Austext
Encyclopedia
Austext is the former Australian teletext
service based in Brisbane, Queensland
. The production was carried and operated by the Seven Network
and its affiliates over most of Australia
. It carried news, finance information, weather, lottery results, TV guide and other information. The service was freely available for viewing on any television
, computer
or other device with teletext functionality and the ability to access and view Channel Seven
, or one of Seven's regional affiliates Prime
, GWN
or Southern Cross
. Seven first began test Teletext services in 1977 with useful information being transmitted in 1982 in Brisbane
and Sydney
. Over the years, the service has had various names including SevenTel.
The closure of the Austext service took place on the 30 September 2009. This is due to claims from the network that the technology has come to the end of its useful service life and is not commercially viable to replace. Closed captioning services will continue to remain available.
Here is what the closedown notice says:
The news pages include the latest in business, national news, international news, sport, science and technology, and showbiz.
The weather pages include same day forecast capital city temperatures, same day forecast conditions and minimum/maximum temperatures as well as current temperature, humidity, dew point
, wind speed, wind direction, sunrise and sunset times, and an outlook for the next five days for major centres across Australia which was all supplied by the Bureau of Meteorology
.
The racing pages included a national TAB racing index which ceased operation on Monday 4 August 2009.
The general interest pages include lottery results, daily horoscopes, TV guide with listings for the Seven Network in its five metropolitan markets.
Subtitles for programs on the Seven Network
's channels are also included in the Austext system. When produced by the Australian Caption Centre, they can be referred to as Supertext, those provided by other providers are often known as "Closed Captions
". To access the subtitles system through Austext, you must use the navigation code number 801 on an analogue T.V. or by pressing the Text, CC or coloured button (this depends on make and model) on your set top box or digital T.V.
Previous content has included world times, joke of the day, children's, greeting and financial market pages. The television guide used to also include listings for other networks, both metropolitan and regional, till 2007 when they disappeared.
Teletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
service based in Brisbane, Queensland
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. The production was carried and operated by the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
and its affiliates over most of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It carried news, finance information, weather, lottery results, TV guide and other information. The service was freely available for viewing on any television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
or other device with teletext functionality and the ability to access and view Channel Seven
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
, or one of Seven's regional affiliates Prime
Prime Television
PRIME7 is an Australian television network owned by Prime Media Group Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN/CWN in Orange and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven Network...
, GWN
Golden West Network
GWN7 is an Australian television network owned by the Prime Media Group that is based in Bunbury, Western Australia. The Golden West Network launched on 10 March 1967 as BTW-3 in Bunbury, and has since expanded to cover regional and remote Western Australia, servicing all areas except metropolitan...
or Southern Cross
Southern Cross Television
Southern Cross Television, or Southern Cross, is an Australian television network available in Tasmania, Darwin, Regional South Australia, and Central Australia. Although the programming varies from region to region, all areas are affiliated with the Seven Network and, in some areas, have a dual...
. Seven first began test Teletext services in 1977 with useful information being transmitted in 1982 in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. Over the years, the service has had various names including SevenTel.
The closure of the Austext service took place on the 30 September 2009. This is due to claims from the network that the technology has come to the end of its useful service life and is not commercially viable to replace. Closed captioning services will continue to remain available.
Here is what the closedown notice says:
- "The Seven Network started providing test teletext services commencing in 1977, with live services commencing in 1982 in Brisbane and Sydney.
- "The Austext service today is still provided using the original 1970s technology. This equipment has now reached the end of its lifespan.
- "Unfortunately, it is not possible to replace the existing Austext system with new equipment except at significant cost.
- "Austext is a free service and does not attract advertising revenue, so this is not commercially viable.
- "Seven is aware that Austext has many loyal supporters and we know that many of you will miss the Austext service. We sincerely regret any inconvenience the cessation of this service may cause and we have endeavoured to provide you with as much notice as possible.
- "Unlike when the service started, information currently available on Austext is now freely available from a number of alternative sources including over the internet via Yahoo7.
- "CLOSED CAPTIONING SERVICES will be unaffected and continue to be available on page 801."
Content
The information available on Austext pages included the latest in news, weather, racing, general interests and a television guide. Also available are contact details for Austext and state deaf associations.The news pages include the latest in business, national news, international news, sport, science and technology, and showbiz.
The weather pages include same day forecast capital city temperatures, same day forecast conditions and minimum/maximum temperatures as well as current temperature, humidity, dew point
Dew point
The dew point is the temperature to which a given parcel of humid air must be cooled, at constant barometric pressure, for water vapor to condense into liquid water. The condensed water is called dew when it forms on a solid surface. The dew point is a saturation temperature.The dew point is...
, wind speed, wind direction, sunrise and sunset times, and an outlook for the next five days for major centres across Australia which was all supplied by the Bureau of Meteorology
Bureau of Meteorology
The Bureau of Meteorology is an Executive Agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. It was established in 1906 under the Meteorology Act, and brought together the state meteorological services that existed before then...
.
The racing pages included a national TAB racing index which ceased operation on Monday 4 August 2009.
The general interest pages include lottery results, daily horoscopes, TV guide with listings for the Seven Network in its five metropolitan markets.
Subtitles for programs on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
's channels are also included in the Austext system. When produced by the Australian Caption Centre, they can be referred to as Supertext, those provided by other providers are often known as "Closed Captions
Closed captioning
Closed captioning is the process of displaying text on a television, video screen or other visual display to provide additional or interpretive information to individuals who wish to access it...
". To access the subtitles system through Austext, you must use the navigation code number 801 on an analogue T.V. or by pressing the Text, CC or coloured button (this depends on make and model) on your set top box or digital T.V.
Previous content has included world times, joke of the day, children's, greeting and financial market pages. The television guide used to also include listings for other networks, both metropolitan and regional, till 2007 when they disappeared.