It was interesting to read about RTE's cable company that relayed BBC 1, BBC 2 and ITV. I remember reading about an edition of Swap Shop where there was a caller from Dublin and Noel Edmonds said something like "you're not supposed to be watching us".
There was something not quite right about the 'Dublin to London' TV links in the 80s. I remember an edition of BBC NewsNight being broadcast from Dublin, that fell off the air a couple of times, as the signal was all over the place. At one point you could see a jump, as someone attempted to patch in a different circuit. And also in the 80s, a Hurling Match on C4 completely fell off the air, with similar effects. It all reminded me of the Euro (or whatever it was called then ?) 1980 football matches from Italy, that were similarly affected. Some ended up being switched to b/w because the chroma noise was intolerable
So one channel of the link was the equivalent of one TV circuit or 960 calls in one direction, then for something like the Eurovision Song Contest when there was the need for at least 2 TV circuits that's a third of the capacity. Did they ever have occasions when no phone calls could be made between certain locations?
So one channel of the link was the equivalent of one TV circuit or 960 calls in one direction, then for something like the Eurovision Song Contest when there was the need for at least 2 TV circuits that's a third of the capacity. Did they ever have occasions when no phone calls could be made between certain locations?
I don't think so. Phone calls took priority probably ? There were what were called protection circuits, that the broadcasters could use for ad hoc use, on the understanding that if it was required for 'other' use, it would just vanish. Commseng will give us chapter and verse at his next tea break hopefully !
To get this thread back on topic, I've just watched the tragic incident, and I WON'T be putting the link on here. I've mentioned this elsewhere before, but I think that part of the delay was, no one knew what was happening. LWT put up cue dots, and were no doubt on the red phone to the other regions, to tell them they were going to an ad break quicker than planned. Apparently, one or two regions, when the outro was shown before the ad break, were then left with about 10 seconds of black screen, as they were getting the ad break ready. Certainly, if someone was having a heart attack, I'd have expected them to possibly clutch their chest, gasp for breath; with Tommy Cooper, when he fell, it sounded like, and one point, he was snoring.
You also see, as the title card is up, that the curtain is moved over Tommy, putting him behind it.
Certainly, if someone was having a heart attack, I'd have expected them to possibly clutch their chest, gasp for breath; with Tommy Cooper, when he fell, it sounded like, and one point, he was snoring.
That's what happens when you graduate in medical training from the University of Hollywood's Film & TV Cliche course
So one channel of the link was the equivalent of one TV circuit or 960 calls in one direction, then for something like the Eurovision Song Contest when there was the need for at least 2 TV circuits that's a third of the capacity. Did they ever have occasions when no phone calls could be made between certain locations?
The price might have been equivalent to 960 phone calls - it does't necessarily mean that was the capacity.
To get this thread back on topic, I've just watched the tragic incident, and I WON'T be putting the link on here. I've mentioned this elsewhere before, but I think that part of the delay was, no one knew what was happening. LWT put up cue dots, and were no doubt on the red phone to the other regions, to tell them they were going to an ad break quicker than planned.
The cue dots were probably there anyway as the break was due, it just started a bit early
Quote:
Certainly, if someone was having a heart attack, I'd have expected them to possibly clutch their chest, gasp for breath; with Tommy Cooper, when he fell, it sounded like, and one point, he was snoring.
That is quite common with heart attacks, it's Agonal breathing:
So one channel of the link was the equivalent of one TV circuit or 960 calls in one direction, then for something like the Eurovision Song Contest when there was the need for at least 2 TV circuits that's a third of the capacity. Did they ever have occasions when no phone calls could be made between certain locations?
The price might have been equivalent to 960 phone calls - it does't necessarily mean that was the capacity.
The page posted said that each of the 6 channels on the link could carry 960 phone calls in one direction, or one colour TV channel.
So one TV feed would take the capacity needed for 960 phone calls?
Of course they couldn't have one way phonecalls so on 6 channels that would be 2880 phone calls
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 25 July 2020 5:27pm - 2 times in total
Certainly, if someone was having a heart attack, I'd have expected them to possibly clutch their chest, gasp for breath; with Tommy Cooper, when he fell, it sounded like, and one point, he was snoring.
That's what happens when you graduate in medical training from the University of Hollywood's Film & TV Cliche course
That's the silver lining that comes from seeing the incident. I, for one, had never seen what a "real" heart attack looks like, and as unpleasant as it was to see, I definitely learnt quite a lot as a result of not just the video, but the subsequent discussions on earlier threads.