[Microsoft investment in TCI cable boxes]
No suprise. That would be in keeping with Microsofts other recent news:
"SEATTLE (Reuter) - Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday its forthcoming Windows 98 operating system update would allow users to
obtain Internet content for free over an unused portion of the television broadcast spectrum.
Under an agreement with WavePhore Inc. in Phoenix, computers equipped with television tuners will be able to receive information
such as news, sports, weather and entertainment without an Internet connection.
The data, including audio and video, would be sent by broadcast and cable and downloaded into the computer hard drive according
to preferences set by the user through Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser.
The service would be free to users and supported by advertising with selected content from providers such as CBS Sportsline,
Quote.com and Time Warner Inc publications like Time, People and Fortune.
While it would operate as a stand-alone service, consumers would still need access through an Internet service provider if they
wanted to seek out favorite Web sites, send electronic mail or take advantage of other Internet features.
WavePhore's WaveTop service is scheduled to be launched by the end of the year over the unseen "vertical blinking interval" of the
nation's 264 Public Broadcasting Service television stations, providing coverage to 99 percent of the population.
Windows 98, an update to the 2-year-old Windows 95 operating system, is in early test stages and scheduled to be available by the
middle of next year.
The addition of television tuning capabilities is being promoted as one of the major new features of Windows 98, and executives of
the software giant said they expect television tuners to be commonplace in new personal computers targeted at consumers in the
coming holiday season.
Television tuner cards for computers currently retail for about $85, and that is expected to decline, said Phil Holden, a Microsoft
Windows product manager.
Microsoft increasingly is looking toward television as a way to push mass-market acceptance of the Internet, even beyond the 40
percent of U.S. households that have computers.
The Redmond, Wash.-based company recently paid $425 million for WebTV Networks Inc., which makes set-top boxes that allow
Internet access through television sets. Microsoft recently invested $1 billion in Comcast Corp. in an effort to spur faster
development of high-speed cable networks for home computers. "
This is a company that can afford to form alliances with any and all participants in emerging technologies. They definitely have their bases covered -and probably more than a few write offs to boot!
Schmedley |
