Headends.
 

Might sound a daft question but with all this talk about NGTV upgrades and headends but what do these headends look like are they like a cab or like a big building?.

Re: Headends.
 

I have often wondered the samething, I just imagined them to look like somekind of server room.

Re: Headends.
 

I am absolutely sure Google will know. I searched for "cable headend" and chose images and well...mystery solved.

*cough*

Re: Headends.
 

A fairly big building. Think of an average-sized supermarket.

Re: Headends.
 

Used to walk past the Hemel Headend on my way to work. Three large sat dishes and a mast with an array of TV and radio antennas. Looks in a bit of a state now, and I think VM will probably de-commission it now analogue is switched off. All the digital kit is in an office building about 1/2 mile down the road.

Re: Headends.
 

as spiderplanet said there more less the size of big tesco store, ive been in one it quite impressive

Re: Headends.
 

I saw the Cardiff one from the outside and went actually in to another one in Cardiff just big rooms with lots of servers.

Re: Headends.
 

Many years ago, in the days of Cambridge Cable, I had the opportunity to visit inside our Cambridge headend and very impressive it was too. Outside there was a fair size dish farm nestling between the building and the railway lines.

The most impressive bit of kit inside was the telephone switch, rows and rows of shiny cabinets – took me back to the late 1950s when mainframes were the size of squash courts!
--John

Re: Headends.
 

The one in Leeds (as was Jones Cable, Bell CableMedia, C&W Comms, NTL, and now presumably VirginMedia) was just in the same room as the servers (DEC Alphas and WinTel, mainly), just like a big server room full of cabs and cables (in '94, we had to switch our mobile phones off if we went into the room).

Re: Headends.
 

My knowledge may be a little rusty and out of date, but..

Lewisham

Croydon


Bromley

Re: Headends.
 

A couple of shots of Virgin Baguley in case the Google map camera thingy doesn't work. :dunce:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?layer=...EclKFqZFxH3lUQ

Re: Headends.
 

Interesting reticule on the first photo, I wonder if someone was lining up a shot?

Re: Headends.
 

Naw, it's just the Google cross hairs. Any of our members working there need have no fears that it was the sight on any thing more lethal that my inability to move it out of the screen shot. :D

Re: Headends.
 

Langley. The centre of Virgin's universeAttachment 19812

Re: Headends.
 

Be careful! The CIA might be on your case.:D

Re: Headends.
 

Teesside headend.

Not too sure if there's still a call centre at the Teesside offices also.

Just noticed the gate open round the back if anyone wants to nip in ;)

Re: Headends.
 

Edinburgh headend...

Re: Headends.
 

Think this is where the rather exciting Newton Abbot headend is... looks like a right hub of activity!

Newton Abbot clicky

There is sometimes a few VM vans parked outside

Re: Headends.
 

That is not the Langley Super Headend. It may be the ex telewest headend for Slough which is also in Langley.

Re: Headends.
 

Leeds Headend (as was, may still be)

Re: Headends.
 

I agree about that picture but Telewest didn't have a headend in Slough or Langley so it can't be that.

Re: Headends.
 

Telewest certainly did. Its near Langley train station. It used to supply me my cable TV (analogue) whilst I worked at the ntl Super Headend.

Re: Headends.
 

this is the one at fishersgate Nr Brighton http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&...92.94,,0,18.02

Re: Headends.
 

The ex-Telewest TV headend that feeds Slough is in Hayes. There is a hubsite in Slough though. Maybe that is what you are thinking of.

Re: Headends.
 

Nope, it was not a hubsite whilst I was at the DMC, for 8 years. It was the headend for Slough. Mainly analogue due to the quality of the previous owners RF network.

Re: Headends.
 

We'll just have to disagree then. Analogue in Slough from ex-Telewest was fed from the Cabletime headend in Hayes. It is just migrating to digital now.

Re: Headends.
 

Agreed, we will disagree. The telewest headend engineers were all interviewed for positions at the DMC. None were offered a job.
Big place for just a hub.

Re: Headends.
 

When I click on your link I get the Baguley site in Manchester and I don't know whether it's just Google picking up on my earlier link to that location. :(

Re: Headends.
 

It's not just you I get the same

Re: Headends.
 

