[zilog_jones]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_t...United_Kingdom

Apparently cable systems in the UK were only legally allowed to transmit UK terrestrial channels up until 1984. Not what happened outside of the law though...

Cable TV in the UK is not very common at all compared to here, never mind in the '60s.

[Karsini]

Originally Posted by zilog_jones

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_t...United_Kingdom

Apparently cable systems in the UK were only legally allowed to transmit UK terrestrial channels up until 1984. Not what happened outside of the law though...

Cable TV in the UK is not very common at all compared to here, never mind in the '60s.

That's correct, Sky Channel was only made available in the UK in 1984, it had been in operation in parts of Europe since 1982 (not owned by News Corp) under the name of Satellite Television. Swindon Cable was one of the first to carry it.

[Elmo]

Originally Posted by zilog_jones

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_t...United_Kingdom

Apparently cable systems in the UK were only legally allowed to transmit UK terrestrial channels up until 1984. Not what happened outside of the law though...

Cable TV in the UK is not very common at all compared to here, never mind in the '60s.

Seems they called it piped TV over there also! I will let everyone know in the other forum. OTT

Back with the systems used.

[Mike 1972]

Originally Posted by Elmo

Could you get RTE on cable in the north or did the north have many cable companies?

Cable only came to Northern Ireland in the mid-late 1990's. Oficially Cabletel/NTL/Virgin hold the franchise for "Northern Ireland" (i.e. all of NI) in practice only parts of Belfast and L/Derry are cabled (Apparently the latter network is analouge only)

In Belfast RTE and TG4 (no TV3) are on digital cable (Channels 875/876 etc) but the picture seems to be sourced from analouge and horribly cropped.

I have never heard anyone in NI call it "piped" anything

Originally Posted by zilog_jones

Apparently cable systems in the UK were only legally allowed to transmit UK terrestrial channels up until 1984.

So what about the relays of RTE Watty (and others) have referred to ?

[Elmo]

Originally Posted by Mike 1972

So what about the relays of RTE Watty (and others) have referred to ?

In ROI only areas with over the air access to BBC/ITV reception via NI and Britain were allow to have cable as it improved reception. Thats not to say that other areas didn't have some cable areas. About 40% of the pop could receive BBC/ITV before 1961 launch of RTÉ. This rule was introduced to allow RTÉ to develop with out competition in other areas. Don't know when the ban was removed. Hence all of the cable companies carried BBC 1, 2 and Channel 3 (UTV or TWW/TTW???). And why RTÉ TWO began broadcasting.

Which brings us nicely back to the point that RTÉ use the 405 and 625 lines in some areas. Have I got my lines right?

[Mike 1972]

Originally Posted by Elmo

Which brings us nicely back to the point that RTÉ use the 405 and 625 lines in some areas. Have I got my lines right?

Lines right but not grammer They used 405 and 625 but nowadays they only use 625 (oh and do some tests with some 1080 digiwhotsit)

[Elmo]

Originally Posted by Mike 1972

Lines right but not grammer They used 405 and 625 but nowadays they only use 625 (oh and do some tests with some 1080 digiwhotsit)

I wonder if the Irish Time had letters into them about 405 v 625 back in 1961. It's just like the MPEG-2 v MPEG-4 debate.

[Digifriendly]

Just to bump this thread up again I still have not got a definitive answer to my query regarding start of BBC1/UTV 625 line from Divis. Websites only give date of start of colour transmissions on these channels from Divis. I can clearly remember watching 1970 European Cup Final (Celtic vs Feyenord - think it was only on UTV) on single standard 625 line set. Have come across an excellent site re TV transmitters and their history and have e mailed my query there. The site is http://www.thebigtower.com/live/INDEX/Index.htm

[SRB]

You could always e-mail Arqiva, they might know, though I'd say any chances of anyone still being there who would know are pretty slim.

[Mike 1972]

Originally Posted by watty

Actually I remember reading Evesham carried 405 RTE.

Was/Is there a particularly large Irish Ex-pat community in that part of the world ? (Wikipedia describes it as "is a rural market town in Worcestershire") Or is it a case of them just deciding to carry it because it happened to be available ?

[SRB]

From the BBC NI website, note on the start of colour from Divis :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland...1_image1.shtml