Telidon
Telidon (from the Greek words τῆλε, tele "at a distance" and ἰδών, idon "seeing") was a videotex/teletext service developed by the Canadian Communications Research Centre (CRC) during the late 1970s and supported by commercial enterprises led by Infomart in the early 1980s. Most work on the system ended after 1985, having failed to build critical mass.
Electrohome Telidon terminal, typical of the ones used as part of the TABS system. This rare example is found at the Personal Computer Museum in Brantford, Ontario. | |
| Developer | Communications Research Centre (CRC), Herb Bown |
|---|---|
| Type | Videotex |
| Launch date | 1978 |
| Discontinued | 31 March 1985 |
| Platform(s) | NAPLPS |
| Status | Discontinued |
The CRC referred to Telidon as a "second generation" videotex system, offering improved performance, 2D colour graphics, multilingual support and a number of different interactivity options supported on various hardware. With additional features added by AT&T Corporation, and 16 other contributors in North America and supported by the Federal Government, Telidon was redefined as a protocol and became the NAPLPS standard.
A number of Telidon systems were rolled out, including GRASSROOTS for the Province of Manitoba, SOI for Venezuela, Compuserve, LA Times in California, EPIC for General Motors, NOVATEX for Teleglobe Canada and the Swiss PTT nationwide application. These failed to demonstrate compelling functionality, and the auxiliary equipment costs remained high. Eventually, on 31 March 1985, the Canadian government support for the project ended and the various commercial services based on it closed shortly thereafter.
Telidon saw limited use after that, in niches like informational displays in airports and similar environments. NAPLPS did appear in several other products, notably the Prodigy online service and some bulletin boards. Telidon had a lasting legacy on the hardware side; its NABTS communications system found re-use years later in WebTV for Windows.