[i.h]

It might be hidden away now, but the NTL Pension Association site had a video from the 90s showing exactly what NTL had built for Westcountry. Lots of microwave links between the sub regions, Plymouth, Cardiff and the transmitters. Perhaps that's what you remember seeing?

from memory it didn't go into huge detail about the opts (though it did show a network map with Plymouth as the nerve centre) but it did point out that the use of digital video compression meant that there was spare capacity that WC used for internal data and phone links too.

Would also explain any mistakes prior to 1993, since each transmitter would have both WC/NTL and TSW/BT feeds available.

Another interesting point of comparison with HTV - as Andrew Wiseman's page points out, they claimed that PDC (programme delivery control) was unreliable, yet (I presume in their role as playout contractor) speedily provided a working system to Westcountry to make them the first ITV region to switch it on.