedules - this is normally done in co-operation with the Production Co-ordinator . The 2nd AD will also work with the actors/cast and making sure they get through the make-up and wardrobe department.The 2nd AD also has some supervisory responsibilties - supervision of the 3rd ADs, Trainee Assistant Directors and any background "Extra's" - is a common role.

3rd Assistant Director : The difference between the 2nd and 3rd AD is not clearly defined and can change greatly from show to show. However, the more common roles of the 3rd AD include working with the second AD with getting cast members through departments - ready for shooting and organising crowd scenes which require lot's of extra's. The 3rd AD will also often supervise the Production Assistant(s).

Script Supervisor : The Script Supervisor is responsible for maintaining the televisions show's 'Continuity' and for recording the production teams daily progress. The script supervisor will represent the editor and writer while on set. The script supervisor will also communicate directly with the director and director of photographer in order to make sure that the material that is produced, can be edited together correctly. The script supervisor is regarded as a technical role rather than creative.

Location Manager : The location manager is responsible for finding and securing suitable venues/places to shoot material - and to coordinate any logistics that occour with any given location. The location manager is also often the 'public face' of the production company to any communities/individuals that are affected by the shoot.

Production co-ordinator : The Production co-ordinator roles will often very from project to project, but common roles/responsibilities include the co-ordination of the television crew with assignment of studio space and equipment by means of accurate day-to-day schedules. Designs sets and lights for television programs and makes ground plans, elevations, etc. The Production Co-ordinator will also sometimes act as a supervisor to the Location Manager.

Runner : The 'Runner' is the most junior position found in a television production. The runner is responsible for most low-level "dogs-body" type jobs, and wil often be assigned to help wherever is needed on a daily basis. The position of runner is one that a lot of higher-employees started out as, as it is seen as way to get their 'foot in the door' - as a result their is stiff competition whenever a position for runner becomes available.

Designer : The Production designer is the term used in the television/film industries, to the person responsible for the overall look and feel of a show/film. The production Designer is one of the main creative roles in television. The designer will work directly with the producer and director to create the style of the show. In pre-production the designer will collaborate with the director of photography for this same purpose.

Art Director : The Art Director will work directly below the Designer, and above the set designer and set decorator. A large part of the art directors roles include the administrative duties attached to the Art Department of a show. They are responsible for assigning tasks to other personnel, keeping track of the art departments budgeting, schedules and overall quality control.

Properties Buyer : The Properties Buyer key role, is to locate and purchase any props needed for the production. The properties buyer will be working to a tight budget and will need to be able to supply props to the standard required, often within a tight deadline.

Properties Master : This role incorporates the maintenance, storage and handling of any props being usedin a production.The property master also works with other members of the production managing the physical appearance of the stage or set, for example they might work with the script supervisor to maintain set continuity.

Costume Designer : The costume designer, as the name implies, is the person responsible for the design of any costumes being used in a production. The costume Designer will work alongside the director,lighting designers and makeup designers.

Costume Assistant : The Costume Assistant will work directly below the Costume Director and roles will include the proper maintenance of all costumes, shoes, undergarments, hats and costume related personal props.To ensure that all costumes are properly pressed or steamed prior to each performance. The Costume assistant will also be responsible for the correct storage of the above items once a production has come to it's end. A costume assistant will be a fully qualified seamstress and be able to carry out any minor repairs/ alterations as and when is needed.

Make-up-Designer : A make-up Designer is somebody who creates any make-up and prosthetics required for the show.

Make-Up Assistant : The make-Up assistant work directly below the Make-up designer, and will help out in whichever way is required.

Lighting Director : The role of the Lighting Director within television is to work with the Director, set designer and costume designer - to create the overlook look and feel of the show as required.

Gaffer : The "Gaffer" or "lighting Technition" is responsible for overseeing and directing the setting up of lighting equipment. The Gaffer will be working directly underneath the Ligting Director.

Camera Operator : A Camera operator is responsible for physically operating the camera and maintaining composition throughout the shoot. The Cameraman will often be part of a camera crew and will be working under the immediate leadership of the director of photography.

