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Technology Stocks : WavePhore (WAVO)- VBI fed WaveTop for WebTV -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: David Gardiner who wrote (910)	2/24/1998 11:35:00 AM
From: AJ Berger	Read Replies (5) \| Respond to of 2843

WebTV for Windows'98 -IS- WaveTop! I was beginning to get more and more concerned when I kept reading in the trade press about MicroSoft using VBI TV signal input for enhanced content in Windows98 without mentioning WavePhore. I became even more concerned when "WebTV for Windows" keeps getting mentioned prominently in Trade and Business journals with no WavePhore in sight. Today I finally called Investors Relations and was grateful for an immediate responce from their representative who explained away the confusion. First of all, WebTV on your Television is a subscription service, since you need an ISP to get the Digital Data for information, Email etc. Since you will now be getting that data stream from the VBI on your PBS channel TV-input, no subcription will be needed. WAVO's IR representative explained that WebTV for Windows in is fact a combination of 3 elements. 1. WebTV TV-Programming Guides 2. InterCast Enhanced TV content which compliments the TV programming 3. WaveTop, pure and simple Internet Content with complimenting content launching interface. You can't blame MicroSoft for touting WebTV for Windows, which from a marketing standpoint is a lot more exciting then WaveTop(what the hell is that? right!) But the main point is, WAVO will be playing a very significant roll in WebTV for Windows offerings. WaveTop will be available seperately as well, but I assume consumers are much more likely to go with the WebTV marketed version, then the plain vanilla one I'm Beta Testing. The IR person from WAVO agreed that the confusion over WaveTop competing with WebTV and Intercast, instead of all of them actually working together for Windows'98 is one that they recognize, and could be addressing in a near future press release. Honestly, as a shareholder, I have dozens of questions about WavePhores relationship with all these other players, and exactly where they stand to benefit, and have to compete in this new VBI-DataCast Management Market, but I will leave that for future posts. I should point out to all you longer term shareholders that you should be careful to watch for the following trend as WebTV and WaveTop work together. Is WebTV likely to develope their own VBI content that eclipses WaveTop? Is WebTV going to carry WaveTop's VBI DataCast into their SetTop Box's, once their equipped with Hard Drives? It's quite possible that will MicroSoft in the middle of all this, they each will "stay" in their prospective corners, but I suppose that all depends on how dramatically this new medium actually developes. With over 50 million potential viewers, it's anyone's guess. Obviously, if you've invested in this stock, you're already betting on an optimistic outcome. Let's hope we're right. My guess is, that with WebTV being the expert marketing and packager, and WaveTop being the expert data collection/transmission/presentor, that they would be wise to cooperate (or buy) with each other, thankfully, for now with MicroSoft's blessing. Remember, MicroSoft does not really need either of these guys after some future (2yrs) push into the CableTV set top box market. MicroSoft will then have the distribution, Software, Marketing, and (MSN)BC content they need to knock both WebTV & WaveTop out on their asses. To WavePhore is say this: you guys are off the hook for this quarter, but Next quarter ending June'98 we BETTER start seeing some good numbers from Ad revenues and Alliances. Beta3 of Windows'98 is already more stable than the most current version of Windows'95, so we're definately going to see a second quarter launch. I know you guys are all working 16 hour days already, but there is a specific time window for you to get your acts together, and the Advertising community excited about this new medium. DON'T make the mistake other content providers have made by assuming Ad's will come once you have killer content and a great medium. They WON'T know that until you get off your asses and SELL SELL SELL this new medium to them. So make damn sure your pounding the pavement while developing this medium, even if you have to Out-Source it for a Marketing Firm! Peace On.