[Harshad]

Well I know from the bit where event goes from source then to BT Tower then to the relevant broadcast company, but say you are working at Sky Sports, how do they select that fibre feed, is it like a receiver where they change channel and it just happens to be there, does it come in all encrypted or is already FTA(I presume it is).

I presume with so many feeds available to the broadcaster, they must be sort of logical system involved.

Do the ID's also have cryptic channel names like on satellite feeds (I.E BT TES 50)

OK, thanks for reading

[ariusuk]

Originally Posted by Harshad

Well I know from the bit where event goes from source then to BT Tower then to the relevant broadcast company, but say you are working at Sky Sports, how do they select that fibre feed, is it like a receiver where they change channel and it just happens to be there, does it come in all encrypted or is already FTA(I presume it is).

I presume with so many feeds available to the broadcaster, they must be sort of logical system involved.

Do the ID's also have cryptic channel names like on satellite feeds (I.E BT TES 50)

OK, thanks for reading

Every source has a "local end".
If you want to take a feed you have to book onto that local end - permanent local ends are named using a convention of three letters followed by two or three numbers.

There is a central computerised booking system.

[Rab C]

'Local ends' as mentioned above are the fixed fibre circuits to/from (usually) BT Tower to a broadcaster.

Lets just the London Studios are providing the pictures for an event that other broadcasters will pick up.. They will present the circuit to BT on one of there outgoing circuits e.g 'KRS Vxxx'.

The BBC say would want to get across that so they make a 'local end booking' to connect 'KRS Vxxx to YTOW-TVC V74'. The BBC would just book local end 'V74' as the rest is taken as read at the Tower switching centre.

BT may check with the London Studios that the BBC are allowed across the circuit. Depends on how it was booked.

Now you may ask what is KRS and YTOW-TVC....or may not

When BT terminate a local end it is usually given a unique name based on its path 'YTOW' is from the tower, TVC is TV Centre. Why 'YTOW' and not 'TOW'? Ask the Post Office they came up with the code!

But why KRS for London Studios? The original termination point was "King's Reach Studios' but over time changed name but still known by its original KRS circuit number.

To answer the original post you don't normally re-tune circuits for local ends. They are point to point fibre kit. Re-tuning is normally in the satellite domain.

[F&E]

Originally Posted by Rab C

Why 'YTOW' and not 'TOW'? Ask the Post Office they came up with the code!

The 'Y' prefix refers to an exchange not on the public network. Incidentally, there is/was a green BT cabinet at Kempton Park Racecourse bearing the stencilled letters Y/GIGI

[Harshad]

interesting replies, thanks guys, so all broadcasters have this computer system which allows them to book the right local ends.

[Rab C]

Originally Posted by Harshad

interesting replies, thanks guys, so all broadcasters have this computer system which allows them to book the right local ends.

I have been out of the Master Control Room side of things for a while now. (MCR is the signal switching room in a broadcaster).

I am sure it has changed but you used to make a local end with BT Broadcast Services who then programmed the routing switcher at the tower to route the desired source to your local end and switch it away at then end.

We did have some BT software called 'Switch 96' to book local ends yourself along the lines of I want to get across TWI's outgoing V3 and TWI have the same software to agree the booking and then the switch was done at the tower.

This system was painfully slow and it was quicker to just pick up the phone.

The has all probably changed in recent times (or maybe not!)

Originally Posted by F&E

The 'Y' prefix refers to an exchange not on the public network. Incidentally, there is/was a green BT cabinet at Kempton Park Racecourse bearing the stencilled letters Y/GIGI

Thanks for that, knew there had to be some reason