videotex

videotex

videotex, communications service that is linked to an adapted television receiver or a personal computer by telephone lines, cable television facilities, or the like, and that allows a user to retrieve and display alphanumeric and pictorial information at home. Originally, videotex systems were limited to menu-oriented applications, in which information is selected from hierarchically arranged menus and displayed in fixed frames, but later technologies allowed greater interactivity and scrolled the information across the viewing screen. There are two forms of videotex systems. One-way teletext systems permit the selection and display of such general information as airline schedules, traffic conditions, and traditional newspaper content. Viewdata systems are more specific and provide for two-way, or interactive, communication. Specific questions may be researched by accessing the appropriate database: e.g., bank balances can be verified and bills paid, merchandise can be ordered from retail merchants and catalogs, and travel and hotel reservations can be made.

In Japan and Europe, videotex systems became well-established and were government-operated; in North America, systems were developed by newspaper publishers (called electronic news) and banks. With the growing popularity of the personal computer, on-line database services became more significant, especially in the United States. These made the home user part of an interactive network and provide electronic mail and bulletin board facilities in addition to traditional videotex services. Videotex was ultimately superseded by the development of graphical web browsers and of the World Wide Web, though some services continue to be offered; Internet access gave the user the means to interact with services and facilities worldwide.

Bibliography

See A. F. Alber, Videotex/Teletext: Principles and Practices (1985); P. L. Mothersole and N. W. White, Broadcast Data Systems (1990); A. F. Alber, Interactive Computer Systems: Videotex and Multimedia (1993).

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videotex

[′vid·ē·ō‚teks]

(communications)

An electronic home information delivery system, either teletext or videotext.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Videotex

™ an information system that displays information from a distant computer on a television screen

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

videotex

An obsolete electronic service offering people the privilege of paying to read the weather on their television screens instead of having somebody read it to them for free while they brush their teeth. The idea bombed everywhere it wasn't government-subsidised, because by the time videotex was practical the installed base of personal computers could hook up to time-sharing services and do the things for which videotex might have been worthwhile better and cheaper. Videotex planners badly overestimated both the appeal of getting information from a computer and the cost of local intelligence at the user's end. Like the gorilla arm effect, this has been a cautionary tale to hackers ever since. See also vannevar.

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

videotex

The early, first attempts at interactive information delivery for shopping, banking and news. Starting in the 1970s, many trials were made, but videotex never caught on in the U.S., and it was not very successful elsewhere except in France (see Minitel). Videotex used a TV set-top box and keyboard. Data were delivered by phone line and stored in the box as predefined frames with limited graphics that were retrieved from a menu. See interactive.

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