New Studio Complex Opened in Belfast

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Please circulate No. 19 - Winter 1984/85 The Quarterly for BBC Engineering Staff

BBC Northern Ireland's first purpose built broadcast television stud io was 0 fficially opened by BBC Chairman Stuart Young and National Governor Lady Faulkner as part of the Region's 60th Anniversary Cele bra tions. The television studio is part of a new complex, housing tv continuity, videotape and telecine suites, make-up, dressing rooms, scenery transit area as well as a second smaller television studio. The complex covers nearly a third of the area of the BBC Northern Ireland centre in Ormeau Avenue, Belfast. The larger television studio, B, has a floor area of about 200 sq m, and is unusual in that most 0 f the technical facilities are on one wall, allowing more of the floor area to be usefully employed Belfast studio B for productions. Three Link 125 The vision and lighting con- cameras, with facilities for a trol room for studio B has been fourth, have been installed in the from a new motorised traversing combined with the production studio. Some of the Colortran pantograph built by Colortran to a control room. A sLxteen-channel luminaires have been suspended SCPD design. Cox T16 vision mixer has been installed, together with a 120-way Dynamic Technology 'Datalite' lighting console. A Neve twenty eight-channel desk has been installed in the sound control room, with monitoring via LS5/8 loudspeakers. The smaller studio, C, uses a single Link 125 camera for local news contributions. The floor area is some 35 sq m, and, like studio B. it has Colortran luminaires plus a twenty-way DTL lighting console. The vision mixer comprises a Cox T16 sixteen-channel desk, with sound being handled by a twelve- channel Neve desk.

