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Twiddle twaddle
by Simon at 14:11 25/07/03 (Blogs::Simon)
The problem:

You can't have synchronised 'simulcasts' of the BBC Proms, Glastonbury, etc on radio and TV any more. Unlike in the good old days when everything was analogue, the digital image received via one device (ie TV) and the (most usually) FM analogue audio received via another (ie hi-fi) are always going to have different propagation delays inherent through their separate broadcast chains.

On BBC Radio 4's "Feedback" programme today, this complaint was aired regarding the current broadcasts of the Proms on BBC 4 (available via digital terrestrial and satellite TV) and BBC Radio 3 (via FM, MW, dab, satellite) - the lack of sync 'ruining the experience' for the viewers who wrote in to the programme to ask why this was the case.

The response was given that considerable research had been done by the BBC upon this matter and unfortunately there was 'no technical solution' to this problem, and even if they could fix it in one place (which they can't), it would still be out of sync in other parts of the country.

Well, think about it a different way then!

The answer:

A component that plugs into the output side of the device that happens to be 'ahead' (eg FM radio) of its desired simulcast partner (eg digital TV), comprising a rotary dial and a bucket-brigade delay chip.

The viewer wishing to watch and listen with vision and sound synchronised introduces a delay (set by twiddling the dial appropriately) to their radio output such that the audio is then in sync with the video being received by the TV.

Fiver a time, bish-bosh, problem solved.

You should be able to buy them directly off the BBC website, as well as in every consumer electrical outlet. Heck, it's cheap enough to build that the BBC could give 'em away on demand.

I'd call it the 'Simulcastermaster' :-)

NB: This assumes the most probably situation is that the audio is leading the video - which could, in fact, be engineered at source to always be the case. In the event that the video is leading the audio, then I'm afraid we need 'slow glass' :-)

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simon

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Twiddle twaddle Simon - 14:11 25/07/03
InterociptorsRUs David Crowson - 18:27 25/07/03
I understand what your getting at but
that's exactly why TV's will be phased out eventually (old tech innit:), cos you can go to

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/progs/listenagain.shtml

and watch the vid(give them a year or so, i reckon) , all sync 'd with the sound

add a little total recorder in and you can turn a audio/video stream into an mp3, all free.

or maybe i should just go top bed, this staying for 24hrs on the trot lark plays havoc with your cognitive reasoning , and speeling ;-p
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bombholio

Or... Bruce Ure - 12:57 12/01/04
surely these days TVs have sound outputs as good as a radio; so what is the need for simulcasts?

bruce

I didn't invent the problem :-) Simon - 13:10 12/01/04
... I only heard about it!
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simon
Granted :-) Bruce Ure - 13:19 12/01/04
I think it's a non-problem. On the other hand, anything permitting development of a device called "SimulcasterMaster" has got to be good :)

I made the comment as much to play around with the system as anything else - hope you don't mind. One question... is it going to be possible to 'reply' without having to put a subject line? I'm sure i'll get used to it but it's a bit weird, coming from CIX.

And another thing... have you thought about asking an entire CIX conference if they'd like to try and move the entire conference to novacaster to see how it goes? Or publicising novacaster on CIX at all? Or getting someone uninvolved to do so ;-)

Where is a good place for discussion about the system?

Re: Granted :-) Simon - 15:07 12/01/04
Yeah, the subject line.... we're going to put in something that automatically puts 'Re:' at the front, 'cos it annoys us too.

I'm not happy to push Novacaster as an alternative to CIX on CIX - because that's not what we're about and each system has different strengths and weaknesses. From time to time, when someone talks about web forums, I've mentioned Novacaster as one possible option but that's about all.

If you'd like to talk about aspects of Novacaster in a more private setting, probably the best place is where I, Steve and Hugo have recently been having a chinwag hereabouts.

Ah, the beauties of fine grained access control :-)

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simon