Programme delivery control for simplified home video recording

Program delivery control (PDC) provides a means of greatly improving the home recording of television programs, both by simplifying the process of choosing programs for recording and by precisely controlling recording at the actual time of transmission. A number of members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are presently planning the introduction of services in accordance with the EBU PDC specification using data transmitted as part of teletext services to allow suitably equipped video recorders to select and record programs automatically and completely. Where CCIR system B teletext alone cannot be used and where other types of data broadcasting services are already implemented in some countries, the specification defines the necessary alternative data structures. These services and operations are discussed