[rdmbfossa]

Just a query, does anyone know when the popular soaps will be transmitted in HD, I see Hollyoaks is CH4 in HD on Sky, any idea when Eastenders or Coronation Street will be in HD. I think it will take something like this to make more families invest in Freesat. Are they not recorded using HD equipment at the moment?

[WillieCocker]

Never, hopefully.
Over-Acting in HD, are you serious?

[rdmbfossa]

Yeah OK , l dont watch them either, but I think Freesat needs something popular to be screened regularly to get some more interest in it. BBC HD is great for a while until you realise many of the shows are repeats, and ITV HD is about 1 programme per day, not exactly enough to entice the masses.

[limegreenzx]

Sky understand what makes families invest in new technology and to pay a subscription.

Sport is the #1 type of program that will get people to buy into HD. Look at the how the World Cup and the Olympics get people buying plasma and lcd screens.

I think you are mistaken if you think a soap would encourage anyone to spend money because they can be seen in HD. In fact I can't think of any type of programming that would be less likely to make a difference than a soap.

[The Jamess]

i know that eastenders aheve been using hd recording iquipment for quite some time already although have not heard any mention of when they will be broadcasting this footage acutally in hi def i belive its down to the sets being re done as hd can make things look verry shabby ie shop fronts etc although shops in london aint exactly shiny so it may give a more realistic feel to the programme

see here

The Queen Vic’s windows are cracked and the walls are peeling. So run-down has the old place become that EastEnders are being evicted because the shabby sets do not meet the scrutiny of HighDefinition (HD) television.
The BBC is preparing to move Albert Square from the 16-acre Elstree studios in Borehamwood, Hertford-shire, which have formed the backdrop to the flagship soap since 1985. EastEnders is expected to share space with 007 at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, under proposals being recommended by BBC bosses.
The 28-mile move is required because, after more than 20 years, the Elstree sets are showing the wear and tear of Walford’s stormy history. Never designed as a permanent fixture, Albert Square has been patched up over the years, often in bursts of late-night activity. One operation involving scaffolding even had to be written into the script.
The effects of cut-price renovation jobs are all too clearly visible on HD. A source said: “You can see every crack, chipboard flake and Blu-Tack solution. HD also shows that the set isn’t built of real brick.”
A BBC memo to drama producers warns: “Using HD will highlight scenery defects such as repeat taping and painting over scenery flattage joins, knocks and damage, dirt and scuff marks. Knocks, scratches, general wear and tear are distinctly noticeable and need additional time and effort to rectify.” The memo says producers must add in the cost of “repairs and revamping scenery” at a time when BBC budgets are being cut.
The cost-effective solution for EastEnders is a move to a new brick and concrete-built set at Pinewood, allowing the Elstree studios to be sold. The hospital series Holby City, another Elstree drama, is also expected to move and show the benefits of an HD “deep clean”, along with Casualty.
The “warts and all” reality of HD, which enhances sports and natural history programmes, is unforgiving when it comes to close-ups. Cosmetic surgeons reported a surge in business from actors and newsreaders when the technology hit the high street.
The BBC launched its own HD channel last year to showcase programmes such as Planet Earth and Bleak House. All new programmes intended for international sale must be shot in HD to meet the demands of US broadcasters.
A research group, Screen Digest, forecasts that by the end of the year 11.3 million (40 per cent) of British homes will be equipped with HD-ready televisions, compared with the current 6.5 million homes.
Albert Square was designed by the late Keith Harris, the senior designer in the EastEnders production team. Extensions including a fictional Tube station have been added over the years. Executives are in talks with Pinewood Shepperton for about 200,000 sq ft (18,580 sq m) of studio space. Other sites in contention for Albert Square include Bristol, Cardiff and Belfast

[rdmbfossa]

Originally Posted by limegreenzx

Sky understand what makes families invest in new technology and to pay a subscription.

Sport is the #1 type of program that will get people to buy into HD. Look at the how the World Cup and the Olympics get people buying plasma and lcd screens.

I think you are mistaken if you think a soap would encourage anyone to spend money because they can be seen in HD. In fact I can't think of any type of programming that would be less likely to make a difference than a soap.

OK, I understand what you are saying, I just think there are a lot of normal families out there who would be willing to invest in HD equipment if there was something on that they regularly watch every night, for most families its difficult to justify a HD box for one or two sports programmes per week. I am looking forward to the Masters this weekend and the picture last night on the Man U game was excellent. I am disappointed the F1 is not in HD though

[limegreenzx]

I wish F1 was in HD as well, even if it was only upscaled by the beeb.

If F1 was shown in HD this would have more people buying an HD freesat box than if every soap currently shown on British TV went HD overnight.

[Caz41]

Originally Posted by limegreenzx

I wish F1 was in HD as well, even if it was only upscaled by the beeb.

If F1 was shown in HD this would have more people buying an HD freesat box than if every soap currently shown on British TV went HD overnight.

I completely disagree with you Lime. Half of our population are women so although sport may tempt more men, it's women who love the soaps and the OP has a very good point in saying that the popular progs are what will tempt people......not just men! I hate sport and don't watch soaps either but I'm well aware that many people love them and it's all they talk about at work etc. If soaps were in HD then more women would want Freesat and if you look at how many men on here are trying to persuade 'the missus' to buy a Humax .....then soaps in HD may well be what would persuade her to buy one.

[rdmbfossa]

Exactly my point Caz41, look at the TV viewing ratings and Eastenders and Coronation Street are always at the top regardless if we like them or not, if the most popular TV programmes are being recorded in HD, then surely it would be a very good thing for them to be available to watch in HD.

