BBC HD listens to viewers, tones down DOG usage
By Darren Murph 
posted Oct 22nd 2008 6:47PM
posted Oct 22nd 2008 6:47PM
DOG, you know, as in digital on-screen graphics? Those absurdly annoying logos that clutter up the screen when you're trying to enjoy a program? Yeah, those. According to a new post on the BBC's official blog, it has listened to the scads of complainers and has taken action to address the concerns. Assuming no technical issues crop up, the "majority" of BBC HD content will be aired DOG-free starting this weekend, and on the material that isn't, the logo will be toned down to "the lowest level that [Auntie Beeb] can while allowing it to remain visible." The author does note that these changes are, um, subject to change, but we can't help but commend her on standing up for the viewing community and keeping the DOGs at bay.[Via TechRadar]
hoorah! (and i'm in the U.S.) hopefully some of the american networks will take notice.
According to the article, these are "widely called" DOGs. I've never heard that terminology before, and I follow this stuff very closely. At least here in America, they're called bugs.
Yes, here in America, the IDs are referred to as "bugs" and the crawls/sprawls that cover the lower third of the screen are referred to as lower thirds.
DOGS, bugs, lower thirds.
Evil. That's what I call them. Pure evil!
TNT-HD has Nascar mechanics running across my movies. Disney-HD has had every Disney actor ever popping up at one time or another. Mojo (when it was inHD) used to actually pop up a light-bulb logo WITH SOUND. MHD (Palladia) keeps their bug up, until they break to tell you you're watching MHD. And every station in America clears the bug when the go to commercial. What the hell? That's actually the one time I WANT the bug, so I actually know what channel I'm watching.
Evil. Pure, unadulterated evil.
-Pie
QFT!!!
SciFi Channel has been promoting their new shows, Estate of Panic and Cha$e, with "lower thirds" that come almost halfway up the screen! Chalk all this madness up to VCRs and now DVRs and viewers speeding through commercials. The networks have to get your attention somehow, so they're advertising while a program is in progress. It's really, really annoying!
When they started doing this on BBCAmerica I complained and was told that they hadn't had any other complaints and were going to expand their use. Touché liars. I also backed off watching BBC anything due to the Americanization of everything they do. If I want to watch American programming I'll watch network.
The BBC as a whole has really gone down the tubes. What with the RED World News sets and the "pink" tinted clothing all the "presenters" wear. And this what's his name being the "best" news anchor ever. Oh please!!!! The man, his show, and the BBC is pathetic at best.
I see tea hitting the harbor.
I can semi-understand why DOGs / bugs appeared in the SD age. Dishes started off analogue and even when they went digital, some of the same feeds were involved. But come on, why do we need them in HD? Hasn't satellite hardware advanced sufficiently for a channel to broadcast its DOG as a separate data stream and overlay it over the image, if and if the user wants to see it? Better yet, let the user pick where to put the DOG - in the image, in the channel flipper, or not see it at all. It shouldn't be hard. If they must "protect" their content in some way, there are watermarking techniques that wouldn't visibily degrade the image that would allow them to copyright infringers.