Virgin Media Box: Class Act

In article , lid
says...


Whilst fibre is not found in cabinets which handle subscriber distribution, there is an
exception.


Oops! That should have said: Whilst fibre is not normally found in cabinets which handle
subscriber distribution, there is an exception ...

--

Terry

"Sheila" wrote in message
...

"Rick" wrote in message
...

"Sheila" wrote in message
...

"ian field" wrote in message
...

"Sheila" wrote in message
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"Mark Carver" wrote in message
...
Photographed this on my walk to work this morning:-

http://www.markyboy.net/vmbox.jpg (850k)

Last week, the daisy chained white cable ties were half way up the
cabinet, holding the door closed, quelle surprise this morning it
looks like this. Curiously the vandals haven't ripped the guts out
(yet)

I don't know who's the dimmest. The vandals, or Virgin Media for such
a pathetically insecure installation ?

--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

http://www.paras.org.uk/


I would go with "Virgin Media for such a pathetically insecure
installation". It may have been visited by vandals, but I am not
totally convinced. Three observations, VM contractors have been known
to use force to gain access to cabinets, no attempt has been made to
vandalise the contents

That'll be because it was copper thieves who lost interest at first
sight of the fibre-optic cables.


The UK's Cable TV/Broadband network uses coax to distribute the network
from street cabinets to customers homes.


But as Terry has pointed out, it's not copper it's a stainless steel
copper plated inner and stainless steel braid, or all of the stuff that
I've ever seen (or used) has been, going right back to the days of the
original United Artists.

Yes, the idea that copper thieves forced the doors was a daft idea. My
point was to correct the comment that VM's street distribution cabinets
contain fibre-optic cables.



The original system where I live was installed quite a few years ago by the
aforementioned United Artists (now Virgin) an American Company, I wonder if
they use same style cabinets in the U.S. and if so, the reason that they
aren't designed to be bomb proof is simply because they don't have the the
same proliferation of moronic chavs who constantly vandalise them in the
same way as they do here in the UK?

Mark Carver wrote:
Ian Jackson wrote:

http://www.markyboy.net/vmbox2.jpg

Did you forget to turn on the flash? All I'm getting here is a blank
black screen ...

(The first one is still ok.)

The first time I looked at the photo, it was OK. Now its all dark.
However, the EXIF data says the flash did fire.

Indeed it did, but the camera's generally not that good. It does have a
really good mobile phone application though, and that does work very well.

Anyway, I'll take a shot in daylight tomorrow morning, and update the
gruesome picture.
I'm gutted. I saw the most splendid example of DIY aerial botchery
today, took a pic on my phone, and it's out of focus.

Bill

In article , says...


The original system where I live was installed quite a few years ago by the
aforementioned United Artists (now Virgin) an American Company, I wonder if
they use same style cabinets in the U.S. and if so, the reason that they
aren't designed to be bomb proof is simply because they don't have the the
same proliferation of moronic chavs who constantly vandalise them in the
same way as they do here in the UK?


In the States, it's mostly out of reach because they use overhead distribution - like BT
still do for telephones in some places.

Hence the underground (in the UK) subscriber distribution feed is know as a 'drop' cable.

Cable companies aren't allowed to use overhead distribution in the UK but BT still can
and do ...

--

Terry

On 08/02/2011 19:04, Rick wrote:

"Sheila" wrote in message
...

"Rick" wrote in message
...

"Sheila" wrote in message
...

"ian field" wrote in message
...

"Sheila" wrote in message
...

"Mark Carver" wrote in message
...
Photographed this on my walk to work this morning:-

http://www.markyboy.net/vmbox.jpg (850k)

Last week, the daisy chained white cable ties were half way up
the cabinet, holding the door closed, quelle surprise this
morning it looks like this. Curiously the vandals haven't ripped
the guts out (yet)

I don't know who's the dimmest. The vandals, or Virgin Media for
such a pathetically insecure installation ?

--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

http://www.paras.org.uk/


I would go with "Virgin Media for such a pathetically insecure
installation". It may have been visited by vandals, but I am not
totally convinced. Three observations, VM contractors have been
known to use force to gain access to cabinets, no attempt has been
made to vandalise the contents

That'll be because it was copper thieves who lost interest at first
sight of the fibre-optic cables.


The UK's Cable TV/Broadband network uses coax to distribute the
network from street cabinets to customers homes.


But as Terry has pointed out, it's not copper it's a stainless steel
copper plated inner and stainless steel braid, or all of the stuff
that I've ever seen (or used) has been, going right back to the days
of the original United Artists.

