Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Tue, 18 Jun 91 21:29:48 PDT From: Jim Hickstein Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Transporting a Bitstream on a Video Channel Message-ID: Organization: TELECOM Digest Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 470, Message 1 of 8 Lines: 36 Your mention of USEnet news brings to mind an outfit called "Stargate" that did precisely this. Does anyone remember them? How dead is "Stargate", anyway? Data in the vertical interval on PBS is being used (one line) by a company called InSight Telecast of Palo Alto, CA. (I am a former employee.) It will (does?) carry program schedule information to devices to be embedded in future VCRs that will provide an on-screen version of the upcoming week. I believe the rate was to be about 9.6Kbps. There were a few people at PBS (or was it NPR?) who read news; perhaps they can comment further on the technical aspects of the VBI data equipment. One factor in deciding to use PBS was that, compared to the big three commercial TV networks, they had by far the most modern network. Also, there was (is?) a legislated penetration of public TV into cable markets that the big three's affiliates did not have. PBS had some sort of venture to develop and sell this data service in the VBI, which I personally question as being within the range of "public" broadcasting.* I won't tell you how much they charged for a full-time one-line slot, but it wasn't peanuts. InSight Telecast was mentioned in a press release a few months back which described their announced product. I don't have a reference handy. ----------- * Perhaps this is just another facet of the gradual commercialization of non-commercial broadcasting in this country. I am revolted by the "non-commercials" using up ten-second slots, with full video and voice controlled by the "underwriter" (read: sponsor), at the beginning of many programs. So far, they do not intrude into the *middle*, but it's a slippery slope. I send them money -- quite a bit -- to escape being targeted by commercial pitches. *sigh*