Millbank Studios

[Steve in Pudsey]

Langham Cam is actually connected using a Free Space Optical link to a receiver on the roof of OBH, and it is indeed a PTZ camera remote controlled from BH - a Canon BU-46H.

Or so say the paperwork they had to submit to Westminster Council to get permission to install it a the listed building
https://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online...B6TRPZ5000

[aaron_scotland]

And thats why I loved the old forum and this one, Ask such an obscure question and someone has the answer!

By point to point I meant like a 5ghz wifi link or something but this seems similar just optical.

[joshuanesbit]

And thats why I loved the old forum and this one, Ask such an obscure question and someone has the answer!

By point to point I meant like a 5ghz wifi link or something but this seems similar just optical.

This is literally the best thing I’ve found all year haha

[joshuanesbit]

Free Space Optical link

But not really remote controlled in the sense that teje zoom on the opening shot to the 10 is done digitally and is built in to the automation

[joshuanesbit]

Langham Cam is actually connected using a Free Space Optical link to a receiver on the roof of OBH, and it is indeed a PTZ camera remote controlled from BH - a Canon BU-46H.

Or so say the paperwork they had to submit to Westminster Council to get permission to install it a the listed building
https://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online...B6TRPZ5000

Also, which/where is “weather cam” if that’s still a thing?
Many thanks

[Steve in Pudsey]

It was referenced in one of the recent tweets, I think it's on the Peel Wing or NBH.

[Steve in Pudsey]

Free Space Optical link

But not really remote controlled in the sense that teje zoom on the opening shot to the 10 is done digitally and is built in to the automation

That doesn't preclude that they can also physically pan and zoom it

[joshuanesbit]

Free Space Optical link

But not really remote controlled in the sense that teje zoom on the opening shot to the 10 is done digitally and is built in to the automation

That doesn't preclude that they can also physically pan and zoom it

this shot from the edition is this Langham cam? or a crane shot? looks a bit lower to my eye..

[deejay]

Free Space Optical link

But not really remote controlled in the sense that teje zoom on the opening shot to the 10 is done digitally and is built in to the automation

That doesn't preclude that they can also physically pan and zoom it

The PTZ controls for the Langham Camera are manual, have a fair amount of lag to them and it doesn’t move in a terribly smooth way. It’s also not connected to Mosart so can’t be triggered in the same way the studio camera moves can be. This is why the move is cheated by means of a DVE zoom. The night colour bars appeared on air was as a result of mosart taking the wrong source to air. The other night when the Ten started with the balcony camera was because the link to the Langham cam had failed in the minutes leading up to transmission.

[Markymark]

I imagine most of the roof cams only have CCTV grade PTZ ballistics. They would never be routinely moved on air, only to set up a shot?

[Inspector Sands]

And thats why I loved the old forum and this one, Ask such an obscure question and someone has the answer!

By point to point I meant like a 5ghz wifi link or something but this seems similar just optical.

Yep, if you've line of site it's easier and cheaper than running cables back or than some sort of internet connection. It's just across the road so presumably there's never enough weather between the two to knacker it

[valley]

I imagine most of the roof cams only have CCTV grade PTZ ballistics. They would never be routinely moved on air, only to set up a shot?

The QE2 camera which Sky have is okay when you get used to the delay. On air moves are possible.

[joshuanesbit]

I imagine most of the roof cams only have CCTV grade PTZ ballistics. They would never be routinely moved on air, only to set up a shot?

The QE2 camera which Sky have is okay when you get used to the delay. On air moves are possible.

could bbc pull footage from the QE2 camera if they so wished?

[commseng]

Yeah exactly it’s literally over the road!

I doubt the BBC have way-leave rights to do that (Dig up the road and run a fibre). It's only telcos such as BT, Virgin or Vodafone etc that can do that, and of course they'd charge install and on going rental.

Dunno, it's a good question.......

Weren't the Langham Hotel and BH originally connected via a tunnel? Couldn't that be a possibility - or would that have been removed during the BH expansion and referb...

In all honesty it may well just be fed like the wallboxes outside the Supreme Court, on Abingdon Green and in Downing Street etc. - via the existing fibre network.

The Langham was never connected to BH by a tunnel as such, but if I recall correctly there was a "steam pipe" between the two, so obviously there was a duct.
I think there was some direct cabling, but probably it was rented from and maintained by BT, who had resident engineers based in BHX (YZAR).
The cabling to many of the W1 buildings was more tedious than you would ever imagine. Lift telephones for example. Given the ancient buildings with dodgy lifts the BBC rented back then, the requirement was an important one. Teleprinter feeds, fire alarms, ring main feeds, exchange lines, and occasionally control lines, 4 wires and music lines from and to studios.

There was the tunnel between Egton House and BH, and it was used for getting pop stars out of Radio 1. While the fans were blocking Egton House, they would head through the tunnel to Old BH, then out through BHX and often out of the Hallam Street entrance.

[valley]

I imagine most of the roof cams only have CCTV grade PTZ ballistics. They would never be routinely moved on air, only to set up a shot?

The QE2 camera which Sky have is okay when you get used to the delay. On air moves are possible.

could bbc pull footage from the QE2 camera if they so wished?

They could easily feed it to them but only via prior agreement.