🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <48dc2576dfa.m.conroy@argonet.co.uk>, Andrew Conroy
<URL:mailto:a.m.conroy@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
> Did anyone else read the article in The Sunday Express Magazine about Who
> Wants to be a Millionaire? In it it states
> 
> " The music is run off two specially built computers; the graphics and
> the questions - thousands of them, each randomly generated - are
> controlled by Chriss Goss of Winchester and a pair of Acorns "
> 
> It would be interesting to hear from Chris about exactly what the set-up
> is.

Chris is probably even busier than me and more than likely out of the
country, so I'll give a brief reply on what I know.

Chris is Mr. TV Game Show.  He designs computer graphics, sound and control
systems for programmes all over the world.  They are Acorn based for
reliability, ease of use, but mainly because we don't make broadcast
graphics boards for PCs!  The systems may look expensive, but they are
excellent value when compared with other TV broadcast kit.

Millionaire is big, and the format is now being licensed to many countries. 
Australia is probably next.  I think a typical system will use a couple of
RiscPCs with our APEX boards, MIDI cards, I/O controllers etc, with the
possible addition of A7000's for the contestants' flat panel screens.

These systems are critical to the making of the show, hence they will
normally buy a backup system too.  Needless to say, the backup system
usually gathers dust.  Recently though, a TV company in China thought they'd
do it on the cheap and skimp by not purchasing a backup system.  Big
mistake.  Something strange appears to have happened to their mains supply
and an APEX board literally burnt up.  Amazingly, the RiscPC still worked. 
They've since purchased a replacement, plus a backup!

-- 
Richard Jozefowski
Millipede Electronic Graphics

In article <ant0211350b02QYK@milliped.demon.co.uk>, Richard Jozefowski
<URL:mailto:richard@millipede.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <48dc2576dfa.m.conroy@argonet.co.uk>, Andrew Conroy
> <URL:mailto:a.m.conroy@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
> > Did anyone else read the article in The Sunday Express Magazine about Who
> > Wants to be a Millionaire? In it it states
> > 
> > " The music is run off two specially built computers; the graphics and
> > the questions - thousands of them, each randomly generated - are
> > controlled by Chriss Goss of Winchester and a pair of Acorns "
> > 
> > It would be interesting to hear from Chris about exactly what the set-up
> > is.
> 
> Chris is probably even busier than me and more than likely out of the
> country, so I'll give a brief reply on what I know.
> 
> Chris is Mr. TV Game Show.  He designs computer graphics, sound and control
> systems for programmes all over the world.  They are Acorn based for
> reliability, ease of use, but mainly because we don't make broadcast
> graphics boards for PCs!  The systems may look expensive, but they are
> excellent value when compared with other TV broadcast kit.
> 
> Millionaire is big, and the format is now being licensed to many countries. 
> Australia is probably next.  I think a typical system will use a couple of
> RiscPCs with our APEX boards, MIDI cards, I/O controllers etc, with the
> possible addition of A7000's for the contestants' flat panel screens.
> 
> These systems are critical to the making of the show, hence they will
> normally buy a backup system too.  Needless to say, the backup system
> usually gathers dust.  Recently though, a TV company in China thought they'd
> do it on the cheap and skimp by not purchasing a backup system.  Big
> mistake.  Something strange appears to have happened to their mains supply
> and an APEX board literally burnt up.  Amazingly, the RiscPC still worked. 
> They've since purchased a replacement, plus a backup!
> 
Is there a web page that is available about all this?
-- 
PC Robinson         Taking the RISC OS  
Aleph One Support:- Tel UK (00 44) 1708 403028  Fax UK (00 44) 171 9199401
Aleph One Ltd, Bottisham, CAMBRIDGE, CB5 9BA, UK   Tel (00 44) 1223 811679
Web site http://www.aleph1.co.uk/

RISC OS Supporter
Web site http://www.havaccnt.demon.co.uk/

In message <48dc2576dfa.m.conroy@argonet.co.uk>
          Andrew Conroy <a.m.conroy@argonet.co.uk> wrote:

> Did anyone else read the article in The Sunday Express Magazine about Who
> Wants to be a Millionaire? In it it states
> 
> " The music is run off two specially built computers; the graphics and
> the questions - thousands of them, each randomly generated - are
> controlled by Chriss Goss of Winchester and a pair of Acorns "
> 
> It would be interesting to hear from Chris about exactly what the set-up
> is.
> 

Speaking of this programme, didn't they have a lot of problems with this series?!