Camera Assistant : The camera assistant will help the camera operators with day-to-day duties. The camera assistant will also be responsible for light technical/ camera maintenance duties.

Camera Trainee : The camera Trainee will be a 'Camera Operator' in the making. The Camera Trainee will work directly below both the Camera assistants and Camera operators.

Grips : The Grips are lighting and rigging technicians in the TV and Film industries. The grips work closely with the camera and lighting crews on a production unit. The 'Grips' are under the supervision of the 'Key Grip'.

Sound Recordist : As the name implies, the sound recordist, is responsible for recording any audio that is required for any given shoot.

Boom Operator : The Boom Operator is responsible for the operation of microphones that are being used with a 'Boom' rod. The Boom Operator will normally work under the leadership of the Sound Recordist. The Boom operator will have a good knowledge of audio in general.

Sound Trainee : As with the Camera Trainee, the Sound trainee will be a sound recordist 'in the making'. The sound trainee will work underneath both the Sound recordist and Boom operator.

VT Editor : The VT Editor cues and prepares video inserts into a programme. Heavily used in sports programming, they are also responsible for action replays and quickly editing highlights while a show is in progress.

Casting : Casting is the department responsible for finding and hiring suitable actors for a given role. The casting department will be under the leadership of a Casting Director.

Artists Booker : The Artsist Booker plays a similar role to the casting department in a television Production - They are responsible for organising amd booking and artwork needed for the show. They are also, like many of the other roles above - for ensuring that the show fits into the look and feel of show.

Production Accountant : Production Accountants are responsible for managing finances and maintaining financial records during film production. They work closely with the Producer and the production office to prepare schedules and budgets for film productions, as well as managing the day-to-day accounting office functions, and reporting the projects' financial progress against the budgets.

Assistant Production Accountants : The Assistant Production accountant will work under the supervision under the Production Accountant, and will be responsible for many of the same tasks.

Researcher : Researchers research the project ahead of shooting time to increase the integrity of the show. It is their task to inform the director, producer, and writer of all ideas, and knowledge related to what task is being undertaken, or what a scene/ event or backdrop needs to be included to make the show factual and ultimately more believable.

Publicist : A Publicist has the task of raising public awareness of a production, and ultimately increase viewers and sales of it and its merchandise. The publicist's main task is to generate demand for a product through advertising and promotion.

Picture Publicist : It is the Picture Publicist who is responsible for taking and marketing photographs, and other visual material that is related to the show in hand. This material will be used to advertise the show though magazines.

Using Copyrighted Music in You Production.

When you use music in a project, you have to consider who owns the misic. There are limitations on its use, and charges too.

WHAT IS COPYRIGHT?
‘Copyright’ is the term given to the legal right of an owner of a material, to allow it’s usage or reproduction to be carried out ONLY upon the consent of the (copyright) holder.

In this country, a copyright is obtained by the owner of a material through the UK Copyright Centre.

In the UK, there are limited conditions whereas a copyrighted piece of music that can be heard in your production, does not require a license. This is known as 'Fair usage'. Good examples of Fair usage policy are;

* Passers-by mobile phone ring – tone.

*Music from car stereos being heard in the back-
- ground.
Even if you are fairly sure that copyrighted music that appears in your production, is doing so under the Fair Use laws, it is normally a good idea to eliminate/minimilize the offending material. Especially if the production is getting a 'proper' release. There have been case where publishers have fought 'tooth and nail' in cases where fair usage was assumed by the producers.

The following points, I have written under the assumption that the music was to be used in a DVD, that will be Sold in UK shops.

*What are the steps involved in licensing music

The process of licensing begins with extensive research into the ownership of the composition and/or the actual recording you are contemplating using.The materials packaging (album cover for example) will list the ‘performance rights’ organisation that it is signed to, such as B.M.I or ASCAP. The performance rights organisation do not control the copyrights, but they will tell you who do.
Once you have got this information, and are certain what type of license you require – the process of negotiation with the copyright owners can begin.
Once a price has been agreed between both parties, contracts will be drawn up and will need to be signed. It is important at this stage to seek legal advice if needed, as it is very difficult to go back once you have signed!

