SBS Watermark Options

[Winston]

SBS has commenced watermarking, here's a screenshot:
http://img321.imageshack.us/img321/9943/sbs8uo.jpg

Dunno if its being tested/temporary or full-time.

[LBM]

Shame really - I only watch Mythbusters (nothing else on that station worth looking at) and I only started watching that as it was watermark free. Typical pathetic SBS really, I am now hoping that Seven gets the rights to that show. What an ugly logo :S.

[DrP]

Just another example of head-up-arse-itis. We all knew it was going to happen one day. Maybe I'll go back to reading books (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[phase52001]

Noticed it this afternoon.
Pathetic. Bloody awful. I can switch off completely now.
I wonder how it will work with subtitles?
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[stickeylabel]

Currently when SBS transmit news from around the world they put a watermark on SBS1, but the same news on SBS World News Channel is Watermark free.

I hope SBS don't watermark the SBS World News Channel like ABC did with ABC2.

[mjkoolio]

Well luckyly in Perth Nine don't have water-mark except for ACA and Niteline.

I'll check out the SBS one if they have it in Perth.

Matt.

[tonygib]

And in the words of Douglas Adam's:

"That just about wraps it up for God(FTA TV Exec's)!!!"


Guess I'll send off a 'disapointed' email at some point in time, get the usual BS reply and then go looking for a download source for mythbuster, or DVD rental/borrow, since all 3 seasons are out.

[phase52001]

And in the words of Douglas Adam's:

"That just about wraps it up for God(FTA TV Exec's)!!!"
Guess I'll send off a 'disapointed' email at some point in time, get the usual BS reply and then go looking for a download source for mythbuster, or DVD rental/borrow, since all 3 seasons are out.

I sent an email of disappointment to SBS yesterday afternoon. I suggested they NOT reply with the same childish excuses the ABC used for introducing the brandmark. I also let them know I'd be tuning out as I don't need to be reminded every #$@!#$ second what station I'm watching.

[Toasted]

I can't believe it... how do TV executives/ management/ board keep their jobs when they are prepared to spend money to alienate viewers?????

Goodbye SBS.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

[The Master]

I can't believe it...  how do TV executives/ management/ board keep their jobs when they are prepared to spend money to alienate viewers?????

Goodbye SBS.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

It’s not the end of the world and you don't stop watching a channel just because they have a watermark

['ct']

It’s not the end of the world and you don't stop watching a channel just because they have a watermark

Yes indeed it is, everything I watch now is either via internet download or DVD. I only view the occassional news program on Australian FTA nowadays. Not that I rely on FTA for news either, as News Radio, AM/World Today/PM, satifies my news needs. Stopped watching sport years ago, ever since Nein starting to bug cricket due to TEN's constant 'borrowing' of content for Sports Tonight. I can honestly say, I do not miss watching any kind of sport on broadcast television thesedays.

You people who watch Broadcast Television in this country are so last century.

ct

[Champion_R]

Yes indeed it is, everything I watch now is either via internet download or DVD. I only view the occassional news program on Australian FTA nowadays.

I don't understand how people can watch the mega bodge 350MB 900kbit/sec XViD TV shows off the net. Unless you watch them on an analogue TV the quality is absolutely woeful and you still get a watermark.

I'm happy I can watch Nine programming bug free.

[nexx]

I don't understand how people can watch the mega bodge 350MB 900kbit/sec XViD TV shows off the net.

Because they are available 8 months before channel 9 shows them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
But that's another issue altogether.

[tonygib]

Because they are available 8 months before channel 9 shows them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
But that's another issue altogether.

yup, exactly, and frankly, I don't know what your seeing Champion_R unless your watching it on a bloody big plasma or something, but their is nothing wrong with the quality. Most are HD captures scaled down and encoded. The average person on a normal TV would notice stuff all difference.

Right now I'm downloading the rest of Mythbuster's, should havel all remaining season 2 eps by end of the week.

So no, its not the end of my world (maybe FTA TV tho) and yes I do stop watching, already have across the board.

PS. the new serie(s) of Stargate SG1/Atlantis and BSG has started and looks pretty good, I'm sure you'll see in on FTA TV, all stuffed around, half season cuts, and then not showing the last ep, nah bugger that.

