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New Graphics for BBC Weather

hob

hob

macrumors 68010
Original poster
Oct 4, 2003
2,004
0
London, UK
The BBC has updated it's weather service! It's the first major change since the introduction of computer graphics in 1985.

You can watch the new-look forecast here, but please note it may require a Real subscription for those of you outside the UK.

I don't know about anyone else, but the new graphics scream Tiger Dashboard at me - you'll see what I mean...

[update]More on BBC News
 
It looks very nice but I'm not sure it's really going to help the casual viewer pick out their weather. You have to watch/listen to the entire broadcast to figure out your weather now. It was much easier just to glance up at the screen and see the symbol over your town. Now when them zooming across regions, if you come in at the wrong time, you'll miss the focus on your region.

On the website, you get animations on the front weather page for the rain - but when you click through to the 5 day forecast, it stays as a old-fashioned cloud with raindrop.

It does look weather widgetesque though - speaking of which it would be nice to have BBC weather in there. And I was mildly excited to see a new weather icon appear in the forecast earlier this week - London's Thursday forecast was for lightning for a brief period'
 
Less than impressed to be honest, when this was announced several months ago and that it would utilise gaming technology I was hopeful of something more innovative, especially graphically.

Hasn't gone down too well with the Scots either. :p
 
Applespider said:
Doesn't appear to have gone down well with most people! :eek:

I'm assuming that BBC Scotland switches to a Scottish map otherwise I'm not surprised those in the north ain't happy... you can barely see Edinburgh/Glasgow clearly on the main map, let alone the Highlands & Islands!
Click to expand...

I fully agree - why the focus on the South?

But let me disclaim: being currently in New York, I've not had a chance to enjoy(?) a live broadcast - but that real player link left me feeling decidedly queasy.

In the UK, we never get the weather totally right (isn't that why we talk about it so much?), so why bother trying to make a more accurate representation of something which is inherently an innaccurate estimation?

Bring back the classic rain/cloud symbols, I say. And wind too - I need to know whether it'll be windy and in which direction!
 
Applespider said:
I'm assuming that BBC Scotland switches to a Scottish map otherwise I'm not surprised those in the north ain't happy... you can barely see Edinburgh/Glasgow clearly on the main map, let alone the Highlands & Islands!
Click to expand...

I suspect they'll change for regional weather on the regional news broadcasts, but the main UK forecast on BBC Breakfast and BBC News 24 are probably the same for the whole UK.

When I watched the first forecast this morning with the new graphics, first thought was "I bet the Scot's are a little miffed at this" then sure enough, all the emails started poring in to BBC Breakfast News :p

Don't blame 'em, you can't make out Scotland on the map... never mind the weather. :eek: :p
 
The graphics look impressive. The more important thing when it come to weather forecasting is accuracy.
 
Just seen the forecast (local and national) on the 10 O'Clock News and I can't say I'm that impressed with the new look.

The new graphics may be a lot fancier and look more modern, but they don't (in my opinion at least) work as well as the older, simpler symbols. As a result, the forecast has become less clear and less legible. Maybe this is the Met Office's cunning plan – if we can't work out what the forecast is, we won't be able to complain when they get it wrong? ;) Plus, the typography and general design of the graphics fly completely in the face of the BBC's corporate style.

The forecaster was getting very excited, explaining the new look, but I'm sorry – whatever he may say, the map isn't golden, it's brown.
 
I feel that the camera could do with panning up slightly so there's a comprimise between the old view and the new view. The new style would work pretty well I think...if we could see the whole country properly!
 
cheekyspanky said:
I feel that the camera could do with panning up slightly so there's a comprimise between the old view and the new view. The new style would work pretty well I think...if we could see the whole country properly!
Click to expand...
Mind, you've not done too badly out of the change of angle – it makes it look like Hampshire's the biggest county in the country! ;)
 
Jaffa Cake said:
Plus, the typography and general design of the graphics fly completely in the face of the BBC's corporate style.
Click to expand...

Don't get me started on that... F'in appalling. :rolleyes:
 
I guess nobody likes change! OK, my initial reaction was oooo but quickly I realised that it's not a great design, it is hard to gauge what your weather forecast actually is!

I still feel the whole thing reminds me of the Dashboard look - look at the world clock in dashboard and compare to the day/time boxes on the weather...!

Many have mentioned "Why the southern bias?" - including an SNP MP who has lodged a complaint/bought a motion before parliament or something...

Well, without meaning to sound like a biggot or the like... Why the southern bias? Because more people live there...!
 
wdlove said:
The more important thing when it come to weather forecasting is accuracy.
Click to expand...
If I want an accurate weather forecast I look out the window. If I want a vauge half-arsed notion of a ballpark guess, then I'd watch the telly.

Personally, I think you might as well do without the weather presenter. The animations are so fluid now you don't need someone whittering to you about a village outside Hartlepool recording it's highest temperature for 73 years...
 
The BBC have announced they're modifying the new weather after 4,000 complaints.

From tomorrow, the map will be tilted so that you can see more of the northern parts of the country and less of the curvature of the Earth.

The 'desert' brown landscape will remain though... I'm curious why they've left the hills/mountains off the map though - everywhere just looks flat...
 
Applespider said:
The BBC have announced they're modifying the new weather after 4,000 complaints.

From tomorrow, the map will be tilted so that you can see more of the northern parts of the country and less of the curvature of the Earth.

The 'desert' brown landscape will remain though... I'm curious why they've left the hills/mountains off the map though - everywhere just looks flat...
Click to expand...

Strange isn't it? East Anglia still looks like the size of France...
 
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