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BBC Text on Sky

(September 2018)

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:-(
A former member
Hello all,

I'm not sure if this has been discussed before.

I'm just wondering if there are any plans to upgrade the BBC's text / red button service on Sky? Perhaps to something similar to how it is on Virgin?

Are there technical limitations? Or other reasons?

Thanks for any input.
MD
MrDexB
I think it is less upgrading and downgrading and more not bothering much.
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
I'd like to think it was more successful when they copied the "page" concept from their analogue sister service Ceefax. Prior to introducing pages BBC Text or BBCi or whatever it was called was a pain in the proverbial backside to use as you could only get anywhere on it via the menus.

That aside I presume its technical reasons why it can't look and perform 100% the same on all platforms. Complicated somewhat now we have Sky Q though I suppose the bulk of it code wise is the same as Sky+HD.
PA
paul_hadley
What does it look like on Virgin?
BR
Brekkie
I assumed Virgin now has the Connected TV version as on Freeview and Freesat which Sky+ can't handle. Not sure about SkyQ though.
NG
noggin Founding member
In my experience the Freeview MHEG5 digital text service is by far the quickest to use on a modern TV. The Sky version is slower, and the Connected Red Button stuff is pretty, but less easy to navigate quickly. (Page numbers are still a good way of quickly navigating to the information you want from a TV remote)
MA
Markymark
In my experience the Freeview MHEG5 digital text service is by far the quickest to use on a modern TV. The Sky version is slower, and the Connected Red Button stuff is pretty, but less easy to navigate quickly. (Page numbers are still a good way of quickly navigating to the information you want from a TV remote)


How many use the TV based info services though ? There's so much talk of 'second screen' these days,
which in reality means you whip your smart phone out of your pocket, and use that for browsing data, extra info etc etc ?
KE
kernow
In my experience the Freeview MHEG5 digital text service is by far the quickest to use on a modern TV. The Sky version is slower, and the Connected Red Button stuff is pretty, but less easy to navigate quickly. (Page numbers are still a good way of quickly navigating to the information you want from a TV remote)


How many use the TV based info services though ? There's so much talk of 'second screen' these days,
which in reality means you whip your smart phone out of your pocket, and use that for browsing data, extra info etc etc ?



Apart from the BBC, I can't actually think of any other broadcaster that still has a text/red button service.

I think the decline in these services answers your question. Sky had big plans for their interactive service "Open" when it first launched, and it included things like tv banking, which never really took off because of things like smartphones, and nowadays Sky's interactive service is a shadow of its former self and is now just for things related to account support.
SP
Steve in Pudsey
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Europe they're still happy with good old Teletext
DE
deejay
I didn’t even know BBC Text was still a thing.
NG
noggin Founding member
In my experience the Freeview MHEG5 digital text service is by far the quickest to use on a modern TV. The Sky version is slower, and the Connected Red Button stuff is pretty, but less easy to navigate quickly. (Page numbers are still a good way of quickly navigating to the information you want from a TV remote)


How many use the TV based info services though ? There's so much talk of 'second screen' these days,
which in reality means you whip your smart phone out of your pocket, and use that for browsing data, extra info etc etc ?


I know a lot of older people have simply replaced CEEFAX with Digital Text. I often see my parents and my in-laws use it instead of their iPads. Particularly for sport.
MA
Martin Founding member
BBC News Online (the guys who write stories for the website) still work with a fixed character count across the top four lines of the story.

The story should really be summed up within these four paragraphs as that is what gets pulled across for digital text.

Not sure what the future holds, but working practices are still strong.

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