What is the Red Button?

[23skidoo]

Although this question is aimed at folks in the UK, I'd like North Americans to stick around too because I have a followup.

What is this "Red Button" we hear about occasionally? Apparently the Dreamland animated serial is going to be available through the "Red Button" and I was just listening to "Doctor Who at the BBC: The Tenth Doctor" which included some discussion about the 2006 Doctor Who concert that was featured in edited form on Confidential, but in complete form for those who pushed the "Red Button".

I'm assuming this is some sort of value-added thing. I wonder if something like that would work here in North America?

Alex

 

[ITL]

It refers to extra content available on UK digital/satellite TV. The "red button" itself is one of many buttons on the remote handset you get with your digital TV/satellite receiver box.

INFO

 

[danjamesb]

There's more on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Button_(digital_television)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Red_Button

 

[captcalhoun]

just don't press the wrong one and turn the TV off.

'Attack of the Gratske' was on the 'red button' after TCI aired.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

BBC have their usual 10 channels, then they have 3(soon to be reduced to 1) on freeview and 6 "interactive" stream which they play out alternate content on. Usually used for stuff like the Olympics and other sporting events, music festivals where there's more than 1 stage, and various extra content.

 

[23skidoo]

Thanks for the info.

So I wonder why we don't have this over here? Some cable systems (such as Shaw Cable here in Alberta) have a video on demand service that you access via your digital cable box, but I don't know if that's quite the same thing. I don't recall hearing of anything with the same level of interactivity as, say, Attack of the Graske.

Actually, I think there WAS supposed to be a cable channel that you could access via your Playstation or something like that maybe 10 years back, but I don't think it ever got off the ground.

Any ideas why we don't have a Red Button-like service over here? Or do broadcasters in the US and Canada prefer to go the website route?

Alex

 

[Steve Roby]

People have been talking about interactive TV in North America for years, but I think the focus was generally more on applications like shopping, and the web took that niche. (Back when I was the librarian for a satellite communications company, we used to buy expensive market research reports on interactive TV every so often.)

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Thanks for the info.

So I wonder why we don't have this over here? Some cable systems (such as Shaw Cable here in Alberta) have a video on demand service that you access via your digital cable box, but I don't know if that's quite the same thing. I don't recall hearing of anything with the same level of interactivity as, say, Attack of the Graske.

Actually, I think there WAS supposed to be a cable channel that you could access via your Playstation or something like that maybe 10 years back, but I don't think it ever got off the ground.

Any ideas why we don't have a Red Button-like service over here? Or do broadcasters in the US and Canada prefer to go the website route?

Alex

Hard to say really, "interactive" TV was a big selling point of digital TV over here, so a lot of work went in to making these type of services. Channel 4 used it for 24 hour Big Brother streams, BBC use it for various things, but no one else really uses it.
The other thing is teletext, news, tv guide, travel info, etc. was on teletext for a good 15-20 years before digital TV came along, so I guess it became expected that there would be these types of services... but you never had teletext service over there either did you?

 

[Rarewolf]

How do the subtitles (closed captions) work on US systems?

The Red button interactivity is basically held over from the text base teletext services, except now (in theory) we can do a whole lot more.

I say in theory because in some ways digital teletext isn't as good as the old analogue.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

How do the subtitles (closed captions) work on US systems?

The Red button interactivity is basically held over from the text base teletext services, except now (in theory) we can do a whole lot more.

I say in theory because in some ways digital teletext isn't as good as the old analogue.

They had Closed Captioning, which if I recall correctly needed a separate decoder. That's why you see that CC logo on a lot of shows, whereas we used to get the 888 or just Subtitled on the screen.

 

[The]

You are all talking the difference between a government-run, taxpayer funded television system, and a conglomeration of private commercial businesses, "guided" by the FCC, and used for sheer profit. The reason North America doesn't have a unified, interactive television system is because a dozen companies would never agree on anything, collectively, unless it was an FCC mandate. And even then, corporate legal could probably get them out of it...

 

[Bob The Skutter]

You are all talking the difference between a government-run, taxpayer funded television system, and a conglomeration of private commercial businesses, "guided" by the FCC, and used for sheer profit. The reason North America doesn't have a unified, interactive television system is because a dozen companies would never agree on anything, collectively, unless it was an FCC mandate. And even then, corporate legal could probably get them out of it...

Well DVB with the framework for interactive TV (MHEG in the UK, MHP elsewhere) is an international standard, hence is used in other counties besides the UK. I don't see why it would be too hard for them to agree for the good of their own businesses.

 

[The]

Because they would have to share the same "advantage" with their competition. If they can't copyright it, and call it something that is legally solely their own, corporations would be less likely to want to invest money in it...

 

[wamdue]

The Why did I think you were a woman? or is that blue arrow a mistake?

 

[The]

Wamdue, I don't know....and I hope not, or my wife is going to be in for a very large shock...

 

[Winterwind]

Having seen a picture of The, I can honestly say he is not a woman. At least I hope not...

And I think the real question we need to ask here is can Cadet Stimpy resist the urge to push the big, shiny red button?

 

[wamdue]

Wamdue, I don't know....and I hope not, or my wife is going to be in for a very large shock...

maybe im confusing you with someone else, its possible, im not exactly a people person.

 

[Sci]

You are all talking the difference between a government-run, taxpayer funded television system, and a conglomeration of private commercial businesses, "guided" by the FCC, and used for sheer profit. The reason North America doesn't have a unified, interactive television system is because a dozen companies would never agree on anything, collectively, unless it was an FCC mandate. And even then, corporate legal could probably get them out of it...

For the record, the British Broadcasting Corporation is not government-run; it's run independently of the government, though it is indeed taxpayer-funded through the television license.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

You are all talking the difference between a government-run, taxpayer funded television system, and a conglomeration of private commercial businesses, "guided" by the FCC, and used for sheer profit. The reason North America doesn't have a unified, interactive television system is because a dozen companies would never agree on anything, collectively, unless it was an FCC mandate. And even then, corporate legal could probably get them out of it...

For the record, the British Broadcasting Corporation is not government-run; it's run independently of the government, though it is indeed taxpayer-funded through the television license.

Yeah, the government run thing is a misapprehension that I see so much I forget to even correct it lately.

 

[The]

Fair enough. Doesn't change anything, however. They are still a unified source...