Ticking/Crackling on iPlayer

[Ferretfancy]

I decided to catch up with University Challenge on iPlayer the other day, only to find that the 16:9 programme appeared on 4:3, do that they all looked like elves.
I was unable to change the ratio, but other programmes were perfectly OK. I sometimes get the feeling that the whole operation is run by an overworked technical operator in a broom cupboard.

[garyc]

Oops, I forgot to record last night's broadcast, and tonight's is a substituted repeat from last year's EIF. I will try and remember to try multiple sources tomorrow or later in the week (very much a matter of how early I get home from work).

Listening just now to the BBC Philharmonic from last night (Falla, Prokofiev, Ravel, Stravinsky) (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03dyr54) and I haven't heard any evidence of ticking/crackling so far (33 minutes in). However, a sampling of the Daniil Trifonov repeat from last year (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01m0p0b) reveals it in abundance. On the other hand, a sampling of Saturday nights RNSO (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03c063) doesn't seem to reveal any evidence of it.

Given the Trifonov example, I can't believe it's part of the original recording (if it was present in iPlayer a year ago I'm sure many others would have noticed it by now) and therefore I can only imagine it is being introduced late in the current iPlayer production process. Perhaps a particular piece of equipment/PC+software is to blame.

Isn't the production of iPlayer streaming and download content the responsibility of the contractor Scisys and not actually using BBC owned and run equiment? See here for a description: http://www.scisys.co.uk/where-we-wor...bc-coyopa.html

[Don Petter]

However, a sampling of the Daniil Trifonov repeat from last year (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01m0p0b) reveals it in abundance.

I've just sampled this, to see what the thread was all about, but there were no spurious effects that I could hear. Has the problem now, perhaps, been fixed (or didn't I listen for long enough)?

[garyc]

I've just sampled this, to see what the thread was all about, but there were no spurious effects that I could hear. Has the problem now, perhaps, been fixed (or didn't I listen for long enough)?

Still there for me, e.g. try 3:00 to 3:13 and 3:32 to 3:42, 4:13 to 4:32. I'm listening on headphones, so maybe it's more apparent.

[Don Petter]

Still there for me, e.g. try 3:00 to 3:13 and 3:32 to 3:42, 4:13 to 4:32. I'm listening on headphones, so maybe it's more apparent.

Just tried those sections, with headphones, and thought perhaps I could sometimes hear some tiny clicks on the LH channel, but so quiet in comparison with the piano I'm still not sure. Nothing I would have noticed myself, I think.

Anyway, I'm not trying to devalue this discussion in any way - just curious. So I'll go back to lurking. Please ignore my post!

[garyc]

Yes, it's not a loud effect or gross distortion, just a peppering of little ticks and clicks that are related in time and volume themselves to the loudness of the music (i.e. not random noise or interference). Enough to be very annoying once you become aware of it. A digital clipping type of distortion, most probably related to errors in the AAC encoding IMO.

I'm using a PC with an external DAC (20 quid USB job, UCA222); an O2 headphone amplifier with a pair of Takstar Pro-80 closed headphones (see head-fi.com for info on this 'value for money' kit - certainly not super-fi by any means, but maybe a bit above average). But I can also hear it on a Nook tablet with a pair of JVC HA-S160 'flats' 10 quid headphones from Amazon, although they too are good 'VFM' headphones.

[garyc]

Lest anyone imagine this problem has gone away, it's still there. Listen to last night's Ashkenazy (eg between 2:00 and 4:00; very bad at 6:40) and you'd almost imagine you were listening to vinyl (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...sky_(part_1)/). Maybe that's the effect they are looking to achieve.

[Stephen Smith]

I had to turn up the volume high on my speakers (active, connected direct by USB to PC ) to hear what you are talking about (the Ashkenazy iPlayer (what a fine conductor, BTW)). Such that Mrs Smith had cause to question why it was necessary to be playing so loud....... If I were listening to FM (in the good old or the bad present days) then it just be a normal imperfection, and for me, not noticeable.

Apart from the fact that you are on a state of alert so noticing it, it might be that this is significantly more noticeable using headphones? In fact, I tried headphones, and it is more noticeable, but again, for me, not intrusive (not, anyway,in performances as good as this).

One for the engineers,if they are allowed to spend time working on such problems..... (quality not being a high priority generally in the BBC it seems).

[mangerton]

One for the engineers,if they are allowed to spend time working on such problems..... (quality not being a high priority generally in the BBC it seems).

Neither, as I have aforesaid on these boards, are engineers. There are very few left, if any.

[garyc]

Neither, as I have aforesaid on these boards, are engineers. There are very few left, if any.

I think the problem is that iPlayer content preparation is sub-contracted out to Scisys and out of the BBC's hands. I guess nobody complains (or gives up trying to complain) and so it continues.

To my mind, it makes a joke of providing LA encoding at 320 kbps and yes, it is much more noticeable on headphones. The other problem is that once you become aware of it, you seem to become more sensitive to hearing it as well. I think I might investigate losslessly recording the AAC stream live as that seems to be fine.

[Sydney Grew]

I think the problem is that iPlayer content preparation is sub-contracted out to Scisys and out of the BBC's hands. I guess nobody complains (or gives up trying to complain) and so it continues. . . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SciSys

Thanks for the pointer!

[Schrödinger's Cat]

I've only just spotted this thread - the problem is still there.

I was listening to the CBSO Brahms 4 (iPlayer from Wed 6/11) on headphones a couple of days ago and could fairly easily hear crackling which disappeared during quiet/silent passages - as if I were listening to a slightly noisy LP. As others have said, it's not bad enough to prevent listening but still annoying.

How do you complain about things like this now? I've posted on Twitter about problems with low bitrates, so that might be worth trying with this.

[Bryn]

I've only just spotted this thread - the problem is still there.

I was listening to the CBSO Brahms 4 (iPlayer from Wed 6/11) on headphones a couple of days ago and could fairly easily hear crackling which disappeared during quiet/silent passages - as if I were listening to a slightly noisy LP. As others have said, it's not bad enough to prevent listening but still annoying.

How do you complain about things like this now? I've posted on Twitter about problems with low bitrates, so that might be worth trying with this.

I take it you have tried https://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co....orms/emailPage and taken both the "Report a fault" and "Complaint" routes re. "Type of contact".

[Schrödinger's Cat]

I take it you have tried https://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co....orms/emailPage and taken both the "Report a fault" and "Complaint" routes re. "Type of contact".

No I haven't tried that route. But I've tweeted and got a reply with an email address asking for more information.