*If you wanted to reduce your costs legally, what might you do?

I have three suggestions that could help me reduce the costs of the music for my DVD production.
Copyleft: Copyleft is a type of licensing where the owner of a piece of material allows it to be used by another individual without the need for purchasing a license. There are several different types of copyleft licenses - each allowing the license owner/licensee different permissions/rights.
The most commonly found type of Copyleft-licensed music allows the material in question to be used in whole or part, and can be manipulated without limitation. However, the end result/final product which contains the 'Copylefted' material, must in turn, be released under the Copyleft standard itself.
http://www.copyleft-music.com/ is a very popular online 'dump site' of music of many musical genres.

Production Music: "Production Music" is the term given to music that is owned by production music libraries and licensed out to customers to be used in projects at a very reasonable price. PML's tend to own ALL the copyrights to the materials they hold, this allows them to license the music out without obtaining permission from the original composer first.
Production Music Libraries offer a massive amount of variety of musical styles and genres, and tends to be listed as both music type, and 'emotion' (such as 'sad' or 'action') - this allow the producer to quickly source music that is suitable for the project - and at a good price.
There are many, many websites specialising in production music, here are the links to some of the most popular;
http://www.ibaudio.com

http://www.audiolicense.net

http://www.royalty-free.tv/

Self compose : A way of dramatically reducing your music royalty costs,would be to produce the music in-house via your production team. Computer - based music production is much more readily available to the masses thanks to the reduction in price of powerful CPU's. It is very possible to compose and produce a music track(s) to a high standard with nothing more than a mid-range computer and soundcard.

*Which course of action would you pursue, and why?

Of the above suggestions, the only one I definitely wouldn't use, would be the 'Copyleft' license. This is because the scenario states that the DVD is to be SOLD. If I was to use this system I would not be able to release the DVD and be able to hold a Copyright over it - it would have to be released under Copyleft.
I think that if I was in this situation, then I personally would use a mixture of the other two suggestions that I posted above. I have enough experience with computer based music production packages to be able to arrange, produce and master a lot of material. The range of excellent free sample discs on the market would allow me to compose a track, without even having to be able to play an instrument.
To commit yourself to producing the entire soundtrack to a DVD is a massive undertaking. That is why I think I would make use of Music Production Libraries in conjunction with my own creations. It is also important to remember that all the time you are creating your own soundtrack, you are taking away time that could be spent on other aspects of the production - "Time is Money". It may very well work out cheaper to source a production music track for my DVD than it would be to take the time in making my own.

The Advertising Standard Agency (ASA).

The Advertising Standards Authority, or 'ASA' is an independant British self-regulating organisation directly attached to the advertising industry. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation, and as a result cannot interpret or enforce legislation. For non-advertising industry material, it is OFCOM that overseas that the content of this material is kept to an acceptable standard.
In a nutshell, the ASA aims to be a 'one-stop-shop' for advertising regulation, and to make sure that all advertising in the UK is Legal, decent and truthful.

To help make it clearer exactly what the ASA defines as acceptable an unacceptable, 'Codes of Conduct' have been produced.
The advertising codes are the responsibility of two industry Committees of Advertising Practice - CAP (Broadcast) and CAP (Non-broadcast) and are independently administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). CAP (broadcast) as the name implies, focuses on forms of advertising that are delivered as broadcast media - such as television. CAP (Non-broadcast) focuses on advertisements that are found in (for example) magazines, newspapers and billboards.
Interestingly the film and cinema industry has to follow the CAP (Non-Broadcast) codes. As it is not considered a form of Broadcasts advertising.


Taste and Decency
There are over 30 Miliion advertisments produced every year. As a result of this staggering statistic, it isn't very suprising that advert producers often turn to controversial or shocking subject matter in an attempt to make there adverts stand out from the rest. This can often result in consumers becoming upset or offended at many of these adverts.

The Advertising code states that advertisments should contain nothing that is likely to cause the end consumer serious or widespread offence.
The codes also require that special care is also taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of race, religion , sex, sexual orientation or disability.
When the ASA Council decides whether an advert complies with the codes, it will judge on the context, audience,medium,product and prevailing standards of decency.

