ITV regions debate

[Inspector Sands]

Yes, BT was restricted in what it could do because the government of the day thought otherwise it would be competitive. How different things would have been if they hadn't have been... 

https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/world-...90-1224784

[harshy]

I imagine if I was sitting in Leeds in the early 90s I’d switch to the network channel and someone (bt) configuring it to the right network region and I’d see a coloured testcard? How would I have known the right region had been switched ?

[telebox2001]

Well, I've seen Thatcher blamed for an awful lot in my life time but that is a new one! Fascinating read, as is this thread.

I remember when my parents moved from Sky to Virgin just after the merger and I got to experience true video-on-demand, via an actual television, for the first time. The idea I could just call up a show from a menu and watch it was mind-blowing. Of course, having a fibre network they were able to be so ahead of the game. Nowadays, streaming is the be-all and end-all but back then on Virgin it was incredibly novel.

[Aplus1]

I imagine if I was sitting in Leeds in the early 90s I’d switch to the network channel and someone (bt) configuring it to the right network region and I’d see a coloured testcard? How would I have known the right region had been switched ?

The testcard would have carried a caption indicating the source? Granada colour bars, or a recognisable circuit identifier (e.g. KRS-57), etc.

[telebox2001]

I imagine if I was sitting in Leeds in the early 90s I’d switch to the network channel and someone (bt) configuring it to the right network region and I’d see a coloured testcard? How would I have known the right region had been switched ?

The testcard would have carried a caption indicating the source? e.g. Granada colour bars, etc.

Aye, bars and tone with some sort of identification, normally the airport-style 3-letter code eg. GRA.

[Markymark]

The testcard would have carried a caption indicating the source? e.g. Granada colour bars, etc.

Aye, bars and tone with some sort of identification, normally the airport-style 3-letter code eg. GRA.

The tone was actually two tones simultaneously, the combination of which identified the originating company, and a box of electronics would display the company name as an audio/video parity check in the MCRs. I gather some engineers could indentify the company from just listening to the tone ?

Basically the same method as the DTMF tones on a telephone keypad