--. continued on page 2 The Ilew teleJ!isioll cO/llplex ill Bdfasf 'l:.iVG 1NF' lVil/ler 1984/85 - Page I site of The Langham in Central The UN 1/75A amplitude London. measuring unit is a video signal Editorial Broadcasting House is now measuring unit, developed for use over 50 years old and totally un- at television studios and control suited to the needs of modern centres, and is used with an oscillo- Licences fee application broadcasting especially the scope for accurate measurement of As you will have read elsewhere, production of high quality VHF amplitude, coder and oscilloscope the BBC has made an application, stereo programmes. calibration. for an increase in the colour The building of a new television licence fee to £65. Part Broadcasting Centre will enable Belfast Studio of the justification for the increase the BBC to rationalise the whole is the need for capital investment, of its accommodation in Central continued from page 1 an area that effects most London, allowing 21 leasehold The television continuny in- departments in Engineering premises to be surrendered. It is cludes a comprehensive Cox special Division. I reproduce below the planned also to build a new mixer, Rank Cintel MK7 slide case for continued capital Broadcasting Centre in Edinburgh, scanner, Aston 3 character gen- investment taken from BBC replacing the collection of erator and separate network and Information's "Background to the converted houses currently - and clock logos; switching, as' in BBC's Licence Fee Application." inefficiently - in use. the whole complex, is handled by There are areas of the United a NTP router. The continuity has Kingdom where people still cannot Capital Expenditure facilities to opt-out of either net- hear BBC Radio or see BBC work and incorporates a special "The BBC has been unable to raise Television programmes adequately. significan tly the level of its capital network mimic diagram. Radio capital expenditure also There are three new video- investme n t programme during the provides for the creation of a past 3 years. It con tinues to suffer tape cubicles. Two of these have separate VHF network for Radio new cubicle equipment and a new from the effects of Government 1, together with a VHF network pair of VPR2s, taking the total expenditure controls imposed to enable Radio 4 to be heard in number of I" machines to four. during the 1970s. The result is a Scotland, Wales and Northern One Rank Cintel telecine machine su bstan tial backlog 0 l' investme nt Ireland. New transmitters are also has been moved to a new area in that needs to be undertaken. planned to bring VHF signals to the complex. Worn-out plant and equip- the 3 million listeners in the UK The £5YzM project has been ment threa ten the high standards currently denied this service." completed in only three years, that viewers and listeners expect - under the watchful eye of SCPD unless the BBC can maintain in- Alan Laff erty project leader Tom Deakin. vestment at a reasonable level. New technology - ranging from the applications of digital Licence Agreements Transmitters Opened techniq ues to the development of Designs Department have recently lightweight portable electronic signed a licence agreement with television cameras The following uhf transmitters - can contribute Avitel Electronics Ltd., for the have opened since October: greatly to the quality of pro- production of four BBC designed grammes. The BBC believes that it test equipments. must provide its creative staff with Llangynog Powys The MEIP/520 level measur- Dronfield Derbyshire the means to remain in the fore- ing meter is designed to work with front of broadcasting. Piddletrenthide Dorset the colour calibrator UN1/509 to Crosthwaite Cumbria In addition to the replace- measure the insertion loss of cir- ment of worn-out plant and pro- Coombe Devon vision for new technology, capital cuits and equipment at line and North Bovey Devon colour sub carrier frequencies. The Linnet Valley Suffolk expenditure in Television includes primary use of the meter is for the the completion of the Television Winterbourne Steepleton Dorset equalisation of tie lines. Two Woodford Halse Northants Centre at the White City in measurement ranges are available; London. This will eventually em- Clearwell Glos body a new Television Theatre, 0.5dB and 6dB. Two potentio- Westbourne Dorset replacing the obsolete building at meters are provided for the Wonersh Surrey separate amplitude adjustment of Lisbellaw Co. Fermanagh Shepherds Bush Green. Building the line rate and subcarrier signals replacements outside London Derrygonnelly Co. Fermanagh include a new post-production from the colour calibrator. The Gortnageeragh Co. Antrim MEIP/520 is mains powered with Plumbridge Co. Tyrone block at Bristol, new broadcasting battery back-up. It is constructed cen tres for the North-East and on a modified CH1/64B chassis South Regions and improved The following vhf transmi tters with plastic top and bottom have opened or changed: facilities in Belfast, Cardiff, Bangor covers. and Glasgow. The ME3M/502 television Guildford Surrey Radio's capital expenditure waveform analyser is a self con- Rothesay Stra thclyde requirements include replacement tained measurement set, designed Ilchester Crescent Avon of worn-out plant in London, the to measure video waveform para- Kilkeel Co. Down Regions and Local Radio and pro- meters. It will mcasurc either the Knock More Grampian vision for a start to be made on a ITS or line repetitive test wave- Gt. Massingham Norfolk new Broadcasting Centre on the forms. Pontypool Gwent Page 2 - 'ENG INF' Wimer 1984/85 ,

the City of Birmingham Symphony international interest in the first TranscrIption Service Orchestra, conducted by Simon widespread application of digital Compact Disc Rattle at Snape Maltings. A digital audio technology. recording was made using the The first Compact Disc (CD) to be Sony F-l system, with the sub- * * * made by the BBC has been issued sequent editing, assembly and by the Transcription Service. This special presentation by John Amis is the first- time that Transcription done by TRU. A Sony PCM 1610 Woodlands Exhibitions Recording Unit (TRU). have used system with special facilities was this medium for distributing pro- hired for the high-quality fine grammes to overseas broadcasters, editing and mastering required for Here is the list of exhibitions being and is also the first CD to be CD discs. arranged for Woodlands in 1985. manufactured in Britain. The replication plant was, in More details from IT&P Section, TRU have been involved in fact, still being installed in the A2047, Woodlands: recording programmes on con- factory whilst the editing and ventional LP's for the past 30 production of artwork for the label February years, cutting master lacq uers and booklet were being correlated. 6 National Semi- which are subsequently processed Nimbus produced the first 50 discs Conductors Ltd., and pressed by commercial just in time for their shipment to Acorn Computers companies. In recent years much the USA where the concert was Ltd., of this work has been handled by broadcast to a number of major 20 Gould Ltd., Nimbus Records at their factory cities over the Labor Day week- in a country house in the Wye end. March valley. The decision by Nimbus to So far more than 20 countries 6 United Electronics set up a CD plant encouraged have ordered the programme. Ltd., TRU to suggest a pilot recording Interest has ranged from the ,27 R.F. Components and subsequent issue. The scheme sophisticated broadcasters of Ltd., (Provis). was welcomed by the Transcription Europe, Australia and the USA to Service business office, and by the small third-world stations. This April production staff who co-operated bold gesture in a revolutionary 17 Schroff (UK) Ltd., to launch the first disc only two' medium has attracted widespread months after the original attention and praise throughout May recording. the broadcasting world. The 8 Cooper Tools Ltd., The programme chosen for exercise has proved valuable not 29 Imhof-Bedco Ltd., the first disc was of works by only from the publicity gained but Britten and Schoenberg played by also as an indica tion of the June 19 Rittal Ltd., July 17 Sony Broadcast Ltd., August 7 Varelco Ltd., September 18 Canadian Instrumen ts & Electronics Ltd.,