It is important to note that there is a difference between 'distasteful' and 'offensive'. The ASA will allow 'distasteful' adverts, which will not be considered offensive by the majority of its viewers. This is because the ASA has to balance the advertisers rights of 'freedom of expression' and the level of potential offence caused. The ASA also has to take into account the rights of those viewers not offended by the advert to see it.

An objection to a particular product or service, is not sufficient grounds for an objection/complaint to an advertisment for it. Such a complaint would be handled by the Office of Fair Trading .

Social Responsibility

The ASA's codes require that all advertisments, regardless of medium, be prepared/produced with a sense of responsibility to consumers and society. Examples of this are;

The use of really shocking images that could cause undue fear and/or distress.

The depiction of scenes that could encourage people in irresponsible or unsafe way.

The advertising of products, or their consumption, in ways that can be harmful to health.

Advertising to children that could make them feel inferior, or result in their physical, mental or moral harm.
* The issue of children, regarding the advertising industry is very important indeed, and as a result the ASA has codes of conduct and guidelines especially for them - I will cover this topic more indepth, later on in this Blog...

Advertisments from automobile manufacturers can often give rise to complaints, when the car/bike in question 's top speed (which can easily be over double the maximum top-speed in the UK), is used as a main selling point - this is a good example of social responsibilty and the advertising industry.
In this case the ASA's codes of conduct, actually stipulate that the predominant message of these type of adverts should not be speed.

Children.
The use of children in adverts, and the effects that adverts have on them, as I mentioned earlier in this blog are very sensitive issues within the advertising industry. The advertising standard 'codes of conduct' lay down some very strict rules regarding this matter.
Some common issues regarding this issue are;

*Making children desire things they cannot afford or would not be able to use.
*Encouraging children to 'pester' their parents for the advertised product.
*Showing children in unsafe or dangerous situations that other children might emulate.
*Making children feel inferior, esp. if they don't obtain the products or services featured in the advert.
*Showing children in a sexual way.
*Advertising soft drinks and high fat/sugar food to children.

The CAP (Non-Broadcast) codes can be found HERE.
The CAP (Broadcast) codes are split into two main sections; radio and television.
The CAP (broadcast):Radio codes can be found HERE. Television codes can be found HERE.

The Audio Technica BP4027

As part of my Media Broadcast course, I was required to find out about a microphone of my choice.
My group chose the Audio Technica BP4027.
Audio Technica BP4027 Stereo Shotgun Microphone

Name, Make, Model, Price and cost?

Audio Technica BP4027

$734.63 : Full compass

$1000.00 : Audio Technica direct

$852 : Performance Audio

*This particular model does not seem to be readily available in the UK.

What type of Microphone is it?

The AT BP4027 is a variation on the classic ‘shotgun’ - type microphone.

The ‘Shotgun’ microphone is so-called due to the shape and size of it’s body. The classic shotgun microphone uses two key features to achieve a very focused ‘pick up’ or ‘polar pattern’. The first is the way in which the ‘in-line’ element (this mic has two elements) is housed in the centre of the long, tube-like body. Grooves are placed along both sides of the Mics body, this allows the process called ‘wave cancellation’ to take place. Through wave cancellation, sound that has been picked up from the rear and side of the microphone will be mostly eliminated or reduced to be so faint as to not be audible to the human ear.

This microphone is condenser microphone, which means that it needs an external power source, Phantom power is the most likely to be used. The 4027 can be switched between ‘Stereo Wide’ and ‘Stereo Narrow’ modes. As the names suggest, this allows the pick-up range to be modified to some degree when the microphone is being used as a shotgun microphone.

The BP 4027 contains two elements, the second being an omni-directional (or ‘figure of eight’) type. A ‘bass roll-off’ switch is present on this microphone. This is used to cut off lower (hence ‘bass’) frequencies.

