BBC Text also enabled channel association, the ability for the user to retain their selected television channel visible in one section of the screen whilst viewing the text service, in contrast to Ceefax, which could only be viewed as a full-screen display, or as a semitransparent overlay (i.e. īBC Text was considerably more advanced than Ceefax, in that it offered a richer visual interface, with the possibility of photographic images and designed graphics (as opposed to Ceefax graphics which were composed of simple blocks of colour). A digital text service had been available since the launch of digital terrestrial television in November 1998, but the BBC Text service was not publicly launched until November 1999, due to a lack of availability of compatible set-top boxes. In the first phase, the service was created using content migrated from the existing analogue teletext service, Ceefax. BBC TextīBC Text originally launched on digital terrestrial services in 1999, and was later introduced on satellite and cable platforms.

The 'red button' name refers to the common interface on remote controls for digital televisions and set-top boxes, a red button, which launches digital teletext services. It was relaunched in November 2001 under the BBCi brand and operated under this name until 2008, when it was once more rebranded as BBC Red Button. The service was launched in 1999 as BBC Text.

The 'Red Button' branding is no longer used within the BBC's own website. The service can be accessed via Digital terrestrial television (DTT) ( DVB-T), satellite television ( DVB-S) and cable television ( DVB-C). The services replaced Ceefax, the BBC's analogue teletext service, and is only available via digital television receivers. (January 2011)īBC Red Button Homepage with BBCi branding.īBC Red Button is a branding used for digital interactive television services provided by the BBC, and broadcast in the United Kingdom. Please add citations from reliable sources. This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications.

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