Red Button (Digital Television)

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Red Button is a button on the remote control of the digital television set top box in the UK and Malaysia. It is for interactive television services such as BBCi and Astro (Malaysia). When interactive programmes are broadcast a Press Red icon will appear on the television screen.

BSkyB uses a video of a dog and a duck playing together and saying "press the red button" to promote the red button to its viewers. Pop Idol used the red button as a voting device.

The feature also enables several different feeds from the event, thereby enabling viewers to select between events or sporting matches that may be taking place simultaneously. For example, when the 2006 FIFA World Cup was aired, viewers could choose to view matches from multiple camera angles.

Using the red button for interactive television services is also available outside of the UK on various satellite services.

The adoption of the mantra: "If you'd like to know more and are watching us on Digital TV, you can press the 'red button' now" throughout the industry caused one unseen side effect; that many remote controls have two red buttons - the second one is the on/off button, viewers trying to 'go interactive' switched off their TV.

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Any material not supported by sources may be challenged and removed at any time. This article has been tagged since October 2006.