[zippyijk]

Originally Posted by The Jamess

The Queen Vic’s windows are cracked and the walls are peeling. So run-down has the old place become that EastEnders are being evicted because the shabby sets do not meet the scrutiny of HighDefinition (HD) television.

In a similar vain to this.....
If anyone seen the footie last night on ITV HD, they need to get themselves a new table and stop cleaning it with a brillo pad

[Jaycee Dove]

Doctors was the first BBC daily soap to go HD in February and it is screened on HD at 6 pm making it accessible to a new audience.

Coronation Street is not HD for similar reasons to Eastenders - the set is a permanent one and would need a major revamp to allow false doors to go on looking like real doors, etc.

With ITVs cash crisis this is on hold. Granada were going to move to Salford Quays with the BBC and rebuild the set there where the fictional Wetherfield Quays is meant to be. But they have just decided it is too expensive and so all such plans have been put back further.

Emmerdale has been filmed in HD for ages (at least a year) but ITV have not got the playput/edit equipment and as the Yorkshire studios have shut as another economy measure and Emmerdale (along with Countdown) moves to Manchester soon the delays mount again.

ITV have previously talked about upscaling their prime time output once they launch HD on Freeview over the next year. Whether their money woes effect that, too, is another matter.

[limegreenzx]

Originally Posted by Caz41

I completely disagree with you Lime. Half of our population are women so although sport may tempt more men, it's women who love the soaps and the OP has a very good point in saying that the popular progs are what will tempt people......not just men! I hate sport and don't watch soaps either but I'm well aware that many people love them and it's all they talk about at work etc. If soaps were in HD then more women would want Freesat and if you look at how many men on here are trying to persuade 'the missus' to buy a Humax .....then soaps in HD may well be what would persuade her to buy one.

The thing is, women are just not that interested in AV. I'd love to know what the percentage of men v women are on this forum, I expect it is quite low. It is generally men who are into AV equipment so it is men that make the buying decision. If you ask the 10,000,000 Coronation St viewers if they would pay £120 to watch in HD rather than widescreen virtually all would say no. Now ask the 1,000,000 F1 viewers and you'll get a huge number that would say yes.

Soaps are also not about quality. Millions of people may enjoy watching soaps, but most realise that it is not quality programming. Being able to watch a soap in HD will add very little to your enjoyment of the program. Being able to watch F1 or MotoGP in HD would make a far bigger difference.

In the US their longest running soap is only just about to have it's first HD broadcast, virtually everything else is already in HD. The soaps will be the very last programs to go HD.

[bekko]

Wollyoaks in hd looks good.

[Caz41]

Originally Posted by limegreenzx

The thing is, women are just not that interested in AV. I'd love to know what the percentage of men v women are on this forum, I expect it is quite low. It is generally men who are into AV equipment so it is men that make the buying decision. If you ask the 10,000,000 Coronation St viewers if they would pay £120 to watch in HD rather than widescreen virtually all would say no. Now ask the 1,000,000 F1 viewers and you'll get a huge number that would say yes.

Soaps are also not about quality. Millions of people may enjoy watching soaps, but most realise that it is not quality programming. Being able to watch a soap in HD will add very little to your enjoyment of the program. Being able to watch F1 or MotoGP in HD would make a far bigger difference.

In the US their longest running soap is only just about to have it's first HD broadcast, virtually everything else is already in HD. The soaps will be the very last programs to go HD.

How do you know that women are not interested in AV? Granted, the majority of people on here are male but that is because women don't talk about technology, usually because they have limited knowledge on it, not because they are not interested. Freesat is advertised before football matches etc, not before Corrie, so this is why most women are unaware of Freesat. On the contrary, I think if you were to ask the majority of Corrie viewers if they would want that, Eastenders, Emmerdale etc etc, in HD and I think they would be delighted to see it.....just as men would be to see sport. Why do you think they wouldn't get just as much enjoyment from that than you would your F1.....thats 'quality' as you put it, to them.

As for men making the buying decision, I don't think so......why are there so many men on here trying desperately to persuade their other half to buy a Humax then? Buying anything for the home is a joint decision in most relationships nowadays, regardless of what it is. Therefore, if you go to your partner chattering excitedly about how brilliant F1 will be in HD, she aint interested......however if you mention her progs in HD, she will be more open to discussion and you are more likely to get your way, don't you think?

This forum being more male orientated is not indicative of women being uninterested in a better quality picture, everyone will appreciate that.

PS; Why was this thread moved to HD programs when the OP was talking about people buying Freesat?

[Shaun666]

Dot Cotton and Pat Butcher in HD

[bekko]

Don't forget Peggy.

[Jaycee Dove]

For the record I am a woman and in her 50s so wise not to be too general about who is/is not interested in HD. Although I do appreciate the correctness of the general trend of this thread.

I admit that I am more interested in the programmes than the programming and the picture quality than the techno wizzardy that creates ot - which can be over my head (but I know ernough to follow most threads).

I also guess my interest is partly created through my long involvement in TV itself as I have done lots of shows (from This Morning to quizes - as part of my day job as an author) and written and even filmed a few programmes. So I have had a career interest in the media.

I took one of the first media communications courses in the mid to late 1970s and there were 18 of us, of which 5 were women.

Anyhow we had HD from day one in May 2006 for a number of reasons and the lack of soaps in HD was not the defining reason. Although as we watch them all (I mean all!) will be happy when they do become HD.

[timb64]

There are so many things I would like to see before the soaps in HD

(paint drying ,grass growing etc, etc!)

[Shaun666]

Originally Posted by timb64

There are so many things I would like to see before the soaps in HD

(paint drying ,grass growing etc, etc!)

I'm still waiting for them to take up my idea : Celebrity Autopsy. Each week the general public vote for a celeb who's autopsy they'd liked to see performed live and then somebody goes and kills them !

You know it's a winner.