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This Morning Breakdown

Split from ITV Programming Thread (November 2017)

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GE
thegeek Founding member
Steve in Pudsey posted:
So it seems that the issue was the feed(s) from the studio at the South Bank getting to ITV pres, due it seems to an issue at BT Tower. How come some regions got the Greenwhich Data Switch slate and others got Slough? Is it down to whether the region is handled by Chiswick or Leeds?

I think that's a reasonable bet - sending one via one path and one via another gives you a bit of diversity. Unless they both go down at once.
I'm not sure that the signal path actually touches BT Tower (it's not a facility line), but the network is managed from there.
MA
Markymark
ttt posted:

UTV is an ITV station - always has been. It would have been entirely acceptable to just hard-switch the entire output to the ITV feed to cover a technical problem.


I'm not sure UTV Belfast have any direct connection to their transmission chain now, are they not just a remote source into Chiswick, and Chiswick feeds Divis etc ? (Just like all the other ITV regions)
IS
Inspector Sands
thegeek posted:

I think that's a reasonable bet - sending one via one path and one via another gives you a bit of diversity. Unless they both go down at once.
I'm not sure that the signal path actually touches BT Tower (it's not a facility line), but the network is managed from there.

Yes, my understanding is that it's an MPLS based network so the signals for the paths will go via various routes depending on the network conditions.

If some people saw the caption from the Greenwich node and some from the Slough one then that would suggest that the 2 paths are both going to air, one to some outlets/regions, one to others - rather than a main and reserve setup
BL
bluecortina
Jonwo87 posted:
I expect that Holly and Phil will quit together when the time comes. I imagine ITV has a list of people who they can replace them with as a contingency plan.


Indeed, the world's graveyards are full of people who thought they were indispensable.
MA
Markymark
bluecortina posted:
Jonwo87 posted:
I expect that Holly and Phil will quit together when the time comes. I imagine ITV has a list of people who they can replace them with as a contingency plan.


Indeed, the world's graveyards are full of people who thought they were indispensable.


No one is indispensable for longer than about a fortnight.
JA
james-2001
Jonwo87 posted:
I expect that Holly and Phil will quit together when the time comes. I imagine ITV has a list of people who they can replace them with as a contingency plan.


Keith Lemon and Stephen Mulhern? Razz
RK
Rkolsen
Surprised one backup wasn’t satellite especially with several hours of live programming going out each day. Use same transponder for the TLS programs and later for ITV News.


But it looks like they got back online by feeding the circuit through ITN who fed it to the NOC.



Last edited by Rkolsen on 22 November 2017 9:51am
NG
noggin Founding member
Rkolsen posted:
Surprised one backup wasn’t satellite especially with several hours of live programming going out each day. Use same transponder for the TLS programs and later for ITV News.


But it looks like they got back online by feeding the circuit through ITN who fed it to the NOC.





I'm not surprised at all.

The BT Tower has been an integral part of the ITV Network for decades and until relatively recently was deemed robust enough to handle both main and reserve routing due to independent arrangements for power, routing etc. for BAU stuff. I think questions are now being asked.

There was a very prominent failure a couple of years ago that meant some high profile ITV shows started to use Digital microwave circuits as backup backhaul connectivity, and I am aware of some BBC shows that plan a 'non-Tower' route for very high profile content, but for day-to-day ITV routing it has been the norm literally for decades. It used to be an absolutely key element of how ITV operated in the days of the regional franchises actually operating as regional franchises.

Also - strong possibility any satellite uplink and downlink may well have been routed via the BT Tower at both ends anyway... I don't think TLS have their own on-site uplinks (they are rare inside the M25) - so they'd need to route to an off-site uplink - and I suspect that would have been via local ends to BT Tower...
deejay, UKnews and TROGGLES gave kudos
MA
Markymark
noggin posted:
Rkolsen posted:
Surprised one backup wasn’t satellite especially with several hours of live programming going out each day. Use same transponder for the TLS programs and later for ITV News.


But it looks like they got back online by feeding the circuit through ITN who fed it to the NOC.





I'm not surprised at all.

The BT Tower has been an integral part of the ITV Network for decades and until relatively recently was deemed robust enough to handle both main and reserve routing due to independent arrangements for power, routing etc. for BAU stuff. I think questions are now being asked.

There was a very prominent failure a couple of years ago that meant some high profile ITV shows started to use Digital microwave circuits as backup backhaul connectivity, and I am aware of some BBC shows that plan a 'non-Tower' route for very high profile content, but for day-to-day ITV routing it has been the norm literally for decades. It used to be an absolutely key element of how ITV operated in the days of the regional franchises actually operating as regional franchises.

Also - strong possibility any satellite uplink and downlink may well have been routed via the BT Tower at both ends anyway... I don't think TLS have their own on-site uplinks (they are rare inside the M25) - so they'd need to route to an off-site uplink - and I suspect that would have been via local ends to BT Tower...


Talking to someone today, it was the TLS to BT Tower link that failed ( they say)
IS
Inspector Sands
My understanding, according to the grapevine is that it was a bit of a bigger cock up than just that.

As TheGeek says it almost certainly isn't a traditional Tower 'local end' but ITVs network which is managed and supplied by BT (the BBC have recently moved to something similar).
WH
Whataday Founding member
Anyone remember that failure about 15 years ago which meant certain feeds could be picked up on Sky boxes and we got to see the studio feed of several live shows including a very grumpy Richard & Judy during the ad breaks?
EL
elmarko
No but someone else better have details cos that sounds ace
scottishtv and thegeek gave kudos

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