Ceefax STILL GOING!

While they could keep Pages from Ceefax running after DSO, given that I believe Ceefax is automatically generated from the online/red button data these days, I can't see why they would want to keep it given that it is an extra service to maintain for little gain.

I wouldn't be surprised come DSO in Northern Ireland if it is replaced by News Channel. If they decide they do want to keep a Pages from Ceefax style service, I expect it would be replaced by something a bit more modern, even if it's as simple as webpage with the latest headlines on loop.

Like I said, it depends who's on shift - sometimes it's a line feed from London, sometimes it's locally generated. Not everyone seems to know the where to find the Glasgow teletext decoder on the router!

DTT (and Digital Cable, I think?) viewers haven't had any teletext services since the launch of onDigital. I thought the only reason Astra carried the VBI data is because they hadn't finalised a DVB-S subtitles protocol? (And hence also why there is no Subtitles button on the Sky remote?)

If you press text on a set with a Freeview STB attached, exactly what you describe happens, and always has.

Ceefax continues on Satellite for the benefit of providing subtitles on 888 for Belgian/Dutch rebroadcasters I believe - the ancillary service in place today may as well remain.

We've had Digital Cable for about 12 years now and plenty of channels at some point did carry some form of Analogue teletext, I think the odd BBC channel had Ceefax too, but since I upgraded to HD and use HDMI I get no Analogue text at all now, most channels as said only used it for 888 subtitles, but even now nearly all services have the digital equivelant.

There was a limited Teletext service transmitted on OnDigital. It was used for switching purposes and transmitted on the Carlton Cinema LCN. It was freely accessable to anyone with a teletext receiver connected via RF to the OnD box on which CC was tuned.

I have ex-Telewest Virgin cable and until very recently I had a full teletext service on the 5 main channels. I assume they took the data from the analogue off-air and then added it to the digital version at the head end.


Wasn't it something to do with ONnet, the idea being that broadcasters could add links to their programmes or adverts that you could then click through onto the internet?

It was only possible because the ONdigital boxes had a teletext encoder in them.... as do Sky and cable boxes. As far as I know, no 'Freeview' boxes have them so even if it was broadcast no-one would see it

You learn something every day. Seems it was used to trigger prompts on screen during onRequest/ITV Select trailers.

I don't recall that specifically, and I was involved building the facility in Mortimer Street that played out that service, along with the other family of Carlton channels that were on OnDigital 1998 to 2002. However, we had done and dusted our bit by Nov 1998, so it may well have been added later.

I do recall the Food Channel was relocated from Molinare, where it was also distributed to MNET in South Africa. I do recall having to move some Line 21 VBI encoders, that fired off commercials at MNET's end during the breaks. It's possible they leaked into the UK OnD feeds !

Glasgow generate it themselves from the sustaining feed, apparently.[/quote]

Not quite. Yes, we can generate CEEFAX 1 pages from a receiver here in PQ but on Sunday night it was not resolving the pages too well and wasn't my best option. The CEEFAX 2 pages are fed up a vision circuit from London.

Glad you all liked the "tape" (it's a server of course and originated from digital material) which was one of my compilations, like all the other BBC Scotland CEEFAX music.

Do you know when Ceefax won't be an option at all?

Pages from Ceefax haven't been used (locally) by BBC NI as a filler for several years now. The last time, I think, was as a 15 minute filler on BBC Two Northern Ireland when Sesame Tree first started as a local programme and was being broadcast at 6:15am. That was eventually replaced by a menu and music.

ISTR as recently as 2006-2007 (certainly before the current CBBC logo came in) that BBC Scotland and also BBC NI would show an hour of PFC on BBC TWO from 6-7am before joining a special summer holiday service simulcast from the CBBC Channel (as their summer holidays start earlier than in England) and BBC NI used their own music and Ceefax generator when they showed PFC as it looked slightly different from the network's.