Recent changes on the VM Network

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  • No changes again. The lull before the storm perhaps?

    The frequency movements have given a very strong indication of what is about to happen but the rollout (of "new encoders") and the consolidation of transport streams is taking a long time.

  • What do you think is about to happen jj? Is this likely to affect ordinary viewers?

    I think they will continue the trend of merging the content of two transport streams into one. Channel bit rates be reduced to fit into the merged capacity and recordings will use less disk space. Ordinary viewers will be able to record more. They may or may not notice additional or different artefacts, depending on how efficient the new encoders are.

    At a guess, VM tie in such physical changes with a replacement schedule for obsolete equipment, which would explain the delays.

    The frequency change schedule seems a bit hit and miss though. They seem to have periods where a lot networks change frequency over a short period, then do nothing for a few weeks before the next network changes.

    Frequency changes are just that (retuning exercises basically), they don't usually need new equipment so the haphazard pattern of changes seems strange. Not unusual for VM though. The same sort of thing happened with the conversion of ex NTL Langley transport streams to match the symbol rate of the ex-Telewest / ex-C&W networks and the conversion of the last remaining 64-QAM transport streams to 256-QAM.

  • Shame Spiderplant never joined up here as he is in the position to know about this.

    As I understand it, he indicated elsewhere that it will be happening but didn't give a time scale. I think that's from the time when the new encoders were confirmed.

  • I think they will continue the trend of merging the content of two transport streams into one. Channel bit rates be reduced to fit into the merged capacity and recordings will use less disk space. Ordinary viewers will be able to record more. They may or may not notice additional or different artefacts, depending on how efficient the new encoders are.

    At a guess, VM tie in such physical changes with a replacement schedule for obsolete equipment, which would explain the delays.

    The frequency change schedule seems a bit hit and miss though. They seem to have periods where a lot networks change frequency over a short period, then do nothing for a few weeks before the next network changes.

    Frequency changes are just that (retuning exercises basically), they don't usually need new equipment so the haphazard pattern of changes seems strange. Not unusual for VM though. The same sort of thing happened with the conversion of ex NTL Langley transport streams to match the symbol rate of the ex-Telewest / ex-C&W networks and the conversion of the last remaining 64-QAM transport streams to 256-QAM.

    Maybe they are doing the mux mergers as and when replacement equipment arrives/is ready?? This might explain a flurry of activity followed by a lull.

    Virgin Media 2 was shown instead of Sky History 2 HD today:

    https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Virgin-TV-V…on/td-p/4666465

    Bet the EU & rights holders won't be happy :D

    Do you know how on Earth a VM Ireland channel could have turned up on the UK VM service jj?

  • VM Ireland could be looking to sell off their TV division:

    https://www.ft.com/con...b6-b3b1-3082b23d1a16

    If ITV PLC bought the Virgin media channels, it would be a route for them to get into broadcasting to Ireland as VM has the rights to pretty much all of ITV's programming.

    Maybe the ROI will simply get the UK ITV feed and just show Irish ads??

    ITV has been involved in Ireland before.

    https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/aug/24/itv.television

    https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media…media-1.2726030

  • As of last night I passed my access to the analysis database back to the analysis team who will be converting the system in preparation for the reports to be built into an email mailing list system. Initially, the list will be for participants only but could be made public at some point in the future.

    I'm also taking the opportunity to take a break from forums and online posting for a while. The timing seems right, especially considering recent events on the forum.

    Unfortunately, that means that updates here are suspended for the foreseeable future. Maybe I will be back at some point, right now I don't know. I have been spending an awful lot of time keeping things running, often at the expense of my personal life. It's time to reclaim my life and leave these things behind, at least for a while.

    Adios.

  • Thanks for all your updates jj, especially all those detailed tables that you've posted here. With VM gradually winding down their tv service, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of genuine channel news now as the streamers is where all the action is at.

    Have a good rest and perhaps we'll see you again at some point in the future.

    As this thread will no longer be updated, it will be closed now and please use Old Boy's thread: Virgin Media TV changes for anything new happening in the world of VM tv.

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