Feeds
Heralded as "Ceefax for the 21st Century", the new "BBCi for Digital TV" aims to simplify the access and functionality of the service across all digital platforms, as well as making it clearer when an interactive service will take people away from the programme they're currently watching.
The first change viewers are likely to notice is that the BBCi Bar, the thin strip running across the bottom of the screen when BBCi is first launched, has been replaced by the "Bridge", a translucent panel occupying about a third of the screen on the right-hand side. The background will be coloured on a per-channel basis; red for BBC One, purple for BBC Two, and so on. A number of options are presented on the "Bridge"; underneath the channel and programme name, context-specific links will be provided to text content in the overlay, in-depth content, and enhanced TV services for the particular programme. 
For example, a football match programme could contain links to a scores ticker, news, and - if an enhanced TV service such as different commentary options or multi-angle viewing was available - an eTV link. Icons clearly show viewers whether the content of the link will display in the Bridge, or take viewers into the interactive service (and, by dint, away from the current programme).While this may sound complicated when compared to the BBCi Bar, some useful facets of traditional Ceefax functionality have also been incorporated into the service. By pressing '0' while in the service, the BBCi page will 'hide'; pressing '0' again will show it. While not exactly stunning in itself, it is the presence of features like this - similar to old-style World Teletext hide/show functionality - that could make the transition for people new to digital TV slightly easier.
The Phase One launch on digital satellite, which takes place in June, includes the launch of BBC News Interactive - a rival to Sky News Active. The new service has six mini-screens - a live feed of News 24, a News Headlines loop, Live Plus, Weather, Sport, and a Business news screen. The Business news service contains a 2 minute bulletin updated from 06:30 to 22:30 on weekdays.
This is accompanied by a general use of more video content across the service, which will be rolled out on DSAT following the June launch. Areas such as sport, weather, entertainment and a new lifestyle section, launching in the Autumn on DSAT, will all include additional video content. Additionally, a ticker service (a Ceefax equivalent being the football scores ticker or 'Newsflash' on 150) will be available both for news and sports scores.Followers of the development of interactive services on DSAT may be interested to know that Emma Somerville, Head of BBCi's 24/7 Services, was originally employed by Open....; and was also sunsequently employed by Sky as Head of Content and Enhanced TV. Somerville's task upon joining the BBC in September last year was to re-design and re-launch the BBCi services on digital TV. From the descriptions and pictures provided so far, the strategy seems to have been one of taking ideas from analogue teletext - such as the ticker, and the show/hide function - and integrating it in to a more intuitive digital text service.
Somerville said: "We wanted to continue the pioneering work undertaken by Ceefax in the 70s, by developing our existing digital television information services.
"Our aim is to create something that exploits the extra capabilities of digital while remaining easy to use so that we can encourage viewers to use the service, as part of our remit of helping to drive digital take up.
"We want to develop our existing services for the digital generation so that they will be as easy to use and as trusted as Ceefax has been for analogue audiences."