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ERRATUM The caption on page 12 of 'Eng Inf' number 18 is incorrect. It should read: The new Microwave Com- munications link equipment. Our apologies for any em- barrassJUent caused, and our thanks to the engineers who spotted the Simon Rattle the conductor receiving a presentation copy of the mistake. Transcription Compact Disc. Left to right: Jimmy Burnett (Music Producer) Quentin Fuller (Recording Engineer) Alan Bilyard (HTS) Corrinne Fisher (TS Publicity) Simon Rattle and Ted Dougherty (Business Manager) 'ENG INF' Winter 1984/85 - Page 3 ... More Developments a t t

first outside London - has a twenty channel Neve 51 series stereo mixing desk with a Necam 96 automation system to be fitted soon. A Sony 26-inch monitor provides both picture and time- code displays, and a pair of LS5/8 loudspeakers allow the production to be monitored. Behind the mixing desk is a gram operations area containing a small Neve sub-mixer that allows three SCPD disc players, three Studer A8l 0 twin-track plus time- code tape recorders, or three cartridge machines to be used in a production. Two of the A8l Os are equipped with trolley mounted synchronisers and control panels allowing effects to be played in synchronism with the master multi-track or video tapes. The Neve desk in the new Sypher suite at Pebble Mill Mechanically noisy eq uip- ment, such as U-matic vcrs and multi-track tape recorders, have been located in an apparatus room outside of the control room. .Two lYC high-band U-matics and two New Film Dubbing and Sypher Suites Studer A80 8-channcI multi-track recorders can be controlled locally in the apparatus room, or remotely The film sound dubbing theatre at Neve stereo sound desks specially from the main desk. All equipment Pebble Mill has recently been designed for post-production is synchronised using the Designs converted into two suites suitable sound dubbing. The film dubbing Department Maxim time-code for film dubbing and sypher area is unique in that it serves a synchronisers. (S Ynchronised Post dub, Helical- dual-purpose and can also be used The film dubbing area is scan and Eight track Recorder) as a sypher suite. similar to the sypher suite, and, operations. Both areas are oper- The sypher suite - the third with its dual-purpose role, can be ationally similar with customised of its kind in the BBC, and the used for sypher operations as well. The same controls operate the video scanner and sepmags for film dubbing or U-matic and multi-track for sypher work. Outside of the control room are nine Perfectone Rapimag l6mm sepmag machines. An optical projector has been replaced by an Albrecht video scanner capable of running synchronously at up to thirty times normal speed (750 frames/second) forwards or backwards. All of the Rapimag machines and the Albrecht video scanner can be locked to a pulse generator using 50 Hz and 250 Hz bi-phase pulses to control the transport mechanisms as slaves. A pulse routing system allows any of the transports to be locked to the scanner, and also enables the telecine machines to replace the normal scanner, and locks any of The gram ops sub-mixer in the film dubbing area at Pebble iHiIl the "nine sepmag machines to a Page 4 - 'ENG IN}' Winter 1984/85 he M ; 11 ...

