Author | Lightnews

gkmac @gkmac.bsky.social · 3d

QTeletextMaker v0.8.1-beta released. No new features but the Level 2.5 #teletext editor has had a major bug squashed that sometimes caused the central page editor widget to get "lost" or squashed into a tiny corner of the main window.

Windows .exe from the zip as usual:
github.com/gkthemac/QTe...

gkmac @gkmac.bsky.social · 14d

QTeletextMaker v0.8-beta released. The Level 2.5 #teletext editor now renders DRCS characters and slightly improved diacritical'd G0 capital letters.

Grab a Windows exe from the zip at github.com/gkthemac/QTe... (mind the SmartScreen warnings!) or compile the source on Linux with #Qt6 and CMake.

A Level 2.5 teletext page with a dark green background on which there a spread of five playing cards. The top-most card on the right is the ten of clubs, the cards underneath are the jack of clubs, queen of clubs, king of clubs and the ace of clubs.

The clubs on the cards are not blocky but are high resolution images courtesy of DRCS character definitions.

3 3

Reposted by gkmac

ZXGuesser @zxguesser.bsky.social · 25d

All the tellies up and running at #ChunkyFringe

2 5 19

gkmac @gkmac.bsky.social · 26d

As if black foreground wasn't controversial enough, should modern Level 1 and 1.5 #teletext decoders obey the double width and double height control codes?

The ETSI spec says they are Level 2.5 only, but in real life some Level 1 and 1.5 decoders made since about 1999-ish do interpret them.

2 7

Reposted by gkmac

Nathan Dane @nmsni.co.uk · 27d

zxnet.co.uk/teletext/vie...

1 6

Reposted by gkmac

ZXGuesser @zxguesser.bsky.social · 28d

Another reminder that the #ChunkyFringe teletext editing system is online for anyone to have a go at creating real teletext pages:

blockparty.zxnet.co.uk

Channel your inner @mrbiffo.bsky.social* and come and admire your creations in all their chunky glory on CRT tellies in Harrow this Saturday!

2 8 17

gkmac @gkmac.bsky.social · 28d

Ahh, good old #teletext with no cookie pop-ups, no registrations or sign-ins, no autoplaying videos... and no sudden geo-blocks either.

A teletext page mostly of a magenta background with the text "Content not viewable in your region" in the middle. At the top left is the text "Frame it" and at the bottom is the text "John, 5".

7 21

gkmac @gkmac.bsky.social · Sep 28

For the upcoming #ChunkyFringe the #WeeklyTeletextArt prompt is "Chunky" and/or "Fringe".

Here's a #teletext nod to an old chocolate advert; regrettably trademarks have had to be altered for legal reasons.

A Level 2.5 teletext graphic of a blue and white chocolate bar wrapping on a purple background.

The wrapping has the word "Diary Bilk" in big serif letters, with "Crudeberry's" in smaller gold text above and "Chunky" in the corner. Below the bar is the slogan "one chunk leads to another".

A Level 1 teletext graphic of a blue and white chocolate bar wrapping on a magenta background.

The wrapping has the word "Diary Bilk" in big serif letters, with "Crudeberry's" in smaller yellow text above and "Chunky" in the corner. Below the bar is the slogan "one chunk leads to another".

1 5

Reposted by gkmac

MrBiffo @mrbiffo.bsky.social · Sep 27

One week today... we're going to be doing a whole bunch of nonsense at Chunky Fringe. It's all the fun of Digi Live without us having to spend a fortune on props. Details here: www.arbitraryfiles.com/events/cf25/...

4 16

Reposted by gkmac

ZXGuesser @zxguesser.bsky.social · Sep 27

The ChunkyText user pages magazine has been cleared out ready for next weekend, and the edit server is LIVE NOW.

blockparty.zxnet.co.uk

I thought since we have a week to go until Chunky Fringe maybe we should call those a #WeeklyTeletextArt prompt for anyone needing a bit of artistic inspiration 😁

2 4 1

gkmac @gkmac.bsky.social · Sep 21

My first ever attempt at getting a Level 2.5 #teletext DRCS bitmap onto a real TV!

24 monochrome characters is the maximum you can have on screen; the bitmaps (or Pattern Transfer Units as they're called) are downloaded from a separate hidden page.

DRCS rendering in QTeletextMaker coming soon...

A television showing a Level 2.5 teletext page. On the right is a small black and white bitmap of a parrot. On the left is the text "Level 2.5 DRCS. Mode 0 characters, 12x10 pixels of 1 bitplane. 24 DRCS characters over 24 PTUs. 6 rows of 4 columns or 48x60 pixels".

3 6

Reposted by gkmac

ZXGuesser @zxguesser.bsky.social · Aug 27

I've finally got around to looking at how I could port teletext-twitter by mastodon.radio/@markpentler to the Bluesky api, and it turned out to be way easier than I expected! At least for the mode I wanted.

