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2025: General Discussion

Poisson said:
It's not perfect, but works fine enough. Sorting out the monitors in the Octagon would be the only visual I'd do.
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One thing I'm surprised they didn't do in the refurb was to replace the projector/screen with a TV; that would help with the quality of the film too. Unless they feel the screen/projector setup is more in keeping with the "restoration" theme.
 
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The documents for the application for the installation of a stage are now on the planning portal.

It’s just permission for a stage in Mutiny Bay courtyard between Sep and March for use during Scarefest, Christmas and Feb half term. So nothing particularly exciting or new, just permission for something they have been doing for years.

Planning Application - Staffordshire Moorlands District Council

How to make a comment, support, or object to, an application.
publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
The French were broadcasting in 736i from 1949. During the 1940s they'd developed technology to broadcast up to 1,042 lines.

35 mm film, which has been kicking around since 1889, has no firm digital equivalent. It is analogue and can be scanned in at whatever resolution you want, but typically 5.6k is generally considered to be the peak, before there's no additional benefit.

720p was adopted as a broadcast standard in 1996, with the first televisions appearing on the market in 1998. Two years before Hex.

It's likely that the footage for Hex was filmed on either 16 mm, 35 mm or DigiBeta. If it's the former, providing that the original film is still available, you could rescan at a higher resolution. The visual effects were likely mastered in SD though, and I doubt the files for that are still available.

As @Zeock suggests though, an AI assisted upscale would be the most cost effective way of increasing the resolution of the video... If they wanted or it was needed.

I don't think it is needed, there's nothing really to be gained from an increase in resolution here. If anything it would make it feel cheap and like a day time TV show.
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Id say DIgiBeta is most likely. I doubt towers had a big budget for film. I recall seeing a behind the scenes film on the advert and that was digital. I think it's the size format that bugs me as the newer screens make it look dated.

Steve74 said:
One thing I'm surprised they didn't do in the refurb was to replace the projector/screen with a TV; that would help with the quality of the film too. Unless they feel the screen/projector setup is more in keeping with the "restoration" theme.
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Think the soundtrack is a projector noise?
 
Does anyone know why Nemesis sub terra is still excluded from the platinum fastrack package ? Considering it lists Congo river rapids which is closed you'd at least be able to use NST as a substitute.
 
Mattie boy said:
Does anyone know why Nemesis sub terra is still excluded from the platinum fastrack package ? Considering it lists Congo river rapids which is closed you'd at least be able to use NST as a substitute.
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Toxicator is excluded too, which doesn't answer your question directly but suggests there's a rationale. Being two of the lower throughput rides perhaps it's to give the rest of the public a fighting chance.
 
Bowser said:
Toxicator is excluded too, which doesn't answer your question directly but suggests there's a rationale. Being two of the lower throughput rides perhaps it's to give the rest of the public a fighting chance.
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Yes i suppose so, just think that at least the last few years with rapids being off at this time of year, at least something should be added in its place
 
More outsourcing coming to Alton Towers and Merlin Entertainments OCS have no idea who they are but what I do know is seems Merlin don't want to take any responsibility anymore
 
Hid said:
More outsourcing coming to Alton Towers and Merlin Entertainments OCS have no idea who they are but what I do know is seems Merlin don't want to take any responsibility anymore
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I thought you were very much singing the praises of Towers and Merlin? Literally no idea what you want anymore 😅.

Anyway, OCS are an IFM, or Intergrated Facilities Management company. Do a range of things including cleaning, security, facilities maintenance.
 
Sounds like everything Comms and Facilities Management (Security, Landscaping, Cleaning etc) has been outsourced across basically park maintenance services that were all loss-leaders. Not sure what they mean by Communications, but from the post I’m assuming it means Guest Services and Marketing (please do correct me if I’m wrong).

Biggest round of outsourcing that we’ve seen from Merlin so far, pretty much easier to say what departments haven’t been outsourced now!
 
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The financialisation of Merlin is almost complete.

I’m intrigued what OCS are like, as we’ve worked with them for a UK major utilities provider so I’ll ask around.

Either way

F&B
Maintenance (assume non rides - HVAC, plumbing, carpentry, electrical)
Gardening
Cleaning (Non Hotel)
Marketing
Entertainment
MMM Studios

All outsourced. I fully suspect MMM will be next, what’s the point when you can call on Katapult, Conductr etc whenever?

What’s left in house?
Ride maintenance
Ride operations/hosts
Hotel operations (One of the few profitable parts of the business)

What’s the point in them now as a business? They think they’ve cracked a failed business model and they’re doubling down. They’re the railtrack of the entertainment business. A shell that’s just a money extraction machine, waiting to be sold or both. Such a shame.
 
Ash said:
The financialisation of Merlin is almost complete.

I’m intrigued what OCS are like, as we’ve worked with them for a UK major utilities provider so I’ll ask around.

Either way

F&B
Maintenance (assume non rides - HVAC, plumbing, carpentry, electrical)
Gardening
Cleaning (Non Hotel)
Marketing
Entertainment
MMM Studios

All outsourced. I fully suspect MMM will be next, what’s the point when you can call on Katapult, Conductr etc whenever?

What’s left in house?
Ride maintenance
Ride operations/hosts
Hotel operations (One of the few profitable parts of the business)

What’s the point in them now as a business? They think they’ve cracked a failed business model and they’re doubling down. They’re the railtrack of the entertainment business. A shell that’s just a money extraction machine, waiting to be sold or both. Such a shame.
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They are an operator, so that is their point to existence. Sad thing is they are pretty poor at operations.
 
I don’t think outsourcing cleaning to a company that does cleaning as one of its core roles is necessarily a bad thing.

The worst places you can go for cleanliness are the ones where the “normal” staff has to do the toilet scrubbing etc too. I think the only place that rivals the grottiness of Chessington toilets is every Costa coffee I’ve ever been in.
 
dave___ said:
I don’t think outsourcing cleaning to a company that does cleaning as one of its core roles is necessarily a bad thing.

The worst places you can go for cleanliness are the ones where the “normal” staff has to do the toilet scrubbing etc too. I think the only place that rivals the grottiness of Chessington toilets is every Costa coffee I’ve ever been in.
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You may well be right, but this does go a lot further than cleaning - building maintenance, security, waste management and landscaping are also all included.
 
Islander said:
You may well be right, but this does go a lot further than cleaning - building maintenance, security, waste management and landscaping are also all included.
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TBF I'll still reserve judgement as I reckon a dedicated facilities management company could do a way better job than they are doing now.

Like Aramark though it all comes down to the service level they are paying/have agreed doesn't it. I assume there will be some paring down somewhere such as "only clean the toilets every 4 hours" or "check the bins twice a day".
 
Outsourcing generally means saving money and lower standards. Merlin can pass off complaints for poor hygiene in the toilets for example to someone else. It wasn’t us gov.

I remember when the hotel cleaners were outsourced. Things went downhill very quickly. I believe they brought them back in house in the end.

Let’s be under no illusion with this. Just with the food, marking are doing this to save money, so expect lower standards. Sorry I mean even lower standards!

I feel deeply sorry for the staff who will be affected by this especially those who may have worked at towers for a long time.
 
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