Sound Broadcast Specs in UK

[tj_davies]

Hi guys.

We're a post house in Germany and have done a project, that will be aired in UK as well. We have been given the following specs:

"There must be 1/2 sec (12 frames) silence at the start and the end of the TVC.
Audio Peak Level: Should not peak over -10dBFS"

1/2 sec silence at the beginning and the end of the spot? We've received several IT mixes for other projects from UK, and there has been silence maybe up to 4 frames, but not 12? Is this correct to cut of 1/2 sec at the top and the end?

Thanks for your help,
Timothy

[garret]

Hey Timothy,
Yes this would be standard practice for a lot of places in the UK.

[tj_davies]

Thanks garret,

does this not seem weird that in the advert break the video starts and half a second later, the sound comes in?

Timothy

[Gary Nattrass]

Yes the half sec is common and it is because of the automated programming machines, they sometimes clip the audio on spots so it is best to leave 12frames clear top and tail.

Also the std line up here is .775v= odb (4ppm) which equals -18dbfs on digital metereing. Max peak is +8db (6ppm) which is the -10dbfs you have been quoted.

[tj_davies]

Thanks guys,

good to know for now, as obviously this makes a huge difference in production. In Germany sound starts with 1st video-frame, and sometimes the off starts on frame 3 or 4 and ends at the very end of the spot. Obviously that would be impossible to deliver to UK, and should be taken in care while recording the off.

With the project at the moment, it should be no problem to match the delivery specs - lucky me.

Thanks for your fast help,
Timothy

[mr.armadillo]

One other thing that seems rather weird: Most UK post houses set their 2-pop at -48frames, not -50frames, even if it's
for a 25fps TV project.

[Frank Kruse]

One other thing that seems rather weird: Most UK post houses set their 2-pop at -48frames, not -50frames, even if it's
for a 25fps TV project.

What sense would that make? Do the tv master-tape in the UK have a leader running 24fps?

frank.

[Kuba Pietrzak]

Perhaps in the UK the 2-pop refers to frames (48, whenever this is 24 or 25fps) not to time.

Kuba

[Frank Kruse]

Perhaps in the UK the 2-pop refers to frames (48, whenever this is 24 or 25fps) not to time.

Kuba

Weird. So then the visual count-down will say "1.92" instead of 2 when you hear the beep?

[Kuba Pietrzak]

In the mid '90s I did many commercial spots, which were produced in the UK and all materials I had received (dat tapes mainly) had the 2-pop at -48 frames and indeed there was 12fr of silence at the begining of the spot. Unfortunately I hadn't seen any original betas with clock before the spot, because when those spots came to sound all visuals were localized already, and the video houses provided betas without the clock for working on sound. But for sure the 2 pops were at -48 frames (09:59:58:02 @25fps)...
Personally I wouldn't care of the 2-pop - if they want @-48 - they will receive @-48; the silence at the begining - this is a real problem - spot is a very short form and this half of a second means a lot of time, so perhaps there would be a need to rearrange the whole soundtrack at the begining of the spot...
... I've been told, that this habit comes from old days, when spots were played from optical tape with telecine - there is an interval between an optical head and a sound head...
... but I am not sure, if this is a real reason

regards,
Kuba