Oh yeah, If the subject was what you were asking, the answer is yes please! ;-)

Andy.
-- 
Andrew C. Poole

Acorn RiscPC * ARM710 * NC Internal Modem * PC486 Card

andrew at malpasroad dot freeserve dot co dot uk
( andrew@malpasroad.freeserve.co.uk )

Email     : andrew@malpasroad.freeserve.co.uk
Also      : malpasroad@my-dejanews.com (Hardly Checked - Cannot access???)
WWW       : www.malpasroad.freeserve.co.uk (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
Downloads : www.malpasroad.freeserve.co.uk/acorn/pages/dwnld.htm
                              (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

In article <a22bc6e548%andrew@malpasroad.freeserve.co.uk>, Andrew C. Poole
<URL:mailto:andrew@malpasroad.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <48dc2576dfa.m.conroy@argonet.co.uk>
>           Andrew Conroy <a.m.conroy@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> > Did anyone else read the article in The Sunday Express Magazine about Who
> > Wants to be a Millionaire? In it it states
> > 
> > " The music is run off two specially built computers; the graphics and
> > the questions - thousands of them, each randomly generated - are
> > controlled by Chriss Goss of Winchester and a pair of Acorns "
> > 
> > It would be interesting to hear from Chris about exactly what the set-up
> > is.
> > 
> 
> Speaking of this programme, didn't they have a lot of problems with this series?!

Absolutely untrue according to Chris.  There were no computer problems, even
during the pilot programmes.

Their real problem is the low standard of general knowledge in this country. 
Celador genuinely want to give away a million pounds - the global publicity
they'd receive would be brilliant in selling the format to other countries.

Mind you, the low standard of general knowledge isn't limited to this
country.  There was recently a scandal in Switzerland where rehersals for a
high prized game show were carried out using the actual questions and
answers.  As the output from the rehersals' studio were fed around the whole
TV station it didn't take long before a contestant turned up, ready primed
with the answers.  However, suspicions were raised when his answers got out
of sync with the questions, and he correctly answered the **following**
question.

-- 
Richard

In message <ant2108330b02QYK@milliped.demon.co.uk>
          Richard Jozefowski <richard@millipede.co.uk> wrote:

> In article <a22bc6e548%andrew@malpasroad.freeserve.co.uk>, Andrew C. Poole
> <URL:mailto:andrew@malpasroad.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
> > Speaking of this programme, didn't they have a lot of problems with this
> > series?!
> 
> Absolutely untrue according to Chris.  There were no computer problems,
> even during the pilot programmes.

Problems with other things though. Apart from the notorious tennis question
which won someone 125,000ukp despite getting it wrong, at least two people
have not received their winnings after it was revealed they had recent
criminal records (IIRC you have to sign a declaration that this is not the
case).
-- 
 _  _  _  _  _ ___       _       _ ___ _          posting from Liverpool, UK
|_)/ \|_)|_ |_) |   |_| /_\ |\/||_) | / \|\ | robert@fabland.freeserve.co.uk
| \\_/|_)|_ | \ |   | |/   \|  ||   | \_/| \|    www.fabland.freeserve.co.uk

In message <bd844ae648%robert@fabland.freeserve.co.uk>
          Robert Hampton <robert@fabland.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:

> Problems with other things though. Apart from the notorious tennis question
> which won someone 125,000ukp despite getting it wrong, at least two people
> have not received their winnings after it was revealed they had recent
> criminal records (IIRC you have to sign a declaration that this is not the
> case).

What's that about a tennis question?


Gareth

-- 
Gareth Moore           Head of Productions, Cambridge University Radio 
Downing College, CB2 1DQ   editor@acorn-gaming.org.uk  glm20@cam.ac.uk
================ Acorn Gaming: www.acorn-gaming.org.uk ===============
====== The longest running regularly updated Acorn WWW magazine ======

Gareth Moore <glm20@cam.ac.uk> wrote:
> In message <bd844ae648%robert@fabland.freeserve.co.uk>
>           Robert Hampton <robert@fabland.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Problems with other things though. Apart from the notorious tennis question
>> which won someone 125,000ukp despite getting it wrong, at least two people
>> have not received their winnings after it was revealed they had recent
>> criminal records (IIRC you have to sign a declaration that this is not the
>> case).
>
> What's that about a tennis question?
>

I seem to recall the question was something like,

"What is the lowest number of hits a tennis player needs to make in order to
 win a set?"

The contestant gave the answer 24, ie: 4 aces per match x 6 matches which 
does make sense, however if the opposition is so apawlingly bad, they could
completely stuff their serve every time.  
Hence the winner would only need to make 12 serves; 4 aces per match x 3 
matches + the other 3 matches in which they never needed to hit the ball.

Tricky yet cunning.


bfn

Jayce.
-- 
Jason Banham                                    Sun Microsystems Ltd
Desktop Connectivity Group                      Watchmoor Park
                          	                Riverside Way
e-mail: jason.banham@no.spam.thanks.uk.sun.com	Camberley  Surrey
phone : 01276 691 974				GU15 3YL