:D I have sooooooo many problems with Google Earth locking up my laptop every time I ask it to do anything that I am never sure whether it's working properly. Glad it wasn't just me this time for a change.

Sorry for whinging.

Re: Headends.
 

here's some pic's of a Rediffusion headend.

http://www.rediffusion.info/rcs.html

scroll to the bottom of page.

Re: Headends.
 

Not a headend, but here's VM Towers aka HQ:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&so...05477&t=h&z=18

Re: Headends.
 

Birmingham: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&so...01714&t=h&z=19

and

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&so...12,305.76,,0,5

Re: Headends.
 

Now this looks interesting, look at the shadows on the ground....
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&so...,0.003433&z=18

What could it be?:)

Or, could it be here?:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&so...10954&t=h&z=17

---------- Post added at 10:39 ---------- Previous post was at 10:14 ----------

Here's a overhead shot of a boring business park, can't better it I'm afraid, nothing of interest there of course:;)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...10954&t=h&z=17

Re: Headends.
 

Crawley Court - Arqiva
Morn Hill - Arqiva
Langley DMC - Virgin.

Re: Headends.
 

....he knows his stuff.

For those less familar with this stuff, the last one is the super headend at Langley (Slough). The other two are teleports and you can actually see some dishes. The teleports were both used by ntl, in fact owned by them, before the broadcast side got hived off.

Put it like this, the tv signals come into the super headend and are sent out, distributed, through the teleports.

Re: Headends.
 

The Super headend takes in signals, but the feeds to the regions are all done by fibre. No teleports involved.

Theres dishes visible outside the DMC as well, all 3metre dishes, all downlink dishes.

Re: Headends.
 

I know VM have fibre links to the regions and to Sky etc, but didn't ntl used to distribute the different ITV regions via the teleports as but one example? Although, we're probably talking some years ago now.

Perhaps a certain spidery friend of the forum could take a few snaps of Langley when he's next there?? Just to show it really exists!:)

Re: Headends.
 

The uplinking of ITV is one of the things that Arqiva do, but its nothing to do with cable. The cable headends either use the local DTT site to acquire their ITV or they use the Astra 2 downlink to acquire the correct ITV.

I wonder if it has changed much, but I doubt photo's would be approved of.

Re: Headends.
 

Thanks for that. I'm getting my terrestrials confused with my cables here.:)

Re: Headends.
 

i shall try and re-send it again later as i'm at work at the moment and can't get google earth sorry don't know how that happened :(

Re: Headends.
 

Photos wouldn't be allowed.. that would be a security issue for sure.

Re: Headends.
 

I didn't realise that Langley was that Langley, isn't Slough still a analogue area?

Re: Headends.
 

ntl built their DMC in Langley. It was at the time a Telewest area, before the merger. The DMC does not feed any region directly.

Re: Headends.
 

Re: Headends.
 

I wish I saw this thread earlier. I've just been there, I walked from Edinburgh Park railway station up Lochside Ct then across Redheughs Avenue stopping at Redheughs Rigg. I could have took a slight detour and not lost too much time. I could have 'spotted' it.

Maybe that's for the hardcore VM fan - see who can be the first to 'spot' all the headends :D

---------- Post added at 22:17 ---------- Previous post was at 21:19 ----------

Can anyone tell me what this building is used for? Street View

Some static shots: Link Link Link

It's Cable Plaza, Brierley Hill - it was a Telewest building until the merger.

My father tells me there were some huge satellite dishes nearby when he was in the area a couple of years ago but I can't seem to find the ones he described.

Re: Headends.
 

I thnk Cable Plaza was a call centre before closing down after the ntl/Telewest merge.

The dishes, I think, are still there and can be seen from Sainsbury's car park. http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&so...00857&t=h&z=20

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&so...,155.59,,0,2.9

Re: Headends.
 

I asked my dad if it was those dishes and he said no - maybe the pictures weren't clear enough. He said it was at the end of a car park so that makes sense.

Re: Headends.
 

VMs TV feed goes to Langley direct from Luxembourg via fibre

any dishes o/s VM buuldings in the UK are now pretty much redundant.

Re: Headends.
 

Cable Plaza is still in use by VM as offices etc.

