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BBC Red button closure reversed

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CW
Charlie Wells Moderator
Following on from https://tvforum.uk/tvhome/bbc-switch-red-button-text-44849/page-14 the BBC has reversed it's decision to end red button text services.

Quote:
The corporation had planned to remove the service due to "financial pressure".

However, following a campaign on behalf of people with disabilities, the elderly and those without online access, it has suspended the plan.

Basic key news services will now remain, although the platform will be reduced from next year.

Full article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54360998
HC
Hatton Cross
So, a basic compromise then.
It's what it should have gone down to.

Nothing more than basic uk main news headlines, basic sports news and results, weather (although that is so broad, it's next to useless. A 3c rise in temperature between two towns only 15 miles apart?)
Get rid of the pointless stuff like the newspaper reviews, stock market share prices, currencies and local regional news and sports results.

But, nothing about how they are going to keep the back end of the service going? As I understand it, it's a life expired, unsupported software system being kept alive for the sake of a couple of million un-techsavvie, or hard of hearing viewers. Reithian values at work.

Still, those still pressing 555 with nervous excitement to find out the results of Tuesdays Thunderball, prepare to be disapointed then.
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
I believe the subtitles are not part of the Red Button service but some other standard, so if the entire Red Button service was be switched off tomorrow the subtitles should still be viewable.

In the days of Ceefax and Oracle, yes, Page 888 and all that, but that hasn't been the case on digital for a while.
MI
TheMike
I believe the subtitles are not part of the Red Button service but some other standard, so if the entire Red Button service was be switched off tomorrow the subtitles should still be viewable.

In the days of Ceefax and Oracle, yes, Page 888 and all that, but that hasn't been the case on digital for a while.

Yes, subtitles are independently delivered as a different data stream.

The Red Button text service basically just scrapes content from the bbc.co.uk website.
BU
buster
I could never understand how getting rid of it saved much money anyway, wasn't there virtually nothing left that was created specifically for the service? So presumably whatever is required to maintain the technology?

I must say as my box loads Red Button +, I do miss how quick the standard Red Button text service was/is...
MI
TheMike
I could never understand how getting rid of it saved much money anyway, wasn't there virtually nothing left that was created specifically for the service? So presumably whatever is required to maintain the technology?

I must say as my box loads Red Button +, I do miss how quick the standard Red Button text service was/is...


Most of what makes up the Red Button+ service is going, lottery results and text content from BBC News and Sport apps, leaving viewers with just iPlayer content.

But Dan Taylor-Watt has said
Quote:
the traditional text and data offer will remain accessible on the majority of internet-connected televisions via the ‘Text’ button on the remote control.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/60e6c823-46da-47c8-85ce-634f4be28480

However, I know that some Freeview Play devices won't load the MHEG digital text service at all, or don't even properly support MHEG in favour of supporting HbbTV 2.0, so pressing text does nothing, only pressing red gives you Red Button+.
TI
TIGHazard

Nothing more than basic uk main news headlines, basic sports news and results, weather (although that is so broad, it's next to useless. A 3c rise in temperature between two towns only 15 miles apart?)
Get rid of the pointless stuff like the newspaper reviews, stock market share prices , currencies and local regional news and sports results.

But, nothing about how they are going to keep the back end of the service going? As I understand it, it's a life expired, unsupported software system being kept alive for the sake of a couple of million un-techsavvie, or hard of hearing viewers. Reithian values at work.


The only people I know (that have disclosed to me they own stocks anyway), are the kind of elderly untechsavvie users which this move is designed to placate.
MI
TheMike

Nothing more than basic uk main news headlines, basic sports news and results, weather (although that is so broad, it's next to useless. A 3c rise in temperature between two towns only 15 miles apart?)
Get rid of the pointless stuff like the newspaper reviews, stock market share prices , currencies and local regional news and sports results.

But, nothing about how they are going to keep the back end of the service going? As I understand it, it's a life expired, unsupported software system being kept alive for the sake of a couple of million un-techsavvie, or hard of hearing viewers. Reithian values at work.


The only people I know (that have disclosed to me they own stocks anyway), are the kind of elderly untechsavvie users which this move is designed to placate.

Like the ones who still have shares in BT from when it got privatised... (speaking from experience of older relatives)
BB
BBI45
Still, those still pressing 555 with nervous excitement to find out the results of Tuesdays Thunderball, prepare to be disapointed then.

Not another app I need to teach my dad how to use. He's only just worked out how to use Outlook.
TI
This Is Granada
I still use the red button service every day,
101: Main Headlines
102: National News
160: Regional News
201:Business News
501: Entertainment News

And thats it. No need for any of the other pages. Gone are the days of live flight arrivals pages and Food, Shares and all that.

I even recall either CBBC or Cbeebies had easy simple games you could play on the red button.....fun times!!
MI
TheMike
It will be interesting to see how the bandwidth changes as the text services reduces in scope.

It currently takes up 930kbps on Freeview. For example, a 256kbps reduction in size would help the BBC keep a couple more radio stations on air on Freeview in Scotland during the evening.
LH
lhx1985
That's actually quite a high bitrate for what is essentially a data carousel with not an awful lot of information on it.

Can't help feel that it would have been more efficient to do what most European nations did - digitise your VBI teletext service.

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