IBA's Satellite Uplink for BSB's D2-MAC Service at Chilworth (1990)

[@JimGardner]

Pretty incredible that they build all of this without any real idea if people were interested in buying it, and in the face of Murdoch already in full swing with a rival system. Just goes to show how powerful the IBA used to be in UK broadcasting. And all for a whole five channels!

[@anthonyperkins7556]

Jim Gardner it was far better than Astra

[@cjmillsnun]

To be fair. Sky TV was launched a year after this project got under way.

[@brandonbarr2784]

They said same about cell phones now everyone has one.

[@brandonbarr2784]

Only 5 channels we had 100 in USA in 1990

[@petitnicolas33]

It was similary in France about the same period. But worth : the 2 satellites based on another plateform's model than Marco Polo have encountered many technical problems mainly on their transponders(only 5 for each one). They broke down one after one up to became unusable. The whole project in MAC standard was abandonned quickly after that...

[@Badger_Watch42]

I would have loved to have worked for the IBA

[@SnabbKassa]

Great stuff. DOS and Windows 2 interfaces. And a building site with no hi-viz.

[@anthonyperkins7556]

This was before the imposition of law that mandated the wearing of hi viz clothing by construction workers.

[@stephenneal7373]

Hate to be a bore - but BSB used D-MAC not D2-MAC (which was the reduced bandwith variant designed for compatibility with European cable systems)

[@solsburian]

The facility is still in use (and has been expanded) by Sky.

[@steeviebops]

9:07 - Windows 2.0!

[@kaw203]

All that work and cost for something that was dead in a couple of years.

[@RyanGonTV]

Sky uses the uplink station to this day,

[@kaw203]

@@RyanGonTV really is it still used

[@RyanGonTV]

@@kaw203 Yup! Still in use to this day.

[@christopherthompson2167]

£100,s of millions of pounds spent and BSB lasted just over a year. Unbelievable!

[@jasonl5967]

I wonder what happened to all of the gear when BSB merged with Sky and the 2 satellites were sold off

[@cjmillsnun]

The boxes could be modified to receive D-MAC signals from other satellites. Of course now they are completely obsolete.

[@antster1983]

The satellites saw further use in Scandinavia; they've long since been in graveyard orbit (later joined by some of the Astra satellites). The uplink facility at Chilworth was taken over by Sky who still operate it today.

[@liewstbboitt6212]

Did you show this on engineering announcements

[@clyth41]

5 channels oooooooo lucky us

[@SteveInScotland]

Considering you were more than doubling what we had, it was a big jump forward.

[@1697djh]

Colin Everton ETID Sky offered 5 channels in the beginning, no Sky Sports, but Eurosport was the sport channel

[@RyanGonTV]

@Colin Everton ETID. I see you misunderstood. This was new technology, that was how much transponders they could fit on the marcopolo satellites. In fact one satellite held 3 channels and the other held the 2 other ones.

[@clyth41]

​@@RyanGonTV I know I was actually joking haha I had sky TV in the very early days.. With screensport, mtv Europe sky channel ect... Was brilliant. Loved it.. With a 16 channel amstrad receiver and 60cm dish

[@clyth41]

​@@SteveInScotland I was joking 👍

[@danishbacon.]

DMAC. Not D2MAC