I've even added a couple of things teletext-twitter never had 😄

zxnet.co.uk/teletext/vie...

A teletext page full of today's Bluesky posts

1 8 30

Reposted by gkmac

Andy AVAV Systems @avavsystems.bsky.social · Aug 20

Dear friends, don’t buy this.

It’s shit. Just don’t, ok

If you do, it will drive you nuts

Thank you for your attention, we now return to normal programming

1 2 13

Reposted by gkmac

Andy AVAV Systems @avavsystems.bsky.social · Aug 13

My word, you lot do love #Teletext don’t you. Well done

BBC Videobook of British Garden Birds was the 1st LaserVision Disc with Teletext

BBCs Service was called Ceefax =
See Facts

CAV
Dual Sound, Birds one track, David in other
Index & Subtitles

Technical marvel in its day

#LaserDisc

1 4 14

Reposted by gkmac

Andy AVAV Systems @avavsystems.bsky.social · Aug 12

Been working on a Betamax Digitising Job this afternoon

I always run the tapes to end, you sometimes find something that’s been forgotten

About 10 mins after the Wedding Video finishes, in all its Analogue Glory

About 30 mins of Ceefax in Vision

Oh happy days

Yes yes, I am grabbing it

5 5 55

Reposted by gkmac

Super Page 58 @superpage58.bsky.social · Aug 8

There may be no Digi Live this year, but Chunky Fringe just will not stop, ever. On Sat 4 Oct you can get your teletext on back in the fine, familiar surrounds of Harrow Arts Centre. “Mad” “props” to David Walford for organising another free retro tech feast.

www.arbitraryfiles.com/events/cf25/...

Chunky Fringe 2025

www.arbitraryfiles.com

1 7 5

Reposted by gkmac

Nathan Dane @nmsni.co.uk · Jul 16

This is the best thing about Ceefax. No cookie agreements, no stupid pop-up sign up forms, no clutter - just the bare necessities and a three-digital number.

1 2 22

Reposted by gkmac

Jellica @jellicajake.bsky.social · Jul 3

i found some old progress pix of a #teletext #pixelart goldfinch i didid. going from the original sketch to adding the colour codes in, and then moving to 2.5 colours for more realism

5 15

Reposted by gkmac

The TV Room @thetvroom.com · Jun 22

🟦 CLEAN FEED | Opinion | Early signs of a more sustainable future for Freeview.
cleanfeed.thetvroom.com/22721/opinio...

Early signs of a more sustainable future for Freeview - Clean Feed

Last week’s changes to the Digital 3 and 4 multiplex could point the way to a more sustainable future for Freeview.

cleanfeed.thetvroom.com

3 3 8

gkmac @gkmac.bsky.social · Jun 21

There's nothing that divides #teletext enthusiasts more than whether or not black foreground attributes should be interpreted on Level 1 decoders. ETSI spec says they shouldn't, in real life all decoders made since about 1990 do.

The test below shows the problems that can happen on old decoders.

1 7

Reposted by gkmac

ZXGuesser @zxguesser.bsky.social · Jun 18

Om nom nom nom #TeletextArt

Teletext art rendition of Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya

1 8 29

Reposted by gkmac

Andy AVAV Systems @avavsystems.bsky.social · Jun 12

Today’s Lesson from Archivist Andy

Don’t store CDs, especially CD-Rs, in these Fabric / Tea Bag sleeves. If the environment you’re keeping them is even slightly damp, you increase the risk of Disc Rot

These CDs have come from a wonderful collection

So badly damaged, even my Denon can’t cope

3 12 48

Reposted by gkmac

Nathan Dane @nmsni.co.uk · Apr 27

someone go up & tweak the antenna ;)

Full service can be seen online:
www.nathanmediaservices.co.uk/ceefax/#id=W...

3 8

gkmac @gkmac.bsky.social · Mar 30

QTeletextMaker v0.7.2-beta released. The Level 2.5 #teletext editor can now import & export pages in EP1 and HMS datastream htt formats in addition to the existing TTI and t42 formats.

Grab a Windows exe from the zip at github.com/gkthemac/QTe... or compile the source on Linux with #Qt6 and CMake.

A file exporting dialog in the QTeletextMaker software. A dropdown at the bottom of the dialog labelled "save as type" is opened. It contains the highlighted option "Softel EP1" and other options are "MRG Systems TTI", "t42 packet stream" and "HMS SD-Teletext HTT".

3 8

Reposted by gkmac

Zymnyaya @zymnyaya.bsky.social · Mar 11

Ouppy!!! :3
#teletext #pixelart drawing of my bestie @ash4val.bsky.social 's adorable #oc 🐶

5 23