Yes, the idea that copper thieves forced the doors was a daft idea. My
point was to correct the comment that VM's street distribution
cabinets contain fibre-optic cables.



The original system where I live was installed quite a few years ago by
the aforementioned United Artists (now Virgin) an American Company, I
wonder if they use same style cabinets in the U.S. and if so, the reason
that they aren't designed to be bomb proof is simply because they don't
have the the same proliferation of moronic chavs who constantly
vandalise them in the same way as they do here in the UK?

The moronic chavs are there all right but I'd bet that they have more
lucrative targets to go for.
Plus, of course, the possibility of them getting shot if someone (not
necessarily a cop) saw them at it...

George

Peter Duncanson wrote:
On Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:22:40 +0000, Mark Carver
wrote:

Ian Jackson wrote:

http://www.markyboy.net/vmbox2.jpg
Did you forget to turn on the flash? All I'm getting here is a blank
black screen ...

(The first one is still ok.)

The first time I looked at the photo, it was OK. Now its all dark.
However, the EXIF data says the flash did fire.
Indeed it did, but the camera's generally not that good. It does have a
really good mobile phone application though, and that does work very well.

Anyway, I'll take a shot in daylight tomorrow morning, and update the
gruesome picture.

I've put a processed version of that picture on my website
(temporarily):
http://www.peterduncanson.net/temp/vmbox2.jpg

You've made it worse by putting the whole tonal range into the middle.
The blacks are 46/256 above black and the whites are 188/256 above
black. Better to use the full tonal range and merely tweak the gamma to
increase midrange contrast.

Bill

ian field wrote:
"Sheila" wrote in message
...
"ian field" wrote in message
...
"Mark Carver" wrote in message
...
ian field wrote:
"Sheila" wrote in message
I would go with "Virgin Media for such a pathetically insecure
installation". It may have been visited by vandals, but I am not
totally convinced. Three observations, VM contractors have been known
to use force to gain access to cabinets, no attempt has been made to
vandalise the contents
That'll be because it was copper thieves who lost interest at first
sight of the fibre-optic cables.
95% of the cables in there are copper coax, and power
95% of 0 is...........................
There is a mass of around 50 coax cables connected to the network in the
centre of the photo. Mark's statement is a fair approximation.


Please Mr scrap metal merchant - what can you give me for a few yards of
co-ax and a sprig of 3A mains lead?


Thieves aren't always logical though. We get stuff pinched from our jobs
that is virtually worthless.

Bill

On 08/02/2011 19:16, Terry Casey wrote:
In , says...


The original system where I live was installed quite a few years ago by the
aforementioned United Artists (now Virgin) an American Company, I wonder if
they use same style cabinets in the U.S. and if so, the reason that they
aren't designed to be bomb proof is simply because they don't have the the
same proliferation of moronic chavs who constantly vandalise them in the
same way as they do here in the UK?


In the States, it's mostly out of reach because they use overhead distribution - like BT
still do for telephones in some places.

Hence the underground (in the UK) subscriber distribution feed is know as a 'drop' cable.

Cable companies aren't allowed to use overhead distribution in the UK but BT still can
and do ...

http://www.superstock.com/stock-phot...es/1566-272977

Bill Wright wrote:


You've made it worse by putting the whole tonal range into the middle.
The blacks are 46/256 above black and the whites are 188/256 above
black. Better to use the full tonal range and merely tweak the gamma to
increase midrange contrast.

Thanks for your concern chaps, the enhancements from Rick and Peter are very
good, but just as you can't beat having more signal in the first place, rather
than trying to boost it, I will take a new shot tomorrow morning, with the
fine example of telecommunication engineering excellence, glowing in early
morning Hampshire sunlight.


--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

www.paras.org.uk

"George Weston" wrote in message ...
On 08/02/2011 19:16, Terry Casey wrote:
In , says...


The original system where I live was installed quite a few years ago by the
aforementioned United Artists (now Virgin) an American Company, I wonder if
they use same style cabinets in the U.S. and if so, the reason that they
aren't designed to be bomb proof is simply because they don't have the the
same proliferation of moronic chavs who constantly vandalise them in the
same way as they do here in the UK?


In the States, it's mostly out of reach because they use overhead distribution - like BT
still do for telephones in some places.

Hence the underground (in the UK) subscriber distribution feed is know as a 'drop' cable.

Cable companies aren't allowed to use overhead distribution in the UK but BT still can
and do ...

http://www.superstock.com/stock-phot...es/1566-272977

But the Rediffusion did. Big time!

Does anyone remember the TV ads for "The Rediffusion Wire" with the animated bird
"Rediffusion Reggie"?

--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%