Doctor Who in HD - Broadcasting

richardcdon · 19-05-2007, 22:32

hi, how come doctor who is not in hd

and if it is could you tell me where i have already tryed bbc hd channel

many thanks

Scotty_B · 19-05-2007, 22:35

Because it would cost to much to make with all the special effects.

slow motion · 19-05-2007, 22:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by richardcdon

hi, how come doctor who is not in hd

and if it is could you tell me where i have already tryed bbc hd channel

many thanks

I'm kinda surprised, surely it's filmed in HD, it's currently the BBC's flagship show, why not show it in HD?

Surely now while the show is popular, it is the time to use it, why wait, or why bury it?

richardcdon · 19-05-2007, 22:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scotty_B

Because it would cost to much to make with all the special effects.

they shot torchwood in hd

so why not doctor who

Carmen Queasy · 19-05-2007, 22:41

Yup, the special effects would blow the budget if it was filmed in HD. I'd assume it'd be because they'd have to get it to film quality; small errors in special effects can go unnoticed in SD, but in HD it's more unforgiving.

Torchwood has no where near the amount of effects Doctor Who does.

Mark. · 19-05-2007, 23:17

Did no-one see Torchwood's attempt at HD CGI in the finale?

Even in SD it looked crap.

BruceTheShark · 20-05-2007, 10:04

I saw the whole of Torchwood in HD. The general PQ was excellent as were the small doses of CG. However, it did show the difference on how difficult it is to do good CG in HD as the finale looked a bit ropey to say the least.

However, even Hollywood blockbusters with CG can look ropey in HD if its not done right. As someone else has rightly said, HD is very unforgiving with CG.

BillKay · 20-05-2007, 10:07

Apart from the extra budget it would take longer to make each programme in HD and they wouldn't be able to produce as many per year.

steve36 · 20-05-2007, 10:45

Whilst I recognise the expense of effects, surely they make a good profit on both the DVD sales and international sales?
And as for merchandise, I've not seen so many toys since star wars, I hope they kept the rights.
If Dr Who becomes popular in the USA I think it might have problems being sold in SD.

mrh2 · 20-05-2007, 11:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by slow motion

I'm kinda surprised, surely it's filmed in HD

No it's not.

richardcdon · 20-05-2007, 12:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillKay

Apart from the extra budget it would take longer to make each programme in HD and they wouldn't be able to produce as many per year.

i think it would be better to have, say 40% less episodes and have them all in hd

mossy2103 · 20-05-2007, 12:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by richardcdon

i think it would be better to have, say 40% less episodes and have them all in hd

You might think that, but that might not be a view shared by the many who do not have HD, or have no intention of getting HD.

It is far better to have 13 episodes in SD than 7 in HD especially when you only view in SD.

richardcdon · 20-05-2007, 12:54

in a few years tho they will have to put it in hd, as by then lodz of people will have hd especially access to the bbc hd channel

mossy2103 · 20-05-2007, 12:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by richardcdon

in a few years tho they will have to put it in hd, as by then lodz of people will have hd especially access to the bbc hd channel

Lots might have HD-ready TVs, but I doubt whether lots will have HD, bearing in mind the millions who so far have been totally happy with five analogue channels and have shown no intention of buying into satellite or cable.

andyk22 · 20-05-2007, 16:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by richardcdon

they shot torchwood in hd

so why not doctor who

Torchwood uses less than 10 special effects per show where as Dr Who can use five to ten times that amount.
It would cost for now too much to make in order for it to look good in HD.

Steve Green · 20-05-2007, 17:06

It's not just effects to consider, it's also sets, makeup, costumes that have to hold up.

New Who has a bit of a problem in that respect since all the stories are one or two-parters, with only the TARDIS as a recurring set. I imagine it's pretty hard to justify the expense of building a spaceship, or dressing a location to stand up to HD for a single 42 minute episode.

