TV Proms

[Anna]

perhaps I'll pen a letter to the chairman of the classical music board which coordinates the broadcasting of classical music across BBC television and radio and ask him who is leading him by the nose?

Pinnochio?

[french frank]

Pinnochio?

Oh, far be it from me to predict what story I'll be told ...

[Mary Chambers]

I wonder if I'll be shouted down if I say that three seconds of the Urban Classic Prom was more than enough for me? This was on Proms Extra. Mute on.

[Bryn]

It is with some annoyance that I note that the BBC FOUR Prom broadcasts this week are to be in standard definition only (at least on Freeview). The listing on the transmitted guide claims that the Friday and Sunday broadcasts are also available in HD. However, this appears not to be true. Channel 303 is broadcasting either sport or pop culture at the times of the BBC FOUR broadcasts. If anyone knows better, please advise.

[amateur51]

Tom Service has turned into the prize boob of this televised series, as far as I am concerned

The conjunction of our Tom and Gillian Moore is pretty toxic too - I'm constantly distracted by their respective hair-dos (or hair-don'ts as a friend used to say). Gillian's been sporting an asymmetrical cut for some time the impact of which has been vitiated by her tendency to hold her head on one side

Whereas Tom's current coiffeur has achieved a mass of greasy curls o'er-topped by a solitary ringlet hanging down his forehead. Arch.

[Nick Armstrong]

hair-don'ts

[salymap]

At last I can stop looking for the Dr Who TV prom for a young, non-classical- music relative.
It's on Monday 26th August at 4pm on BBC 1. Now I've got to break the news that it's 'highlights' for just 75 minutes.

[LHC]

It is with some annoyance that I note that the BBC FOUR Prom broadcasts this week are to be in standard definition only (at least on Freeview). The listing on the transmitted guide claims that the Friday and Sunday broadcasts are also available in HD. However, this appears not to be true. Channel 303 is broadcasting either sport or pop culture at the times of the BBC FOUR broadcasts. If anyone knows better, please advise.

This week's proms were not included in the list of proms to be broadcast in HD so the transmitted guide is in error. When the BBC announced the HD simulcasts, it was acknowledged that only 12 of the BBC4 proms would be shown on the HD red button stream. There are three remaining HD proms:

Hollywood Rhapsody Prom – Friday 30 August at 7.30pm

Tristan and Isolde – Sunday 1 September at 7.30pm

National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain – Friday 6 September at 7.30pm

The full list can be found here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/posts/Proms-in-HD-on-BBC-Red-Button

[french frank]

[/I]The full list can be found here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/...BBC-Red-Button

Thanks for the blog link, LHC. I was interested in this response frm the Producer:

"You raise an interesting point. The BBC Red Button HD stream is a temporary experimental service created for events such as Wimbledon and Glastonbury. Due to the nature of providing this extra stream it currently has certain technical limitations such as only carrying stereo audio rather than surround sound. Whilst we were planning Red Button HD, we accepted this as the majority of content would be for Sport [Glastonbury? - Ed] and thus would benefit significantly from the high definition picture.

The addition of the BBC Four Proms came later, and although they would obviously have benefited from surround sound, we decided that it would still be of value to provide viewers with high definition pictures on BBC Red Button HD even though the audio would remain the same as on BBC Four."

NB I don't understand what any of this is about: I just thought that a response from the BBC was quite rare ...

[Anna]

Whereas Tom's current coiffeur has achieved a mass of greasy curls o'er-topped by a solitary ringlet hanging down his forehead. Arch.

Ooh, I'm glad you said that - I've been having the temptation to flick it back into his, admittedly, fine thick head of curls for a man of his age ....

I don't get HD (is it good?) - rubbish old equipment here consisting no doubt of valves and transistors and sticky-back plastic - actually an ancient Philips tv - but hasn't the televising of this year's Proms been a right *dog's dinner with all this topping and tailing?

*Not wishing to upset the apostrophe police, is that a single or plural dog in the phrase and have I put it in the wrong place?

[Petrushka]

Anna, HD television is another dimension. You realise this when you switch from the 'normal' to the HD and find the clarity quite startling, perhaps too much so. I have a 40'' Samsung Smart TV (from Comet!!) and it's light years ahead of what I had before. Definitely worth the investment if all I watch are the Proms and Channel 4 Racing.

My own gripe is that I waited years for the sound quality to improve on TV and once it did found that classical music practically disappeared from the screen.

(Thought your apostrophe correct, had doubts then thought correct again).

[Anna]

Anna, HD television is another dimension. You realise this when you switch from the 'normal' to the HD and find the clarity quite startling, perhaps too much so. I have a 40'' Samsung Smart TV (from Comet!!) and it's light years ahead of what I had before.

I have thought about getting a new tv, but, it just seems unnecessary and that money (don't know how much, but it must be hundreds of £s) could be spent more profitably. Of course, if I backed a few winning nags ........ !

[Mary Chambers]

I thought that was a riveting performance of Britten's Les Illuminations by Ian Bostridge et al, in spite of some doubtful French - BUT we are being seriously short-changed. Where was the Tippett Fanfare? Where was the audience? Why did Tom Service and Paul Kildea have so little time to say anything? I was glad to see the performance, but I still feel rather cheated.

(Ian Bostridge must have some really good hair glue! It didn't budge.)

[Nick Armstrong]

I thought that was a riveting performance of Britten's Les Illuminations by Ian Bostridge et al, in spite of some doubtful French - BUT we are being seriously short-changed. Where was the Tippett Fanfare? Where was the audience? Why did Tom Service and Paul Kildea have so little time to say anything? I was glad to see the performance, but I still feel rather cheated.

(Ian Bostridge must have some really good hair glue! It didn't budge.)

Only had chance to hear a couple of minutes so far, to check it was recording - yes, IB sounded on form: stunning high note then downward glissando on "je danse"... Goose-bump stuff !

[Mary Chambers]

Only had chance to hear a couple of minutes so far, to check it was recording - yes, IB sounded on form: stunning high note then downward glissando on "je danse"... Goose-bump stiff !

I always feel nervous for singers at that point! It would be such a disaster if it didn't work - but it did.