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Originally Posted by Stu038
Completely different technologies, with nowhere near the bandwidth available to operate anything other a few analogue channels and radio channels. Also not a hope in hell of the return path thats needed for the PPV, interactive or modem services.
When Leicester Cable took over responsibility for providing the off airs to the hundreds of council flats on the Metro system we had to build new systems in them all.
Caused a few problems in parts of the city when Metro wanted to pull the plug before we had even got to them.
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Not true at all, the VHF systems use coax exactly the same as used from ntl's nodes, I think you are tallking about the old HF systems where there was one coax per channel.
The VHF stystems that extended to approx 300MHz could of been easily upgraded by breaking them down into smaller sections (reducing the cascades) and running fibre to the smaller areas, amplifier spacing would need to be looked at because of the increase bandwidth. (ie: higher losses at extended bandwidth) One of the old Metro systems in the Rhondda was actually a 860MHz system installed in the early 90's in some respects the system was more advanced than systems ntl were installing in the late 90's, unfortunately when the company was taken over by ntl progress stopped.
Many of the old HF Rediffusion systems owned by Metro were in a very bad state of repair, but to be fair the VHF systems were not that bad and it was a bad decision taken at the top from advice by a few mid managers to close them. Keeping the systems going and gradually upgrading as they started in southern Ireland would of been the best idea to retain and build on the existing customer base.
These systems would of provided a good basis for Microwave Video Distribution by breaking the networks up into smaller nodal areas if it was not cost affective to fibre to each area.
I bet the guys at the top would of made a different decision if they had been given an unbiased view!
