At the recent Viewtext 82 conference in New York some industry analysts predicted that, in the immediate future, costs and the regulatory climate would favor the development of teletext rather than videotex systems in the United States.
Both systems display viewer-selected print and graphics information on modified television receivers. They differ in the way that this information is delivered:
teletext systems piggy-back digital signals on regular TV broadcast channels; videotex is a two-way system which requires land-based cables such as telephone lines or coaxial cables to link the user to the central host computer. Videotex systems permit two-way communications between the user and the system; teletext provides only one-way access- the user can select from the available information but usually cannot input data to the system. When used in conjunction with a touchtone telephone some limited interaction can be achieved on a teletext system.
Predictions of the degree of market penetration of cable television suggest that it will not be sufficient to support extensive videotex systems until the last decade of this century. To date, most of the experimental videotex systems in the United States have utilized telephone connections to link users to a host computer. While the recent Justice Department settlement with AT&T will permit the company to participate fully in videotex services, there is a strong possibility that other companies with information interests might seek to limit this activity as anticompetitive. Recent and continuing rises in telephone charges could well be a further constraint to the growth of videotex systems.
Potential information and service providers are not backing off, however. The recent announcement of Time Inc.'s upcoming teletext experiment may signal a change of focus. Scheduled to begin in the Fall of 1982, Time's test will be undertaken in San Diego, CA, and Orlando, FL. The Time test further details of which will be released this summer-is unique in that it will be the first to devote the capacity of a full television channel to the medium, rather than using the limited vertical blanking interval usually between frames normally employed for teletext services. It is projected that this will provide the capability of han-dling some 4000 pages of information, giving the system the appearance of being more interactive than those with the re-stricted blanking interval capacities of just 100 pages. Officers of Time Inc. say that their test will focus more on content than have previous services and that attention will be paid to the development of advertisements that fit the new tech-nology. Time plans to generate revenue by charging advertisers, permitting the end user to access information free or for a minimal charge.
Not all signs point to a demise of videotex. Keycom Electronic Publishing, a joint venture which includes Honeywell, Inc., plans to offer a hybrid videotex and teletext service in Chicago by mid 1983. The project will utilize standard telephone lines for the videotex portion of the service.
Despite assessments which include statements such as "videotex (has] been an utter failure so far," frequent comments about videotex and teletext being technologies in search of a market, charges that the media are elitist both in terms of required literacy levels and financial resources, and opposing views on the degree to which the absence of standards is limiting or encouraging market penetration, videotex and tele-text are far from dead. Over 50 tele-text and videotex experiments are currently underway. Currently reaching an estimated 40,000 households, television captioning for the hearing impaired is the most widely used teletext service in the country. Other signs of continuing interest within the United States include the introduction of a Boston-based American node for Britain's commercial videotex service-Prestel-and the establishment of the Videotex Industry Association to promote and encourage the development of videotex and teletext in the United States. The Videotex Industry Association may be contacted at 2000 L Street, N.W., Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036. (202) 544-5655.