telecine without disturbing the dubbing operations. Two small studios can be switched to either control area. Each contains the necessary "audio props" such as false doors, windows, stairs, and a variety of walking surfaces, to enable successful dubbing of a production. The studios are visually monitored in the control rooms via closed circuit television systems. The refurbishment of the film dubbing area was carried out by Roy Clarke of SCPD. The sypher suite was installed by Mike Atree of SCPD with building work co-ordinated by John Hackworth Pebble Mill studio B of ACED. Production, vision and lighting control areas.

carefully camouflaged into the the area boasts good communi- wood panelling, is a bay of line cation with the production area; a connectors, allowing easy inter- vital asset for the local news and connection of sources and current affairs programmes pro- destinations to the production duced there. mixer. The studio area remains Behind the production con- basically unchanged except that trol area is the sound control area, there are no technical facilities on unusually separated only by a one wall of the studio, allowing the heavy curtain from the other cyclorama to extend almost to the areas and not in a dedicated studio wall, effectively increasing room. Equipped with a Calrec the usable floor area. Iris-two stereo twenty-channel mixer, lights have been installed to LS5/9 monitor louspeakers and provide top lighting onto the two Revox PR99 tape recorders, cyclorama. U-matic recorders in the apparatus reom

Studio 8 Control Rooms Refurbished The studio B control rooms at Pebble Mill have been rebuilt and refurbished with new mixing and monitoring equipment. Product- ion, sound, and vision and lighting share the same control area. The production area boasts a new Grass Valley mixer, Aston 3 caption generator, three Melford colour monitors and eighteen monochrome monitors. To the left of the production area is the vision and lighting control for the four Link 125 cameras and Electro- sonics thirty five-way lighting control system. Monitoring is via three Melford colour monitors, and five monochrome monitors. Between the two control desks, The sound control area, Pebble Mill studio B

'ENG INF' Winter 1984/85 - Page 5 Major Milestone in Bush Modernisation

The "recent commissioning of seven pounded by the necessity to The drama studio, by far the new radio studios for the BBC remove some concrete blast walls, largest in the group, is of double External Services at Bush House a legacy from the war years. height and is built over an old represented a substantial milestone The seven new studios swimming pool, unused since the in the £30 million modernisation comprise: four small talks studios; BBC took over from the original programme currently under way two larger general purpose studios tenants of the building. The there. The studios are in the base- for programmes involving dis- original creaking wooden floor has ment of the SE Wing and replace cussion groups; and the largest, a been replaced with a concrete one. eleven much smaller studios dating stereo drama studio. The whole area has been from the early 1940s. The refur- The studios share the base- completed to a very high standard bished area also accommodates a ment area with a chiller compressor of finish and decoration. Each new conference room, new waiting plant which gives out 315 Hz studio has a distinctive colour areas and toilets. vibrations. One of the general pur- scheme with easily removable Work began on this phase of pose studios, S11, is immediately fabric wall panels covering standard modernisation two years ago and over the plant. To counteract the acoustic wall boxes. The waiting several significant building pro- vibrations a kinetic floor contain- areas, devoid of natural light, have blems were immediately apparent. ing rubber pads was specially de- been given an artificial daylight An unforeseen hazard was the signed for S11. In fact, as a decor incorporating window boxes discovery of asbestos in the old precaution all the other talks and with artificial flowers. studios, requiring careful extract- general purpose studios have been Much of the Bush House ion, but the irregular shape fitted with similar flooring. The air technical operation is geared to of the building and the existence of conditioning ducts themselves providing short programme con- fifteen internal support columns presented problems due to the tributions consisting mainly of presented added problems. For- general space restrictions. To speech. The new talks studios fulfil tunately it has been possible to accommodate the trunking some just this requirement: the equip- carefully integrate the columns ceiling sections needed to be re- ment isquick and simple to operate into the general design so that duced to door height and light and is designed to be powered and they are barely noticed. These fittings had to be carefully prepared for transmission by the difficulties were further com- positioned. Studio Manager in a matter of minutes. To facilitate this, each studio has a Pre-Transmission Test facility indicated by a row of LEDs on the BBC designed mixer desk. The central PDP switching computer in the Bush House Control Room checks the appropriate transmission line from the studio and then automatically switches the studio to the correct network at the right transmission time. As part of the test the Studio Manager operates a test button which signals to the computer that the studio is ready to go on the air. Failure to operate the test button within a set time sounds an alarm in the Control Room. The talks mixer desks comprise nine channels which for speed of operation have no jackfields. Source selection switches are used instead to select any of twenty-four channels. Four outside sources can be accommo- dated with provision for two more. The two general purpose studios accommodate a Bush A typical Bush House Talks Studio, SlO. Note the counterbalanced House version of MkI and MkIV microphones (designed specially for External Services) and the differing BBC general purpose mixer desks. finishes of the table top. leather for writing and baize for absorbing the These mix sixteen channels in two sound groups and can accommodate up Page 6 - 'ENG INF' Winter 1984/85 -- - -- to ten outside sources. Their control cubicles also accommodate four A80 tape machines and four EMT 950 grams apiece, and provision exists for a further two tape machines in each. The drama studio has a standatd MkIlD stereo desk mixing twenty-four channels in four groups. The studio itself has the familiar facilities: gravel trays for footstep sound effects and curtaining to partition the acoustic "live" and "dead" ends of the studio.

