ADVANCED TELEVISION ENHANCEMENT FORUM (ATVEF)

A commercial technology organization or "cross-industry alliance" formed by many different companies from the broadcast and cable networks, television transports, consumer electronics, and PC industries. The goal was to develop HTML-based protocols to promote the standardization of enhanced TV. Tools and other supportive technologies that were "ATVEF-compliant" enabled the creation and distribution of enhancements through the analog and digital signal. Representatives developed a technology specification that enabled broadcasters to send data (based on Internet standards) through the "Vertical Blanking Interval." If the viewer's set-top box had the proper software to receive and interpret ATVEF data, whatever was designed and sent would show up on the TV screen. That data might appear as raw data or complex interactive interfaces. This technology has been made somewhat obsolete by the deployment of digital set-top boxes.