- Steve

Rodney · 21-05-2007, 23:24

Doctor Who is filmed on DigiBeta in Standard Def Only.

slow motion · 21-05-2007, 23:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by mossy2103

You might think that, but that might not be a view shared by the many who do not have HD, or have no intention of getting HD.

It is far better to have 13 episodes in SD than 7 in HD especially when you only view in SD.

So the BBC might as well drop their HD aspirations if they can't even afford to make a few episodes their flagship (and moneyspinning) show.

It makes a mockery of their whole push for HD to have not filmed it in HD!

James2001 · 21-05-2007, 23:35

Yet if they made it HD, you'd probably be complaining that it was a waste of licence payers money. We can't win with you, slo mo.

helo_75 · 21-05-2007, 23:46

hmm... question?

if 50% of people watched in hd
and 50% in sd

would the ratings be half what they were, since the programs were technically on different channels?

i mean if thats the case, it would be axed for crap ratings again.. just a thought, im sure some1 will come and shoot me down!

performingmonk · 21-05-2007, 23:53

They could shoot it in HD but the post-production period would be twice as long, meaning they could only deliver a series every 18 months or something.

mossy2103 · 22-05-2007, 06:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by slow motion

So the BBC might as well drop their HD aspirations if they can't even afford to make a few episodes their flagship (and moneyspinning) show.

It makes a mockery of their whole push for HD to have not filmed it in HD!

Well considering that they also received less than whatb they wanted for the TVL, I would have thought that you would have been fairly happy - but as they say, there's no pleasing some people.

creamygoodness · 22-05-2007, 08:30

Im actually surprised that Dr Who is not filmed in HD, Im sure they did the Christmas episode in it, however, I was under the impression that the Beeb has been using HD Cameras for everything since the mid 90s. I think they should use HD as much as possible seeing as there are major shows that Sky are bringing in and the big shows the Beeb have should be a priority. Surely it costs the same to film a special effect on a high def camera rather than a standard???

IanP · 22-05-2007, 11:43

It's mainly the CGI effects that are the issue with Doctor Who. The Mill would need longer to model, paint and render them or more man power i.e. more budget.

Other issues like make-up and scenery aren't a big problem, they just need to plan carefully so that low quality scenery isn't in close-ups. Terrible scenery wasn't a problem for studio bound dramas of the 60's, 70's and 80's.

They should have shot Doctor Who in HD even if they can't do HD CGI now. It would still give a better SD picture now and they could create HD versions in the future.

James2001 · 22-05-2007, 11:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by creamygoodness

I was under the impression that the Beeb has been using HD Cameras for everything since the mid 90s.

I'm not sure where you got that idea from. In the mid-90s, most stuff was still in 4:3. Never mind HD, they weren't even shooting in widescreen.

19-05-2007, 22:32	#1
richardcdon Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Durham, UK Services: Sky HD, Sky World (Setanta), Bt Broadband, Bt Vision,Sky Talk, Vodafone Posts: 300	Doctor Who in HD hi, how come doctor who is not in hd and if it is could you tell me where i have already tryed bbc hd channel many thanks

19-05-2007, 22:35	#2
Scotty_B Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 496	Because it would cost to much to make with all the special effects.

19-05-2007, 22:41	#5
Carmen Queasy Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Gender: Male Location: Manchester Services: Sky+. Sky Broadband. XBox 360. Posts: 23,639 Blog Entries: 1	Yup, the special effects would blow the budget if it was filmed in HD. I'd assume it'd be because they'd have to get it to film quality; small errors in special effects can go unnoticed in SD, but in HD it's more unforgiving. Torchwood has no where near the amount of effects Doctor Who does.

19-05-2007, 23:17	#6
Mark. Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Services: Sky: Sky+HD, Sky+, 4 mixes, Sports, Max BB, Talk; Freeview; iPhone Posts: 36,379 Blog Entries: 42	Did no-one see Torchwood's attempt at HD CGI in the finale? Even in SD it looked crap.

