BBC Schedula: Difference between revisions

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This system had at it's heart a specially programmed BBC Microcomputer, which controlled the [[Station Video Mux]] and [[Network Audio Mux]] feeding YSTV's network output until Summer 2005, when it was replaced by [[Spider and SchedSeven]].
This system had at it's heart a specially programmed BBC Microcomputer, which controlled the [[Station Video Mux]] and [[Network Audio Mux]] feeding YSTV's network output until Summer 2005, when it was replaced by [[Spider and SchedSeven]].


First created around {{unsure|1994}}, by {{unsure|[[Dominic Plunkett]] and [[Adrian Jones]]}} and then later probably re-written by {{unsure|[[Rob Sprowson]]?? When??}}
First created around 1994, by [[Dominic Plunkett]] and [[Alan Murrell]]. Dominic worked out how to drive YSTV's satellite receiver by analysing the bit pattern emitted from the remote control, and transcribed this into the BBCs memory (this was quite a feat as the BBC does not have much memory). However, he never let slip as to how he worked out it was actually on.
 
During 1994-95 it was let loose to the masses, and [[Chris Kwouk]] stepped forward as a keen exponent as he knew it was the answer to many of YSTV's scheduling problems. However, some people were slightly baffled by user interface. During a visit to [[Alan Murrel]] sometime later in 1995 [[Owain Davies]] discussed the issue of the user interface with Alan and suggested he could write an alternate but he could never match the excellent work that had been done in device control. Alan offered to substitute the user interface for a serial interface thus allowing another computer to control the BBC schedula.
 
Owain set about writing a user interface based in C on a DOS platform. The program would need to run from a boot disk disk on a hard disk less 386. He thought he would try and use pointers to store all of the scheduling information. This version soon found itself in the bin after many crashes and he reverted to a static array. The resulting system looked a little like a personal planner on a sky box today. True to his word, Alan, produced the ammended program for the BBC. First trial, did not go successful at first, until Alan advised to lift the front edge up of the BBC up a couple of centimetres and then drop it. After which, much to Owain's delight, it worked. The new system proved popular and was used during 1995-96.
 
At the start of 1996-97, Owain attempted a further feat with the PC user interface. He had experimented with an extremely crude VGA to composite converter from Bull Electrical, that somehow seemed to work. His aim was to get the scheduler to announce the start of a program and show schedules by putting it's VGA output to network and showing some graphics. It was trialed before it was ready, and the system would get itself into a very confused state. Reluctantly, he reverted to the previous version.
 
[[Rob Sprowson]] came along a little while later and further improved it.

Revision as of 19:06, 4 May 2007

BBC as in BBC Microcomputer, not BBC as in BBC broadcasts, although for much of it's history most of the content controlled was rebroadcasts of mainstream TV.

This system had at it's heart a specially programmed BBC Microcomputer, which controlled the Station Video Mux and Network Audio Mux feeding YSTV's network output until Summer 2005, when it was replaced by Spider and SchedSeven.

First created around 1994, by Dominic Plunkett and Alan Murrell. Dominic worked out how to drive YSTV's satellite receiver by analysing the bit pattern emitted from the remote control, and transcribed this into the BBCs memory (this was quite a feat as the BBC does not have much memory). However, he never let slip as to how he worked out it was actually on.

During 1994-95 it was let loose to the masses, and Chris Kwouk stepped forward as a keen exponent as he knew it was the answer to many of YSTV's scheduling problems. However, some people were slightly baffled by user interface. During a visit to Alan Murrel sometime later in 1995 Owain Davies discussed the issue of the user interface with Alan and suggested he could write an alternate but he could never match the excellent work that had been done in device control. Alan offered to substitute the user interface for a serial interface thus allowing another computer to control the BBC schedula.

Owain set about writing a user interface based in C on a DOS platform. The program would need to run from a boot disk disk on a hard disk less 386. He thought he would try and use pointers to store all of the scheduling information. This version soon found itself in the bin after many crashes and he reverted to a static array. The resulting system looked a little like a personal planner on a sky box today. True to his word, Alan, produced the ammended program for the BBC. First trial, did not go successful at first, until Alan advised to lift the front edge up of the BBC up a couple of centimetres and then drop it. After which, much to Owain's delight, it worked. The new system proved popular and was used during 1995-96.

At the start of 1996-97, Owain attempted a further feat with the PC user interface. He had experimented with an extremely crude VGA to composite converter from Bull Electrical, that somehow seemed to work. His aim was to get the scheduler to announce the start of a program and show schedules by putting it's VGA output to network and showing some graphics. It was trialed before it was ready, and the system would get itself into a very confused state. Reluctantly, he reverted to the previous version.

Rob Sprowson came along a little while later and further improved it.