Post AVQuF2oRuitbSxKQ1A by jgordon@appdot.net
 (DIR) More posts by jgordon@appdot.net
 (DIR) Post #AVQtVJTVdEddp2jAHY by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
       2023-05-08T03:41:54Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       Earlier cable TV systems did not have stereo channel capabilities (nor did anyone yet have stereo reception TV sets!) So, for channels like MTV, the system would put the stereo audio on an unused FM frequency, and you could receive the stereo on an FM receiver tuned to that frequency. The systems also usually sent most of the local major FM stations that way.
       
 (DIR) Post #AVQuF2oRuitbSxKQ1A by jgordon@appdot.net
       2023-05-08T03:50:14Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @lauren I’d forgotten.
       
 (DIR) Post #AVQuJOwxYA8HHXO1lg by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
       2023-05-08T03:51:01Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @angelastella I did experiments with bleeding edge equipment at an operating cable TV headend, usually all by myself in the dead of night. It was quite amusing.
       
 (DIR) Post #AVQuZjTuyvoDaoaddo by wndlb@mas.to
       2023-05-08T03:53:56Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @lauren I’m almost sure I recollect watching, say, Live Aid on cable, with the TV’s (crappy!) sound muted, and the FM, through the stereo receiver, turned W-A-Y up.
       
 (DIR) Post #AVRAWetlAEajmBEWnY by himay@mastodon.cloud
       2023-05-08T06:52:39Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @lauren I remember encountering those in the late 80s early 90s as a cable tv installer.
       
 (DIR) Post #AVRJV51LyAm1nm6i9o by deborahh@mstdn.ca
       2023-05-08T08:32:58Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @lauren no kidding! I had no idea.
       
 (DIR) Post #AVRkmt2rvkycdRX1BA by Vmarks@mastodon.social
       2023-05-08T13:37:56Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @lauren I still have a few of those adapters.
       
 (DIR) Post #AVRqX8UBM3X9cBBChE by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
       2023-05-08T14:43:03Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @Vmarks They're still useful.
       
 (DIR) Post #AVRrLMTTcTFnTknbvc by wndlb@mas.to
       2023-05-08T12:42:22Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @lauren Funny thing, though: this worked! There wasn't a perceptible time gap (typically) between the sound and the video. Now, CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC and BBC can be as much as like 5 seconds off from each other on the same 'live' feeds (a Biden press conference).
       
 (DIR) Post #AVRrLONsWFxpOyCATo by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
       2023-05-08T14:52:29Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @wndlb The reason live feeds like that are not in sync with each other is that the processing chains and buffers vary from stream to stream. But video and audio on each will be in sync. In the MTV case I mentioned, the video and stereo audio came on the same satellite transponder, and the headend merely had to route the audio part to the FM exciter.
       
 (DIR) Post #AVRtQ2l2YLgtgWNHvc by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
       2023-05-08T15:15:45Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @Vmarks Technical term: "baluns".