Application(s)

When the 4027 is switched into its in-line element, it is then best used in the same manner as a classic shotgun microphone. Any situation that requires the recording of a very specific sound source will benefit from the use of a microphone of this type. Common uses are outside recording projects, such as wildlife/animal programs where a lot of external, background noise such as wind and rain is present. The shotgun microphone allows focused recording from a distance, this can be very useful when working with video, and you are taking a wide, open shot - the shotgun will let the operator focus the audio recording, while keeping the camera out of view. This situation would be very common in the movie industry. As was mentioned earlier, this microphone can be switched between ‘wide’ and ‘narrow’ modes when being used as a shotgun mic. This allows greater flexibility and more potential uses.

As mentioned earlier, the BP4027 has two elements which are defined using the built-in switch. When this microphone is set to ‘omni-directional’ mode, it allows the operator to use the 4027 in a wide range of situations, where a stereo microphone is prefered; field acquisition, sound effect recording, live events, news gathering and one-on-one interviews (as both parties will be equally picked up without moving the mic during the session).

Connectors
This microphone uses a 3-pin XLR connector type. This type of connector is almost always ‘balanced’. The use of balanced audio connectors allows for a (potentially) better quality recording, as background noise that is picked up during its ‘signal flow’ is greatly reduced by using a process known as ‘Phase Cancellation’.
A common XLR cable has both a male and female connector. The male connector is comprised of three pins. The female connector has 3 sockets. On virtually all microphones that use the XLR connector type, the microphones connection is of the male type.

There are several variants of the XLR connector. However it is the 3-pin variety that is most commonly found in the audio world. The 4-pin XLR is often used in the telecommunications industry. The 5-pin version is most commonly found in Pro-Lighting equipment.

Polar Pattern

In regards to microphones, the ‘Polar Pattern’ is a representation of a microphone sensitivity to sounds arriving at differing angles around it’s central axis point. Different types of microphones will have different polar patterns - each relative to the job(s) it is intended for.

Cardioid









Shotgun









Omni-Directional









*The circle in the centre of the diagram represents the central axis of the microphone. The further from the centre of the graph is, the stronger the mic signal is from that direction.

It is important to note, that the above examples of polar patterns are ‘perfect world’ scenarios.
In reality, a microphones polar pattern is very likely to be much more uneven and disjointed than those above. Below is the polar patterns for the BP4027 - taken directly from Audio Technica’s website.



















Pro’s and Con’s of its Design V.s Application.

The BP4027 allows much more possibilities than your normal shotgun microphone. It is solidly designed, and its manufacturer is very well known in the Pro-Audio world for producing good quality, well built microphones.
However, it’s polar pattern shows that it is not the best uni-directional microphone on the market. It does have a large amount of ‘bleed’, this could be a very serious issue if you really need a tightly focused shotgun mic.
It may very well be a better idea to purchase a cheaper Uni-Directional mic, and a Omni/Cardioid microphone seperately.
Frequency Response.

The “Frequency Response”, as the term suggests, is the name given to the way in which a microphone responds to particular frequencies.

To find out the frequency response of a microphone, “white noise” is used. White noise is a sound which consists of equal quantities of all frequencies.
The microphone in question, is used to record white noise from a single source. The output of the microphone is then fed into a type of oscilloscope called a “Spectral Analyzer”. This machine is used to help the user examine spectral composition of a signal that has been routed into it. The results of the Spectral Analyzer are then used to produce a ‘frequency response table’.

Below, is the frequency response table for the BP4027;














As can be from seen from the above example, the frequency response table has two axis.
The ‘x’ axis represents the microphones response, which is measured in decibels (dB). The ‘y’ axis represents the frequency range that the microphones response was tested against.

The frequency response table allows the user to quickly and easily see what a microphones particular strengths (if any) are. And is one way of telling if a microphone is going to be a good choice for the job in hand.

A lot of microphones (including the 4027) have “bass roll-off” switches, which allow the user to define wether the microphone picks up frequencies of below a certain point. This is usually shown in the frequency response table as it is above - with a dotted line (as the Legend suggests).

Some people/sources say that the perfect frequency response would show on the table as a straight line - that is to say that the microphone responded to all frequencies in the same manner.

Others say that the ‘perfect’ frequency response is a myth, as the perfect response all depends on the job in hand.

