Deccafax Viewdata terminal, 1979-1994
- Materials:
- plastic (unidentified) , metal (unknown) , electronic components and glass
- Object Number:
- 1994-1169 Pt1
- type:
- television receiver
Deccafax Viewdata Terminal Model VP1, manufactured by Decca Radio and Television, British, 1979-1994. With Cherry Editing Keyboard, manufactured by Cherry GmbH, and 8746 telephone handset manufactured for BT. As used for receiving the Prestel Service, with a user manual and an extensive file of documentation relating to the use of Prestel in the Government Service
Deccafax Viewdata Terminal Model VP1, manufactured by Decca Radio and Television, British, 1979-1994.
Prestel was the brand name for the Post Office's Viewdata system. Viewdata enabled subscribers to access information from a remote database. Users typed text commands to navigate through pages of information and communicated using 'Prestel Mailbox'. Viewdata was developed by Samuel Fedida, an engineer in the Post Office Research Department. Prestel itself was commercially launched in 1979, and achieved a maximum of 90,000 subscribers before it was eventually sold in 1994. This Prestel unit was used by the House Of Commons until 1994.