Those are the dishes that were used for the old Dudley headend. The headend isn't there any more though as it was moved to Wolverhampton.

---------- Post added at 15:32 ---------- Previous post was at 15:31 ----------

Only some of the TV services come from Luxembourg.......not all.

Re: Headends.
 

Does anybody know where the Wolverhampton headend is?

Re: Headends.
 

Massive thread necro, which I apologise for but does anyone know where the Telford headend is? I've had a look on Google Maps, around the industrial parks but can't see anything obvious.

Re: Headends.
 

In Wolverhampton.:D

Sorry couldn't resist.;)

Re: Headends.
 

By strange coincidence, Wolverhampton

Re: Headends.
 

That would be why I can't find it in Telford then lol. I always thought it was fed from Wolverhampton, didn't realise they were in the same building.

Re: Headends.
 

Hi Jon, when Cable Midlands launched in Newport and Telford they had a fairly big office presence on the Central Park business estate (opposite what is now Wickes/Aldi).

Unlike the rest of the franchise, initially Newport and Telford were unable to receive either a Channel 7 local channel, or The Box (which was also local service at that time). Channel 7 just showed a still caption and The Box channel number broadcast static.

I guess that either means there was some kind of play-out facility on site for them the be broadcasting differently to the rest of the Cable Midlands franchise, or it could mean the opposite and the lack of these local services meant it was all just fed from Wolves.

Re: Headends.
 

Thanks for this. Think I may of found a Virgin related building in that area, on Google Maps. Has a few satellite dishes on the premises along with some vans outside. Whether it's still an office, a storage building or there's actually network equipment there, I'll leave to those more knowledgeable.

https://goo.gl/maps/Bj9aPYoDqEk

Re: Headends.
 

Uddingston Headend


http://i.imgur.com/WtUwUNt.jpg?2

http://i.imgur.com/cMF9JtD.jpg

Re: Headends.
 

That looks very likely, given the VM/Kelly vans - and is that the top of the old Telewest Communications logo on the larger dish? I work nearby so will go for a nose at some point!

Re: Headends.
 

Certainly looks like the logo. Zooming out, there's what look like some air con units around the back of the small outbuilding and maybe a couple where the dishes are. It's quite a small building compared to the one Martin linked to at Uddingston.

Re: Headends.
 

Was this thread started through sheer boredom...:D

Re: Headends.
 

I don't think so, Max, but it's as sure as hell boring the rest of us!

Re: Headends.
 

And at the other end of the M8, VM have this

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.93.../data=!3m1!1e3

EDIT: Didn't notice it was already posted 6 years ago ;)

Re: Headends.
 

Does anyone know where the Bromsgrove headend is?

I found an address via Virgin Media careers but I can't seem to find it using Google Street View.

Re: Headends.
 

And I thought train spotting was nerdy. :D

Re: Headends.
 

Bromsgrove ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,:D

Re: Headends.
 

Guess what? It's in Wolverhampton too. :)

Re: Headends.
 

Trainspotting, eh?

Choose life
Choose Virgin TV
Choose free WiFi when you're out and about
Choose a Tivo
Choose 300mb homeworks
Choose a Virgin Mobile Freestyle contract
Choose a Hub 3.0
Choose TV Anywhere and watch TV (almost) anywhere
Choose a big 4k TV and watch Netflix
Choose BT Sport included in your TV pack
Choose a Virgin phone line and natter away
Choose free servicing and repairs
Choose a V6 and stream recordings around the home
Choose Saturday night watching the latest box set
Choose Cable Forum
Choose to find out where you local head end is.... but why would I want to do a thing like that?
I could offer a million answers, all lies. But the truth is some people are just interested.
Choose life.

:D

Re: Headends.
 

I don't understand these strange obsessions at all.

Sorry, chaps, I'm double bored now. Going out to revitalise.

Now where's my list of number plates...? I've got 253 pages worth now, and that's just this week. :batty:

:D

Re: Headends.
 

I know the main regional headend is there but doesn't Bromsgrove have a hubsite?

Re: Headends.
 

It does, but you asked where the headend was.

Re: Headends.
 

Understood, I normally use the term hub site but I think when someone mentioned the Telford headend it confused me.