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BBC chooses Final Cut for all HDTV content

macworld.co.uk — BBC Factual has confirmed plans to use the Panasonic AJ-HDX900 DVCPRO HD camcorder alongside Apple's industry leading professional video application in order to create all its high-definition shows, beginning in April 2007.

Who dugg this? Made popular Mar 19, 2007

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  • northernmunky, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14Shocking! I've worked at BBC Post Production and from what I saw they were about as PC & Avid biased as you can get!
    Never thought I'd see the day.
  • neuropsychguy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12I dugg you down for bringing politics into the discussion.

    *I'm quite conservative, I just don't think politics belongs in this thread.
  • drlha, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7@rickler: Freeview isn't in HD (yet), so right now the only way to get BBC in HD is on Sky or Cable.
  • dgblackout, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8"A BBC division is moving to produce high-definition (HD) shows using Apple's Final Cut Pro HD"
    only one devision, i think there's a good few that will be no doubt using avid
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+10It's disappointing that BBC's HD channel is only available via expensive HD Satellite or Cable systems. The vast majority of licence fee payers do not have equipment capable of receiving it.
  • dhollister, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Good. In this day and age, there is no reason to stick to the big, expensive systems of past decades. A cheap software program on cheap hardware does the job just as well, so why not?
  • Saiing, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7Blame Ofcom (the TV regulator) for that one. When the exisiting analogue range is replaced by digital, there will be a lot of free spectrum which could be used for HDTV. The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and virtually every major TV company want a little extra spectrum for HDTV on freeview.

    However Ofcom favors selling off spectrum to the highest bidder. Why? Because selling it off to Blair's rich buddies is more "in the public interest" than protecting the scarce resource for the people. They're even proposing selling off the range of the spectrum that theatres and concerts use for radio mics, so it will be virtually impossible for a live performance ever to take place anywhere in the UK in the future. But hey, what does anyone expect from the idiots that run our country these days. That's why I moved to Japan 5 years ago.
  • ilgaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Most of those "Sorry IE and Windows Media only" saying sites are running Real Networks Helix server on Solaris or Linux. Funnier fact: Telestream's (flip4mac) main income is from Quicktime Exporters to Wmedia. Yes, people edit using quicktime based tech like AVID, FCP and they export to WMedia.

    It has nothing to do with the editing system, it has something to do with exclusive agreements, bribes etc.
  • anonym41414, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Depends on how you define "superior." Film is harder to light for, is much more expensive, takes a lot longer to process and is much bulkier to shoot with. Film cameras cost a lot more, which means you have to get by with shooting less, which means you usually have to settle instead of continuing to shoot until you get what you want.

    That's an awful lot to give up for what, by the time you compress it and blast it out to consumer-grade televisions, is a pretty marginal improvement in picture quality and color resolution.

    Life's full of trade-offs.
  • ilgaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Please people, AVID works on Mac. It is the choice of more rich companies who wants hassle free edit system since it is a bit more expensive.

    AVID uses Quicktime frameworks even on Windows.
  • Saiing, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Not if Clarkson is to be believed. He said in his newspaper column that Top Gear is finished.
  • aristotle0dude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yeah because SD would work better with AVID eh? Right.
  • Rickler, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7Have you never heard of DVB-T? It's just like North America's ATSC. Buy an antenna and a TV with a DVB-T tuner.. free HD content over the air no fees.
  • hannasdeli, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Well, it just makes sense. In my documentary productions i use the most efficient workflow... and that is Panasonic SDX900 / HDX900 with Final Cut Pro. Avid sucks, and using this method permits you to use cheap Firewire external HDDs for storage. Of course, HDCAM's image quality is quite amazing, but the price is just a joke, and the cost/value of the system is nowhere near what you get with Panasonic+Apple.

    And those cameras yield beautiful images!!! soooo nice! Maybe not that clean compared to the Sony ones, but they just are nice to look at.

    So Avid Fanboys, "standard" doesn't always mean "best". Remember VHS and Beta? Everytime i get near an Avid i start to laugh or cry uncontrollably. You cannot even deinterlace/reinterpret footage after you imported it!!!! hahahahahaha.
  • upyourego, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2A number of BBC regional television services are switching to FCP as well. BBC Channel Islands use Macs and are in the process of putting a Mac based video network and playout system in place.
  • hannasdeli, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Have you ever tried Final Cut Pro OMF export to Steinberg Cubase/Nuendo? Well, it just works!
  • 3dom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Right, because if a tv network doesn't parrot the republican talking points in its news reports it's one of those damn liberal-biased unamerican traitor channels. Jesus. You probably don't even realise that the BBC is (currently) only airing entertainment content in HD, not its news broadcasts (which it has its own seperate channel for), and therefore this has nothing to do with reporting or politics.
  • ilgaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2If something is AVID based, it is automatically Quicktime based. The AVID editing system is choice of professionals since it is completely standard format based. E.g. you can move to FCP from AVID.

