Japanese VIDEOTEX System "CAPTAIN" - Experimental Service and User Reactions Outline

The CAPTAIN system is a VIDEOTEX system in Japan. Existing telephone lines are used for transmission and home TV sets are used for the display units. The first experimental service (with 1000 user terminals, 199 information providers, and 100 000 displays frames) was carried out from December 1979 to March 1981 by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation. Based on surveys carried out to obtain opinions on the system, the first experimental system was improved and the second experimental service (with 2000 user terminals, 200 000 display frames) was started in August 1981. The system uses the pattern transmission method so as to display pictures precisely. This method transmits dot pattern information intact between a center and home terminals, allowing the system to display not only handwritten pictures but also complex shaped characters, such as Kanji (Chinese ideograph) characters, Arabic characters, Korean syllabary, etc. According to a questionnaire sent to users, many want to utilize this system when the commercial service starts. Display attractiveness is evaluated highly by these users, verifying the effectiveness of the pattern transmission method. This paper describes: experimental service outline system functions and new techniques for this system (especially display characteristics and transmission method) user reaction to this system