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ITV1 Breaks

A Blast from the Past? (November 2004)

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A former member
ISTR that each ITV region had a different cue-dot so that if there was extra presentation added to the stream (such as the example given above, or if for instance one station was providing continuity overnight) the TX controllers in the regions could distinguish which one to follow.

In later years there were automated systems which would "read" the cue-dot and playout ad-breaks automatically. I recall one night when Granada's "Night Time" must have had a technical fault with the system and TTTV played all their ads over "The James Whale Show" over a half-hour period in line with the cue-dot that was being displayed randomly, and then had no ads for the rest of the night.....
IS
Inspector Sands
It wouldn't have read the cue dot , the breaks would have been triggered by a signal sent as well as the cue-dot
NH
Nick Harvey Founding member
Jonathan H posted:
The 'lozenge' is called a cue-dot.

Also known in ITV circles as the "minute square" because it comes on one minute before the commercial break.
NG
noggin Founding member
Inspector Sands posted:
noggin posted:

In the case of the BBC this normally allowed an off-air feed to act as a back-up to talkback (occasionally requiring some careful thought if the show was being broadcast from a nation that wasn't taking the show live!)

It was possible for BBC Presentation in London to get Glasgow/Cardiff/Belfast - or BBC Europe (in the days before Prime) - to put cue dots on their output. This is why cue dots were always checked when lining up with presentation (to make sure you were looking at the right off-air feed) - and why they used to occasionally flash up and down mid programme!



Cue dots were used on the BBC until about 4-5 years ago - there were 2 main reasons why they were dropped - firstly digital and satellite delays meant that there would often be a large delay in broadcasting cue-dots and the other side seeing them. An OB somewhere remote in Scotland watching BBC 1 Scotland
from Sky might see the cue several seconds after London has produced it which is far too late. Secondly at that time the Digital Transmission area at TV Centre started to be the only TX area on air at certain points in the day (and in fact at the moment the reverse is happening as the new centre takes over from it) and for the above reason didn't have any cue-dot generators.


Yep - absolutely - though in the past satellite feeds (analogue of course) of BBC Europe were used to send cue dots to European OBs working into BBC One or Two in London. (Even with the delay!) I can see why they are pretty in-effective nowadays - it is a pity that off-air is no longer quite as useful as it once was.

(ISTR that TVam used the spare capacity in the NICAM signal to carry talkback to OBs via off-air at one point?)
EI
Edward Ington-Lock
jason posted:

In later years there were automated systems which would "read" the cue-dot and playout ad-breaks automatically


No, the breaks were controlled via "pulsing". One pulse would be sent around the system to stand up the VTRs (i.e. get them cued up in "pause" mode) and then a second pulse would be sent to make them play.
JH
Jonathan H
noggin posted:
(ISTR that TVam used the spare capacity in the NICAM signal to carry talkback to OBs via off-air at one point?)


To satellite OB links? So that picture would be sent via satellite and returning talback would be sent via off-air audio??

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