In future, all BBC in-house factual programmes will be made using Pro 100 from Panasonic, moving to the P2 tapeless format by 2010, revealed Quested, who also advised producers against buying the Panasonic 720 Varicam. 'We allow producers to use Varicam at the moment but we don't suggest that you buy them because when the 1080 version comes out we will no longer use [the 720].'
After the BBC HD trial ends in June the broadcaster aims to upgrade from HDCam to HDCam SR and all BBC HD transmissions are expected to become 1080i.
Quested also indicated that DVC Pro HD will be the preferred format from this April for in-house BBC factual. 'It'll give us a simple path to HD and tapeless production,' he said.
Jargon - at which the world of HD production excels - was also something he wanted to tackle, particularly the 'progressive' and 'interlaced' terminology - describing the aesthetic look of the HD tape.
Progressive has become industry shorthand for HD video which has a filmic look while interlaced describes content with a video look. Quested said: 'We want to get into the habit of describing the video look as 50 frames a second while film will be described as 25 frames a second.'
The BBC's plans for securing HD spectrum on DTT were also fleshed out by BBC's head of HD, Seetha Kumar. When the HD trial finishes in June - the corporation will draw up a formal proposal for an HD service to the BBC Trust, which may then decide to launch a public value test before a final decision is made in the autumn.
Some digital dividend spectrum will be needed to support HD services on Freeview, said Kumar. 'HD is what audiences expect,' she added. Her comments coincided with a 4,000-strong petition asking Tony Blair to free up spectrum on the Freeview platform for HD services.
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