Bildschirmtexten

Bildschirmtexten, or BTX, refers to the use of Bildschirmtext, a German videotext information service developed by Deutsche Bundespost and deployed in the 1980s. The system offered interactive information and basic online services through a BTX terminal or a television set equipped with BTX compatibility. Information was presented on-screen as simple text pages with limited graphics.

Access and navigation: BTX pages were identified by three-digit numbers and delivered over telephone lines or through the broadcast network. Users navigated with a keypad or remote control, selecting pages, menus, and forms. Typical content included news headlines, weather, travel schedules, banking and postal services, address books, and forms to request or submit information.

History and decline: BTX gained widespread use in German households during the late 1980s and early 1990s as an early form of online information service. With the rise of the Internet and digital networks, usage fell through the mid-to-late 1990s and services were gradually phased out in the early 2000s. Some features persisted in other Telekom services until the transition completed.

Legacy: Bildschirmtexten is regarded as a forerunner of modern online information systems in Germany, illustrating early attempts to provide interactive content via television and telephone networks. Today it is primarily of historical interest and is documented in media and technology histories.