Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparks
Quote:
Originally Posted by Granitehill
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparks
Interesting to note that relaying television signals was a function of the Chiltern and other microwave towers. I thought only the BBC and the (then) ITA looked after this with the likes of Emley Moor, Sutton Coldfield et al.
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The microwave network was a carrier of signals - not an end-point transmitter.
BT carried the video signals from the various studios to the main station transmitters. At that point BBC/IBA combined the video with the audio and transmitted to the public. (Sound was originally sent over high-quality landline; in later times it went to "Sound in Sync" multiplexing on the video stream). BBC had a small number of microwave links of their own, but the vast majority was BT. The BBC management didn't see themselves as "bit-carriers", I understand.
What is not generally known is that BT also provided network switching to route programme sources to regional transmitters, and this switched as required by daily programme schedules. This was controlled by several BT-manned network switching centres (NSCs). The largest was at the BT Tower (actually in the associated ground-level building). This was a large installation, full of monitors and switching consoles. Not some kind of mock-up as has been suggested. I worked in the most northerly NSC in Aberdeen.
The whole system worked well as a collaborative team structure (BBC/BT/IBA). I wonder if such an organisation would be viable these days, given modern business and management practices ? |
I learn a lot on this site! Were the NSCs for both BBC and ITV stations? |
As far as memory goes, ITV switching was carried out by BT (since the programme providers were all separate companies). The BBC carried some switching themselves, but their links also routed via the NSCs. This allowed maintenance, cross patching and possible re-routes under fault conditions.
The active channels were quality monitored at the NSCs by BT - and any loss or signal degradation had to be attended to within seconds ! Of course they paid BT very serious money for this...