SOURCES
Price;

Using “froogle”, which is a Google based shopping search engine. I have given prices, and links to those prices under the title “Name, Make and Model”



A Future Music (popular UK music production magazine) web-Blog review

Audio Technica’s own website

PerformanceAudio.com

Wikipedia; XLR connectors

Microphones

Wave cancellation

I got a lot of information on Microphones by using one of Paul Whites books “Studio Recording Basics B” (non-internet source)


Synthopia

Crown Audio

Record Producer.com

I also used notes that i had taken from my previous Music Production course.

I thought the above sources were good to use, as they have a good reputation in the audio world. Having said that , I always make sure that I take care to cross-check anything I find on Wikipedia, as it sometimes can be very wrong. It is always a good idea to check the ‘Discussion’ page, to see if there is any areas of disagreement.
With microphones, the basic information is very often presented in the form of a ‘data sheet’, which gives the microphones technical specifications. Using these, it is very easy to cross-check information, so you can be sure that the information you have is correct.
For a non-internet information source, I used the book by Paul White “Studio recording Basics B”. Paul White is a very well known figure in the music technology industry and has written many books on the subject. I have always found his work to be very good, and hold a lot of confidence in that what he writes is correct.

BBC BRISTOL

The 17th of October was a very cool day for me.

I was given (and gladly excepted!) the opportunity to spend the day in the dubbing department of BBC Bristol.

Hello, and welcome to my very first blog!

For my first entry, I have written a report on the popular television broadcaster - UKTV.
Please feel free to leave comments on anything regarding UKTV and the actual blog itself (good or bad!)।




UKTV is amongst the United Kingdoms largest television companies. It is a joint venture between the BBC and Virgin Media Television. The vast majority of programs shown on UKTV are in fact BBC productions that have already been shown on the companies Terrestrial television network।


Unlike the BBC, UKTV is funded through the use of commercials. This allows the BBC to make extra revenue through programs that have already been funded for by the TV lisense payer.

It was the success of ‘UK Gold’ that led to the creation of UKTV.
UKTV itself is broken down into many sub - channels, with each one specializing in a particular theme। At current, these are as follows;



UKTV Documentary - As the name suggests, this channel broadcasts mainly documentaries, but of a wide spectrum of topics. This channel was intended as a replacement for UKTV Horizons - which was pulled off-air 24 hours before UKTV’s launch.


UKTV FOOD - UKTV Food broadcasts a mix of BBC archives of food & cooking related shows, and both live and pre-recorded original material of the same genre. UKTV Food has a very active website, that allows viewers to catch up on recipes that were featured on the shows. And to discuss any topics, again related to UKTV Foods broadcasts, through it’s forums।



UKTV Drama - UKTV Drama was originally launched in 1997 under the title of ‘UK Arena’. At this time, the channel was intended show a more broader range of shows, all based on the arts. However viewing figures for UK Arena were very disappointing, so the channel was relaunched as ‘UKTV Drama’ in 2000 with a stronger focus on drama, rather than the arts/culture - based shows.
As the name suggests the output of UKTV Drama is mostly drama films and serials - taken from the BBC archives. The rest of the output tends to be older comedy, a lot of which is also shown on other UKTV channels.


UKTV Gold - UKTV Gold, and it’s eventual success is what led to the creation of UKTV. ‘UK Gold’ (as it was known then) was launched in 1992 in collaboration with Thames Television .
Interestingly, it was not originally intended to be broadcast to UK viewers, but it broadcast frequency was easily and often picked up by the UK public. As a result of it’s broadcast frequency not being intended for this audience,the reception was often ‘grainy’ or ‘sparkly’.

The purpose of UK Gold, was to give BBC ‘Classic’ shows, such as ‘some mother’s do ‘ave ‘em’ and ‘Only fools and horses’ to a wider audience.

