The TV Question Amnesty Thread

I am too. I wonder whether my tv is receiving a transmitter on the IOM or whether Winter Hill (where I get my TV) is set up to report both England/Northwest and IOM as the region as well as Wales. I’ve never tried selecting IOM to see what happens.

I gather the whole of the North West got an NWT special opt covering the IoM elections fairly recently.

I suspect there may be ways to fudge the system to allow an IoM only opt on DTT while Winter Hill stays with network, but I guess the BBC's commitment to platform neutrality blocks that.

I doubt there is the facility, it would require deepish dynamic config within the CCM centres, technically very possible, but politically you're involving the CCM operator (still Atos?) in playout matters. I think the repatching of a buddy region in failure modes is about as far down that road as they can go?

Where do you live, and give it a try. Your telly is unlikely to explode 😎

Repatch the Winter Hill (etc) feeds to a buddy region (as in a failure situation) or network then Salford opt out as normal?

Yes, as I say, technically easy, but I think there are probably contractual and cost and compliance issues ?

Obviously I'm not party to what those contracts do and don't allow for, my point was just that it probably could be done if there was a will to do so but on the last occasion when it might be editorially justified, they didn't.

I suspect the functionality will be on a wish list somewhere, but in the present climate still just a wish !

It might change when the regional opting infrastructure is rebuilt for HD opts etc

I'm not sure it is that easy, or how feasible Steve's suggestion would be. What each individual transmitter gets is something thats in Arqivas domain, not the BBCs. The BBC just deliver transport streams to them to put on the relevant transmitters


It might be fairly easy for Arqiva to chop and change - I think it's all done in IP these days so it's either very easy or very complicated! But it won't be something which is normal working practise and therefore not without risks or some costs - it would be outside the existing contract.

If the IoM transmitters are on a different SIPSI group (which there's evidence they are, possibly to chop BBC local radio out of the mux) then the BBC/Atos CCMs will be generating a different stream for PSB 1. That's upstream of Arqiva's involvement, they take what's falling out of the fibre at each Tx site (as far as PSB 1 and 3 are concerned) .

Arqiva only manage code and mux for PSB2, and the COMs

No, the BBC give Arqiva their MUXs and from there to the TX site is up to them.


Having a different grouping doesn't necessarily mean a different stream though does it? Doesn't the Channel Islands get the same PSB3 as those on the mainland, but without ITV HD? ITV HD gets to Fremont Point but is either stripped out or the service IDs not broadcast?

I think it's similar in the Midlands where there are to many local radio stations in the region so there's a sub grouping meaning the ones in the west don't carry stations like Derby and the ones in the east don't get those like Hereford and Worcester. AIUI it's the same PSB1 leaving the BBC, just a fudge to accommodate everything, they're not coding 2 w midlands muxes and didn't put any new distribution in for local radio

Ah, well, I thought 'BBC' CCM produced the customised versions of PSB 1 and 3, and handed those to Arqiva ? If Arqiva receive one great big lump of all services, then that complicates even further the long wished for regional HD opts ! ?

There's quite a lot of kit in the CCMs
https://dbbroadcast.co.uk/bbc-ccm-nodes/