20-05-2007, 10:04	#7
BruceTheShark Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Services: PlusNet 2Mbps - Sky+; Sky Digital Posts: 98	I saw the whole of Torchwood in HD. The general PQ was excellent as were the small doses of CG. However, it did show the difference on how difficult it is to do good CG in HD as the finale looked a bit ropey to say the least. However, even Hollywood blockbusters with CG can look ropey in HD if its not done right. As someone else has rightly said, HD is very unforgiving with CG.

20-05-2007, 10:07	#8
BillKay Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Essex Services: Sky & Freeview. Tiscali Broadband Posts: 600	Apart from the extra budget it would take longer to make each programme in HD and they wouldn't be able to produce as many per year.

20-05-2007, 10:45	#9
steve36 Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 22	Whilst I recognise the expense of effects, surely they make a good profit on both the DVD sales and international sales? And as for merchandise, I've not seen so many toys since star wars, I hope they kept the rights. If Dr Who becomes popular in the USA I think it might have problems being sold in SD.

20-05-2007, 12:54	#13
richardcdon Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Durham, UK Services: Sky HD, Sky World (Setanta), Bt Broadband, Bt Vision,Sky Talk, Vodafone Posts: 300	in a few years tho they will have to put it in hd, as by then lodz of people will have hd especially access to the bbc hd channel

20-05-2007, 17:06	#16
Steve Green Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 201	It's not just effects to consider, it's also sets, makeup, costumes that have to hold up. New Who has a bit of a problem in that respect since all the stories are one or two-parters, with only the TARDIS as a recurring set. I imagine it's pretty hard to justify the expense of building a spaceship, or dressing a location to stand up to HD for a single 42 minute episode. - Steve

21-05-2007, 23:24	#17
Rodney Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Craigavon, Northern Ireland Services: Sky Digital and ADSL24 Posts: 1,906	Doctor Who is filmed on DigiBeta in Standard Def Only.

21-05-2007, 23:35	#19
James2001 Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Mansfield Services: Non-CWC NTL Home Digital v5.32, 128kbps broadband and Nokia Mediamaster FTA Posts: 18,823	Yet if they made it HD, you'd probably be complaining that it was a waste of licence payers money. We can't win with you, slo mo.

21-05-2007, 23:46	#20
helo_75 Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 639	hmm... question? if 50% of people watched in hd and 50% in sd would the ratings be half what they were, since the programs were technically on different channels? i mean if thats the case, it would be axed for crap ratings again.. just a thought, im sure some1 will come and shoot me down!

21-05-2007, 23:53	#21
performingmonk Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 8,786	They could shoot it in HD but the post-production period would be twice as long, meaning they could only deliver a series every 18 months or something.

22-05-2007, 08:30	#23
creamygoodness Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Kent Services: Sky Broadband ADSL2+ 16 meg..Xbox 360, PS2, T-Mobile G1 ,and an Intel iMac! Posts: 57	Im actually surprised that Dr Who is not filmed in HD, Im sure they did the Christmas episode in it, however, I was under the impression that the Beeb has been using HD Cameras for everything since the mid 90s. I think they should use HD as much as possible seeing as there are major shows that Sky are bringing in and the big shows the Beeb have should be a priority. Surely it costs the same to film a special effect on a high def camera rather than a standard???

22-05-2007, 11:43	#24
IanP Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Posts: 2,378	It's mainly the CGI effects that are the issue with Doctor Who. The Mill would need longer to model, paint and render them or more man power i.e. more budget. Other issues like make-up and scenery aren't a big problem, they just need to plan carefully so that low quality scenery isn't in close-ups. Terrible scenery wasn't a problem for studio bound dramas of the 60's, 70's and 80's. They should have shot Doctor Who in HD even if they can't do HD CGI now. It would still give a better SD picture now and they could create HD versions in the future.