    The joke is Adobe Premiere which is completely AVI based. Even if they release Mac version (announced for Mactels, guess why intel only?) , everyone who is professional will stay away since it will be AVI based too. AVI means MS lock in with horrible hack based timecode etc.
  • jbarnes1234, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1llgaz, its' apparent that you have no idea what you're talking about here.
  • ilgaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If people like hannasdeli keeps commenting with horrible myths and childish fanaticism, it will be really bad for the professional image of FCP.

    I really started to question the professionalism of FCP, the entire concept because of these people.

    Who gives a heck to your non aired documentaries and your choice of NLE and why should we say "FCP is good" or "AVID stinks" based on some anonymous digg comment?

    If some PR company doing this operation, please stop. People really started to question FCP as result. A NLE , especially a professional/semi professional one is not a thing you can make decision makers change their mind via DIGG!

    We are speaking about million dollar stuff which must be planned for 2 years at least with numerous meetings here, nobody will change their mind or change companies strategies based on some childish digg submissions or comments.

    FCP fans you are really hurting credibility of the entire suite/platform. I don't believe any of these pro fanatic/childish FCP comments belong to actual professionals with published work.

  • shadownight, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5Just one more reason they should support Mac (and Linux, of course) for their streaming online video.
  • hannasdeli, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Well actually that's what everyone in the TV Stations thought... untill people started mass buying flat panel LCDs "HD Ready" (and a few actual HD ones too). I can tell you that tv stations are already trying to buy everything in HD (to have future proof content) and many broadcasters are launching their own HD TV channels. So this is really a case of customers wanting to have HD content for their new TV set, and broadcasters being totally reluctant to spend fortunes in new equipement. I mean, a pro-grade HD monitor costs 36.000€!!!!
  • ilgaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1A TV will never use film unless completely necessary based on the work. Near all the box office movies you see are shot on film, mastered to 2k/4k spec and edited on FCP or AVID and re-outputted to film for (non digital) theatres. So, there is no escape from digital even in current Holywood movie business.

    Of course that is the deal until Panavision etc. comes with a exact/higher quality digital camera. When they manage to do it, film will disappear with digital cinemas everywhere getting encrypted digital feed from satellite.

  • scabbers, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm glad they'll be filming it in HD, but I don't expect most people will be watching it in anything but Freeview SD for a few years.
  • jbarnes1234, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Avid doesn't suck, any anyone who says it does doesn’t have qualified experience with Media Composer, Symphony or DS.

    And I'm saying that as a current FCP user.
  • ilgaz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Whoa now people suggest AVID is SD editing system?

    No, AVID uses 320x240 in 4 bit per colour, you must upgrade (!) to FCP for HD editing.
  • anti_hax0r, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4Don't worry cacoe, flashman is just another uninformed lay person.
  • bsmeteronhigh, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3It is a bit of a shame that they're moving away from film, but so goes the world. I suspect they chose FCP owing to the price of the editing systems and the scalability of the system from DV to Film resolution without a massive jump in system price. I think that the biggest hurdle they will face is the content management of clips and content over networked editing systems. Also, if they sweeten the audio in Pro Tools, the ease of working with Avid will, no doubt, be missed. Perhaps the next generation of FCP will address some of these issues. We shall see at NAB next month!
  • ilgaz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Currently, World Wide, all advertisements are shot in HD format for like 5 years. It is same for (currently) PAL/NTSC only countries too. Industry thinks 5-10 years ahead while deciding something.

    I remember people were called "Stupid, money to burn" while buying digital betacam setups. They are all happy now with their media in hand.
  • ravan46, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Hey, just in time to make a banner about it for NAB.
  • oldnikon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Very strange. Rubbish. I'd better go and drink some vodka
  • jbarnes1234, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0DI posting is still not used for the majority of box-office films, thus there's still a ton of projects being finished in a traditional conform.

    Also, film plays well with PAL, which is why the BBC has a long history of film origination even for video presentation.
  • tuaregorama, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Not very clever post, but... I don't like such articles.
  • samuelcotterall, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I'm really surprised me actually.

    The BBC are a very PC centric company: they only support Windows for their OD service, and from what I have seen within television centre, it's pure PC's.
  • jbarnes1234, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0“Film” is a recording medium, not a format. Saying “film” is superior is like saying “disks” are superior.

    Also, film is not harder to light then video. If you think it's harder then you have no business handling a lightmeter.
  • theuber1337, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Alas, film is far superior... it really is a shame.
  • postaboy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3ZOOMG BBC USES TEH F1NAL CUT PRO SO U SHOOD TOO!!!
  • kjcdude, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1fcking repost
  • MaiSacNjoMouf, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Damn, I think I would ***** myself over a $40,000 camera... ooooohhhhhh
  • Coolspot420, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0fap fap fap
  • Sube6491, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2Does this mean I can get Top Gear in HD?
  • anti_hax0r, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Yeah, this is about content creation, not distribution nor content of the content.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -13/+6Maybe they just decided that Windows Movie Maker just wasn't cutting the mustard.
  • Mootabolife, on 10/12/2007, -11/+2Someone at BBC probably envisions a trend where Ipod users watch the BBC on the go.
  • warnergt, on 10/12/2007, -30/+4They want the highest quality and easiest work flow for their anti-American, leftist propaganda programs.

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