CEEFAX: Farewell to an analog giant

[Rik]

Before websites, mobiles and tablets, there was CEEFAX.



After 38 years, the Lego-looking text service is being switched off. It was a precursor to the digital age, says a former BBC editor.

Ceefax story.

Hope the link works in your country!

[DOAADI]

I used to spend hours scanning through that (and Oracle - the ITV version).

The most annoying thing was how the slightest interference would corrupt the data, and when you'd waited for 20 or more pages to scroll through to the one you wanted, it might be unreadable. It'd drive you nuts!

[Rik]

I used to spend hours scanning through that (and Oracle - the ITV version).

The most annoying thing was how the slightest interference would corrupt the data, and when you'd waited for 20 or more pages to scroll through to the one you wanted, it might be unreadable. It'd drive you nuts!

It was innovative, though. Wasn't it?!

[DOAADI]

Absolutely.

Mind you, so was gas lighting and betamax.

[Rik]

Ceefax was launched on 23 September 1974.
Today, 24 October 2012, in Belfast, the last of the UK's analogue signals was turned off by Dame Mary Peters.

Ceefax - The Last Dance



Here's a short gif animation of the pages/graphics disappearing into a small dot and then a blank (black) screen.

[Cloud]

I honestly did not know it was still going. The time I spent browsing through the pages was just silly, ceefax was the best, oracle was ok. remember fastext?

[DOAADI]

To be honest, the "red button" information you get now with digital TV is no better than Teletext was. It looks better, admittedly, but it's still just as basic (a dozen or two words to describe an entire football match). Can't beat the web for detailed information

The CEEFAX switch-off was part of the final analogue TV transmission switch-off which occurred yesterday. Apparently, the freed-up frequencies are earmarked for 4G.