#16 - Converting a PM5689 NICAM monitor from PAL B/G to PAL-I 

Bring back memories to the 90s. The Nicam are really a technical reuse of existing system. Make a Compact Disk system, then make a Nicam system, then make a DigitalCompactCassette, then make a DAB system. Every one of them based on the same D/A 14/16bit system from the 80s 😂🤭🤭🤭

I'm a simple man - I see a VNA in the thumbnail, I click on the video!

Yes - we find it interesting! Nicam was always so impressive with the resilience of the signal. Should’ve used it instead of OFDM DAB for digital radio!

Love it.

I find it interesting coming from NTSC land. We never had NICAM. Instead of digital carrier mixed in, NTSC had MTS Multichannel Television Sound, or BTSC. Allowing up to four audio channels, of course using analog methods to keep compatibility with the original FM sound carrier. A stereo mix similar to how FM radio works. A Second Audio Program (SAP, mistaken for Spanish Audio Program) for narration or descriptive audio that still exists today, i.e. "Bart watches Lisa dance around the room." for vision impaired who listen to TV, or usually Spanish audio version of show or Spanish play by play announcers for major sporting events. Then a PRO channel for cue audio or talkback channel to field reporters and crew. However, as cell phones became prevalent, that system was less and less used. Though stations had to have a PRO receiver in the ENG field trucks to get it. Many stations that did have stereo MTS audio (allowing PRO audio to exist) didn't use that feature ever. The only place you could get digital stereo programming from TV was satellite C-Band TV in the 80's and 90's. The scrambling technique Videocipher II imbedded digital audio within the digital encryption stream. I remember hearing how good it sounded at a home theater store one time; thinking 'if I ever got a dish put up', I wanted that kind of quality. By the late 90's digital satellite services were taking over with small dishes that offered 5.1 audio with a digital picture, while not having to move the dish back and fourth for each satellite.

This channel is nourishment for my post-Brexit blues. Evidently it's a lot harder to make a test pattern that write a script for a Talking Head. 😂 🥂

Thanks for the interesting look. I really like how modular the Philips equipment is, reusing the same modules through out different units seems rather logical to me but is done very rarely. One slightly off topic question, which model / manufacturer is the green test cable you use?

Not an expert on the differences of Pal, but we have PAL M over here, what's the main difference between it and B/G or I?