* * * * * Control room of GP Studio, S7. One of the building's supporting pillars is cleverly concealed behind the jack field to the right of the mixer desk

405-Line transmitters Close 1946, screening the Victory Parade on the 8th June. A milestone in the history of Television spread throughout British broadcasting was reached the UK with stations at Sutton in January when all of the remain- Cold field serving Birmingham and ing BBC 405-line transmitters were the Midlands opening in 1949, switched off. Holme Moss serving Yorkshire and When the 405-line service Lancashire in 1951, and Kirk started in 1936 it was described as O'Shotts and Wenvoe serving parts "The world's first regular public of Scotland and Wales in 1952. service of high-definition television The London transmitter moved to programmes". The number of Crystal Palace in 1956 to provide viewers had been dwindling since a better signal to London and the the introduction of the duplicate Home Coun ties. 625-line ultra-high frequency (uhf) Commenting on the closures, colour service in 1969. The closure The first 'high definition' television Bill Mitchell, ACET, said "The comes as the result of an an- programme in the world. Miss end of the first chapter of television nouncement by the Home Secret- Helen McKay singing at Alexandra ary in ] broadcasting is a sad day for us. 983 that the frequencies Palace studios in 'Here's Looking However, the 405-line service has used by the 405-line transmitters at You!' been duplicated on 625-lines for should be released by the many years now, so it is appro- broadcasters for mobile radio of the last transmitter, at Melvaig priate that these old transmitters communication. The close-down in West Scotland, was carried out should be switched off." ---- by Syd Garrioch, the local transmitter manager. In its hey- day, the 405-line network comprised one hundred and seven transmitters. After the formal opening by the Postmaster General, Major G.C. Tryon on 2nd November 1936, the service grew in popularity when the BBC screened the first major outside broadcast in May 1937, the :../ Coronation of King George VI. Over 23,000 receivers were in use Bill Busby, former Engineer-in- in September 1939 when the Norman Shacklady, Senior Trans- Charge. switches off the 405-line Alexandra Palace transmitter was sOlll/d transmitter at Crystal Palace mitter Area iV/anager, switches closed for the war years. The oj! the BBC 405-line vision transmitter station service re-opened after the war in transmitter at Crystal Palace

'ENG INF' Winter 1984/85 - Page 7 -

GOING: GOING: GONE! - Dodford Landscape Changes -

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Photos by John Flewitt t:lD

The familiar skyline alongsidc the M 1 in Northamptonshire changed when the old Radio 3 mast at Dodford, ncar Daventry, was demolished. The whole process took about 20 seconds. The 732 foot mast was constructed for the start of the third programmc from Daventry in April 1951. Designed originally as an anti-fading mast. there was a break insulator at 470 feet, with the two halves fed separa te ly; this was in tended to increase the ground-wave and red uce the sky-wave, thus increasing the primary service area. In 1955 the break insulator was removed, and the mast became a conventional base-fed radiator. It stopped being used in 1978 at the time of the wavelength changes. n 0