[Toasted]

It’s not the end of the world and you don't stop watching a channel just because they have a watermark

I'm a broadcast editor and I can speak from personal experience about how watermarks can make my life significantly more difficult than it needs to be. I can assure you that there will be some staff at SBS whose jobs will be harder after this. And I can choose to watch what I like and and I don't like watermarks over good content. It is distracting much in the same way footage is rejected from programs before they are transmitted (or even edited) if there are dropouts, or if there is dirt on the lens or something like that.

I'll freely admit that my job makes me more acutely aware of anomalies in shows (more than the average bloke), but I never said it's the end of the world. The fact is I can't engage as well in shows when my eye wants to jump to the corner of the screen all the time. It drives me nuts that I can't get rid of it or fix it so I switch off and do something else. Yes, you can stop watching a channel when they have a watermark - I haven't watched the ABC for almost six months after I had watched them more than all the others put together. If it doesn't bother you, fine - but it sticks out very irritatingly to me and I can't enjoy what I'm watching.

The rub is, we're paying for it (well, 90% of it in the case of SBS, anyway) - and the reasons for a watermark are pathetic. Isn't anyone accountable anymore?

[Toasted]

I'm happy I can watch Nine programming bug free.

Now, if you said ABC and SBS I'd pack up and move to Perth ASAP!!!
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[AndyB]

I live in country Vic... Our commercials are Win, Prime, SC10.

I have a video of "Days of Thunder" recorded from Prime in 1992 (according to the ads)... it features A CHUNKY PRIME WATERMARK!!!

Also have a 1995 recording of "Don't forget your toothbrush" on WIN, featuring- you got it a WATERMARK!

SC10 trialed a permenent water mark here a few years ago; long before 10 metro.

We have had them for along time and frankly my dear I don't give a damn!

[Toasted]

I live in country Vic... Our commercials are Win, Prime, SC10.

I have a video of "Days of Thunder" recorded from Prime in 1992 (according to the ads)... it features A CHUNKY PRIME WATERMARK!!!

Also have a 1995 recording of "Don't forget your toothbrush" on WIN, featuring- you got it a WATERMARK!

SC10 trialed a permenent water mark here a few years ago; long before 10 metro.

We have had them for along time and frankly my dear I don't give a damn!

As has been discussed on the ABC thread - the issue isn't whether or not some people care or not - the issue is that some do and ultimately watermarks are counter-productive. One of the key advantages of broadcasters in the past has been that they had a demonstrable quality advantage over what the average consumer can do privately. As this difference is quickly disappearing - given the choice, would you watch something with a watermark, or without?

No brainer, even if watermarks don't bother you that much.

Decisions to use watermarks are driven by panicky and misguided ideas about the value of branding, and what we are witnessing here is the beginning of the end for Free-To-Air. Management are forgetting completely about why people watch - ie. content (duh!)

So, now, a useful question - where can you access content (ahem,I actually prefer legal) over the internet?

Cheers.

[DrP]

Things are going to get very interesting in the not too distant future and FTA networks (as well as traditional pay operators) may well find themselves shutoutside and cold. We are seeing the start of real high speed internet access in Australia. In the not too distant future, even Telstra will have 6Mbit/sec to lots of households. Now combine that with high-bandwidth content caches such as Akamai and all of a sudden the content producer, no matter where they are and how they are connected to the internet, can distribute the content directly to the viewer via the internet (yes, MPEG4 AVC, TCP/IP enabled STBs are already available). No need to involve a FTA network, no need to involve a traditional pay operator. The content provider decides what to charge and the money goes to them directly (obviously they have to pay Akamai or the like for hosting services). You won't need your ISP to offer special VOD services, it'll just be part of the already rich mix of stuff you can pull down your broadband connection (for a price of course, it wouldn't be a stupidly high price, otherwise no one would watch).

Under these circumstances, which are rushing towards FTA TV like a speeding train, you'd think the FTA networks would be falling over themselves to keep viewers watching. But that doesn't appear to be the case. So by all means, FTA execs, please keeping adding watermarks, popups, scrollies etc, because ultimately, you won't matter anymore.

['ct']

Well said DrP