iPlayer - PiP techniques?

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  • Dave2002
    Full Member
    • Dec 2010
    • 18057

    iPlayer - PiP techniques?

    I wanted to watch one of the Inside the Factory series which I'd not fully watched earlier, and discovered it was still available. However, when I started to watch, I realised that it was one of the Audio described versions, and for me the sight of the person doing the signing was a distraction. I largely solved this by watching on my iPad, and covering up the right hand side of the screen with a piece of black plastic.

    I did wonder, though, why the BBC (and other broadcasters) can't solve this kind of issue easily using Picture in Picture techniques, and even the users for whom this is intended could benefit, as they could position the subsidiary picture wherever they would like on the screen. It would require two video streams, but surely with modern technology, and more modern broadcasts this would be possible, at least for catchup TV, as most units which run catchup services - like iPlayer - run on hardware and systems which are more capable than a dumb TV.

    Such an approach would also mean that users who did not need the Audio described picture could suppress it, and watch normally.
  • Ferretfancy
    Full Member
    • Nov 2010
    • 3487

    #2
    The thing that really annoys me concerns subtitles. Why can't they just give us the dialogue? It's very irritating to read "He coughs loudly" or "Knock on front' door or 'Distant church bells' Unless these are important for plot they are quite unnecessary.

    As an ex mixer I'm often amazed at the poor quality of dialogue recording on location, but that's another story.

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    • Dave2002
      Full Member
      • Dec 2010
      • 18057

      #3
      Originally posted by Ferretfancy View Post
      The thing that really annoys me concerns subtitles. Why can't they just give us the dialogue? It's very irritating to read "He coughs loudly" or "Knock on front' door or 'Distant church bells' Unless these are important for plot they are quite unnecessary.

      As an ex mixer I'm often amazed at the poor quality of dialogue recording on location, but that's another story.
      I suppose if the sound was really important for the action it would help hearing impaired people, though I think you're suggesting that not every random noise needs to be written up. GIven that a lot of sound effects are artificial though, and therefore planned, doesn't that indicate that many should be scripted?

      Should they also write things like:

      "Door creaks slowly"
      EERIE MUSIC
      "Sound of steps'
      EERIE MUSIC gets louder"
      "Breaking glass"
      SILENCE for 5 seconds ....

      ???

      etc.

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