[mythtv-users] Another BBC HD Audio variance.......

[David Knight]

On Mon, January 24, 2011 8:09 pm, Another Sillyname wrote:
> On 24 January 2011 19:16, John Pilkington <J.Pilk at tesco.net> wrote:
>> On 24/01/11 17:51, Andre wrote:
>>>
>>> On 24 Jan 2011, at 15:23, Another Sillyname wrote:
>>>
>>>> I recorded Being Human on Sunday Night at 9:00pm on the BBC HD
>>>> channel, recorded from Freesat and the audio is being reported as...
>>>>
>>>> Stream 0.14 AC3 48000 Hz 5.0 s16 384 kb/s
>>>>
>>>> Note the 5.0 rather then 5.1 audio,
>>>>
>>>> I can't remember ever seeing a 5.0 audio stream on the BBC HD before.
>>>
>>> I've seen it too often!
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Anyone else notice it? �Anyone have any problems with it?
>>>
>>> No problem now, in the past it's caused (or at least co-incident with)
>>> un-decodable ac3, comes out as motor boating or load gurgling noises!
>>>
>>> I had it on the final part of Torchwood Children of Earth, three
>>> separate
>>> recordings, ended up listening to the audio description channel! As it
>>> was
>>> identical each time it was aired I suspect a mistake when the show was
>>> ingested. I reported it on Andy Quested's bbc blog but he never said
>>> anything beyond noting that there had been some issues, now resolved.
>>>
>>> At the time neither myth or PS3 could play the recording with working
>>> audio, both seem able to deal with this particular issue now, I kept an
>>> old
>>> recording.
>>>
>>>> There's a repeat on later in the week so I'll record that to see if it
>>>> reports the same.
>>>
>>> I've seen this on 6 or 7 shows over the last year or two and in each
>>> case
>>> it's been the same on the re-runs.
>>>
>>> Andre
>>
>> On a vaguely related note, I reported last week that the first episode
>> of
>> 'Human Planet' on BBC ONE SD claimed to be in surround sound. �There
>> were
>> suggestions that it might be Dolby Pro-Logic. �I didn't set up more
>> speakers
>> to listen for a difference, but the second episode just carried the
>> usual
>> 'stereo' tag.
>>
>> John P
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>
> I'm pretty certain that was just a wrong flag as I'm not even sure AC3
> can be transmitted on SD due to the codecs used.
>
> HD have been 'tinkering' with audio for a while now and this is the
> first 5.0 audio I've seen, my transcode script picked it up and borked
> as a result (specifically transcoding the output audio to AC3 fell
> over as the scripts ffmpeg command specifies 6 channels and of course
> there weren't 6 channels to handle).....result not dissimilar to when
> I told my other half that the GPS woman had a sexier voice then
> hers........anyhoo.
>
> I did spot an error in a Wild China episode a while back where the AC3
> audio just fell out after about 35 minutes, in the original and repeat
> transmission so obviously now in the masters.
>
> Apart from the occasional glitch I have to say I think the Beeb have
> done a pretty good job, it'll be even better when C4 are on FreeSat
> and Film4 is transmitted in HD.
>
> It'll be interesting to see what happens once DSO is finished.
>
> Regards
>
>

C4 HD is on FreeSat from Sky.... ahem... ;)

and Five HD is OK.

I still have a recording from the early days of BBC HD (Top Gear Arctic
Special) which still looks impressive.

I really wish Andy Quested and that woman on the BBC Blog had listened to
the complaints instead of just looking for ways to wriggle out of it when
people complained of a drop in quality with the new encoders.

Dave