Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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For some people, teletext was just something that had always been there. But for certain older people like me, who can remember TV before teletext, it was a godsend. Before this the idea of instantly finding out the latest news, weather or sports scores was impossible. Teletext changed all that, in 40 columns and 24 rows of blocky text and gaudy graphics. And it became popular despite the expense of teletext capable TVs. But where did the idea come from, why wasn’t it a thing in the USA, and why is it back - on the Internet?

• Teletext on Channel 4 1998 reconstituted from video tape recordings: uniquecodeanddata.co.uk/teletext76/ch4-19981023
• Page of all recordings reconstituted, going back to 1979: uniquecodeanddata.co.uk/teletext76
• Another teletext archive: teletextarchive.com
• Teefax service online: zxnet.co.uk/teletext/viewer
• Nathan Dane’s Ceefax service online: nathanmediaservices.co.uk/ceefax
• Nathan’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@AvroVulcanXH607
• Open University TV programme discussing some of the technical parts of teletext: youtube.com/watch?v=YwfQ8Y8l4Fo
• Jason Robertson talk about recovering teletext from VHS tapes: youtube.com/watch?v=Vy23geJFMUQ
• ZDF (Germany) teletext recreation: teletext.zdf.de/teletext/zdf


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Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletext
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minitel
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_captioning
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullard_SAA5050
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prestel
news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19790516&id=DwEMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=21gDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6334,14832
books.google.com/books?id=DilcKbMBXRMC&pg=PA581#v=onepage&q&f=false
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NABTS
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExtraVision
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC_Teletext
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JTES
eldiario.es/politica/teletexto-no-pasa-moda-carcel-jueces-avalan-prohibicion-detectar-sirve-reclusos-comunicarse_1_6370432.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_recorder_scheduling_code
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programme_Delivery_Control
625.uk.com/pdc
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceefax
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ORACLE_(teletext)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletext_Ltd.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MHEG-5
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Red_Button
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_terrestrial_television_in_the_United_Kingdom
alphr.com/life-culture/1002880/the-teletext-salvagers-how-vhs-is-bringing-teletext-back-from-the-dead
uniquecodeanddata.co.uk/teletext76/ch4-19981023
techradar.com/news/internet/how-teletext-and-ceefax-are-coming-back-from-the-dead-1326145
nathanmediaservices.co.uk/ceefax
nathanmediaservices.co.uk/ceefax/history

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