HD has been heralded as the ‘next big thing' in the industry. BBC Resources has been tracing its development. It began with initial research into the value of producing programmes in HD and has led to partnering with industry leaders, upconversion projects and setting up HD post facilities. On route, BBC Resources has also become involved in the Pan-BBC HD Support Group designed to plan the next steps for HD development.

BBC Resources started research into HD in 1998 to find out not just how the technology worked but whether there was a commercial model for it. It began to look at the drivers, the kit and the potential revenue. Since making those assessments, BBC Resources has provided a managed service on an unrivalled number of HD productions. These range from partnering to deliver the outside broadcast of the Last Night of the Proms to the upconversion of the Blue Planet and the HD post production of a Korean corporate video. BBC Resources has worked with a number of the key players in the industry to deliver everything from an HD outside broadcast to HD conforming, grading and editing.

For example, BBC Outside Broadcasts began this year with managing the HD OB of The Magic Flute at the Royal Opera House and oversaw the St Petersburg 300th Anniversary Gala Concert in May. It also recently completed The Last Night of the Proms on 13 September for BBC Classical Music and BBC Worldwide so that the programme could be sold on to NHK in Japan. Throughout the year, BBC Outside Broadcasts has also worked with BBC Classical Music on HD programmes for DVD transmission. BBC Outside Broadcasts experienced staff are able to advise on issues such as depth of field, lighting levels, appropriate cameras, as well as have discussions with the costume designers and make-up artists about appropriate clothing and wigs to use on the shoot.

In 1988 BBC Post Production approached its sister commercial business BBC Worldwide to find out about HD demand. At the time no-one was taking HD. Hence the initial investment in HD was cautious. In August 2000 a Discreet Logic HD Fire was put into Bristol to provide nonlinear HD capability in the Bristol market and was intended predominantly for Natural History programmes.

There were a number of HD jobs done almost immediately, and BBC Post Production very quickly learnt that if you need to plan carefully at SD, then you need to plan twice as much at HD. BBC Post Production was approached after the standard definition version of Blue Planet had been produced and asked if it was possible to convert it to HD for KBS in Korea. It would have been too expensive to go down the reversion route and re-do material but at that time, no-one knew if it would be possible to upconvert Blue Planet.

BBC Post Production hired a Snell and Wilcox Alchemist Platinum for its upconversion and motion estimating capabilities, and a second VTR and proceeded to make two copies of each episode of the series. The feedback from the purchaser was it was some of the best HD they had seen. When Discovery set up its HD Theatre channel, it wanted content to show and again BBC Post Production was approached to do some reversion work on Blue Planet. They asked if there was any way that we could improve the upconverted version that had already been completed. There was a perception that super 16 upconversion was not good enough even if HD post had been used. BBC Post Production took a sequence, upconverted the video material and this time retransferred the S16 film on a Shadow Telecine. The video was upconverted to 25 frame progressive at HD to match the motion of the film material and the whole sequence was graded. This was then mastered at 25P and a slowed down version at 23.98P to have 3/2 pulldown inserted by Discovery for transmission. The results came back and BBC Post Production has since been asked to remake the series in this way.

Following this successful reversioning of Blue Planet, coupled with the next major series for the Natural History Unit being produced in HD, BBC Post Production decided to make further HD investments. It acquired a Shadow HD telecine in Bristol and a Spirit telecine with additional HD capability for post in London and in Spring 2003, a further investment was made in a Quantel eQ for grading and finshing.

Once this material was accepted, it then became clear that there was a whole back catalogue of programmes that could be upconverted to HD – mostly factual programming and a lot of drama including Judge John Deed, Life of Mammals etc.
BBC Post Production has recently been working on a number of HD programmes including upconversion for BBC Worldwide for re-sale to Korea Digital Satellite Broadcasting. These include the Inspector Lynley Mysteries, the Planets, Superhuman and Ancient Apocalypse.

One project for Saudia Raamco involved a complete HD offering. The company wanted to produce an HD stereo-scopic corporate video, which could be viewed with 3D glasses. It was acquired in HD and BBC Post Production managed the whole post production process. It was post produced in the Fire in Bristol, then 3D graphics were added and combined with the 2D element.

BBC Resources HD strategy is to buy equipment when we have definite work or when we have the chance to provide HD capability with an upgrade or replacement of existing SD equipment. We are currently looking at what we think will be the next big commercial drivers of HD so watch this space.

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