A Common criticism of the channel at this time was the way in which the show was edited to make way for commercial breaks. As the program’s were intended for the commercial-free BBC terrestrial television network, they were never produced with advert breaks in mind. When shown on UK Gold however, often breaks were introduced halfway through a sentence, or even a punchline of a comedy show..Which would often (understandably) irritate the Viewer. These days, adverts are handled in a much more professional manner on UKTV Gold, and the advert breaks are not held to such a rigid timetable when needed.
As mentioned earlier in this blog, it was the success of UK Gold that led to the creation of UKTV. The then financially troubled Thames Television’s place in the venture was bought-out by Virgin Media.

In 2004, a UKTV Gold derivative ‘UKTV Gold Classics’ was launched, it’s focus was on the more older program’s. However, it’s name was soon changed to “UKTV Gold 2”. It’s existence was a result of the channel bringing in newer and newer program’s - sometimes only months after they had been originally broadcast on the BBC networks. This is seen by some, as the channels move away from it’s original intention of providing repeats of ‘Classic’ BBC shows to just providing repeats.


UKTV History - This channel deals in a history shows, covering a broad array of subjects.
There is sometimes a bit of a crossover with UKTV documentaries - both channels have in the past shown the same program। UKTV History is currently available on the digital terrestrial television (freeview), Sky Digital and Virgin media networks.



UKTV People - UKTV People is a channel that tends to show lighter, mostly factual programs that will appeal to a wide variety audience. None of it’s shows are actually produced by the channel, instead they are bought from other companies where they have already been proven to be popular. A lot of UKTV People‘s content is of the “Docusoap” or ‘fly-on-the-wall’ nature. Alongside UKTV Documentaries, it was intended as part-replacement for UK Horizons, which went off-air 24 hours before it’s launch.




UKTV Style - UKTV Style specializes in ‘Lifestyle’ type program genre’s, such as DIY and Home/Self improvement। Before the introduction of UKTV Food and UKTV Gardens, UKTV Style also broadcast program’s related to these genre’s. The content of UKTV Style is both made internally, and bought from other companies (mostly, the BBC).



UKTV Gardens - This channel, as is implied by it’s title, is dedicated entirely to gardening and horticulture। UKTV Gardens was launched in 2007, previous to this it’s contents were broadcast on the UKTV Style channel.



UKTV Bright Ideas - UKTV Bright Ideas shows a variety of program’s that are taken from UKTV Style, UKTV Gardens and UKTV Food. It was launched early 2003 and intended primarily for the ‘freeview’ market, but has since been pushed onto other networks.
The viewing figures for UKTV Bright Ideas only averages 0.1% of the market share, as a result of it’s poor performance UKTV Bright Ideas is closing down as of the 14th October 2007.

Currently, UKTV is available through satelite and cable in the UK and Ireland. Some of the channels are available through Digital teresstrial television (freeview) 's "Top-up-TV" scheme.

As the output of UKTV's channels varies so much, it has no one definite Audience demograph.
However, all of UKTV's channels carry the same 'look' and tend to follow very similiar formats.

FUNDING

As UKTV largely consists of programs that have already been paid for by the TV Licence fee payers, UKTV does not have to rely on commercials to pay for the majority of it's content. As I mentioned earlier in this blog, UKTV does make money through commercials, which are shown at the same rate as ITV - approx. every 15 minutes.

However, this does leave UKTV very reliant on the BBC's ability to produce quality programs for it's native channel in order for UKTV to retain it's appeal.

Unlike a lot of it's competitors, UKTV does not tend to include 'pay to enter' competitions in any of it's native shows to generate extra income.

FUTURE CONCERNS FOR UKTV

As a result of the many different channels that UKTV currently hosts, each with it's own audience demograph, I think it would be very hard or unlikely that UKTV would make many decisions on it's content or schedule that would adversely effect many channels at once.

A concern I do have, is the amount of UKTV channels that are currently only available to freeview owners that have signed up to the 'Top-Up-Tv" contract. At current, it is estimated that less than 5% of Digital/Freeview users use Top-Up-Tv.

3 of UKTV's most popular channels (most notably) UKTV Gold, UKTV Style and UKTV Food are only available through Top-Up-Tv. Further more, they are broadcast on a 'Time-Share' basis, which means that the channels are only shown for part of the day, the rest of the day the channel is occupied by another broadcaster

Thanks,
chris..