A Global Look at Teletext
13 days ago
- #broadcast-technology
- #retro-tech
- #teletext
- Teletext, initially developed in the UK in the 1970s, was used for subtitles and text-based screens accessible via remote control.
- World System Teletext (WST) became the dominant standard in Europe, featuring blocky text graphics and a palette of 7 colors.
- France developed the Antiope standard, offering more sophisticated graphics like background colors and variable font sizes, but it was largely overshadowed by WST.
- Canada's Telidon introduced vector graphics (PDI) but was expensive, leading to limited adoption for teletext.
- In the US, teletext standards were chaotic, with competing systems like Antiope, WST, and Telidon, eventually leading to the NAPLPS standard in 1983.
- Japan's JTES standard supported kanji, katakana, and hiragana characters, vector graphics, and even FM/PCM audio, setting it apart from other teletext systems.
- Teletext remained popular in Europe, with over 15 countries still broadcasting it in 2024, often with significant daily usage.
- Eastern Bloc countries adopted teletext later, with unique cases like Yugoslavia using it during wartime and Russia having independent teletext broadcasters.
- Adapting WST for non-Latin scripts (e.g., Arabic, Cyrillic, Vietnamese) required custom hardware and software, with some compromises.
- Teletext included x-rated content in some regions, with commercial channels offering explicit ads and services.