Mass Media & Technology

Interesting and unusual uses of teletext

(November 2017)

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RI
Riaz
Did any countries use teletext in ways that were, by our standards, interesting or unusual?
BL
bluecortina
Well teletext, in it's broadest sense, was used to distribute the channel 4 'live' schedule to the various ITV companies when C4 passed through their premises, the system was called 'Ident'. And GMTV used 'talkback in teletext' or 'tit' as it was commonly referred to, to distribute the production gallery talkback to the various places that insert the local news opt outs. Neither were receivable at viewers homes.
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GE
thegeek Founding member
Well teletext, in it's broadest sense, was used to distribute the channel 4 'live' schedule to the various ITV companies when C4 passed through their premises, the system was called 'Ident'.

The BBC had a similar system, known as Presfax, which was used to send live schedule data to the nations and regions. It may even still be going...


(in London, there's also the SSD - or Schedule something Display - which is just a VGA output of a PC showing much the same data.
MA
Markymark
Riaz posted:
Did any countries use teletext in ways that were, by our standards, interesting or unusual?


There was Level 2 Teletext which the Beeb flirted with, but never officially transmitted. The Dutch, Germans, and Swiss all made limited use of it though

http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/gallery/ceefax/in-vision.shtml
IS
Inspector Sands
Well teletext, in it's broadest sense, was used to distribute the channel 4 'live' schedule to the various ITV companies when C4 passed through their premises, the system was called 'Ident'. And GMTV used 'talkback in teletext' or 'tit' as it was commonly referred to, to distribute the production gallery talkback to the various places that insert the local news opt outs. Neither were receivable at viewers homes.

Ident was used by BBC World to trigger ads and other opt outs by the various facilities around the world that distributed the channel.

There were 2 pages - one for ads and one for programmes and triggers for readying VT machines and cutting them to air (the problem was that if they readied 'stood up' the VT machine and then the break was delayed then the tape didn't start as accurately as it should do and it could look a bit messy)

These were blocked from going to air, at least in Europe where it was replaced by the channels teletext service (that in turn generated the break filler, but that's another story)
IS
Inspector Sands

The BBC had a similar system, known as Presfax, which was used to send live schedule data to the nations and regions. It may even still be going...

(in London, there's also the SSD - or Schedule something Display - which is just a VGA output of a PC showing much the same data.

Presfax as a teletext style page is a fairly new thing, probably only 10 years or so. It was an odd black and white display before that

The SSDs go back to the first automated playout system, it's been replicated on its replacements and then got used as Presfax too. In TV Centre the SSDs were on the ringmain and in the days of the NTA on screens in the corridor outside the playout suites
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 10 November 2017 7:25pm - 2 times in total
IS
Inspector Sands
The BBC had an internal teletext service called Telfax for a while, it was shown on screens in the lift lobbies of TV Centre
http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/gallery/ceefax/telfax100.gif
Spectrum270 and DE88 gave kudos
BL
bluecortina
Well teletext, in it's broadest sense, was used to distribute the channel 4 'live' schedule to the various ITV companies when C4 passed through their premises, the system was called 'Ident'.

The BBC had a similar system, known as Presfax, which was used to send live schedule data to the nations and regions. It may even still be going...


(in London, there's also the SSD - or Schedule something Display - which is just a VGA output of a PC showing much the same data.



My wife’s first job in telly was as a Presfax clerk inputting that data at the back of the Pres gallery. Early 80’s, funny old World.
IS
Inspector Sands
A look at the American attempts at teletext, such as Nite-owl:
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DA
davidhorman
Doctor Who once used it as a, ahem, "special" effect:

https://www.thepoke.co.uk/2016/10/18/bog-off-you-twit-ass-face/

(that really is a genuine link, you'll see why)
DE88 and Inspector Sands gave kudos
NG
noggin Founding member
Riaz posted:
Did any countries use teletext in ways that were, by our standards, interesting or unusual?


There was Level 2 Teletext which the Beeb flirted with, but never officially transmitted. The Dutch, Germans, and Swiss all made limited use of it though

http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/gallery/ceefax/in-vision.shtml


Yes - still broadcast to a small degree in some countries. Many modern TVs have Level 2 decoders - you can generate a valid analogue video signal with a teletext VBI on the composite output from a Raspberry Pi - and there are data sources with valid Level 2 text pages in them. Our 2014 Sony set displays them Smile Connect the composite output from the Pi to the SCART input of the TV and you get a full teletext carousel.
NG
noggin Founding member
Doctor Who once used it as a, ahem, "special" effect:

https://www.thepoke.co.uk/2016/10/18/bog-off-you-twit-ass-face/

(that really is a genuine link, you'll see why)


Was that teletext - or just a BBC Micro in Mode 7? ( BBC Micros used the same SAA5050 chip to generate Mode 7- as most teletext decoders of that era)

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