Japan’s claims that it has a first with broadcast facsimile using the principles of Teletext on the television raster (CI No 1,206) are well wide of the mark, according to UK company Data Broadcast Services Ltd, DBS. The company claims it has already developed a data broadcast/facsimile decoder, at its base in sleepy Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, which enables facsimile documents to be broadcast via Teletext signal to any Group III facsimile machine. Using British equipment, the company’s production facility turns out 100 data/facsimile decoders a week, and claims to have had interest from government departments and from publishers keen to use the technology to deliver newspapers. Data Broadcast Services now wants to get a foothold in the market before the expected invasion into the UK market of broadcast.cw 8 facsimile decoders from the Far East next year.
