Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: Buckfa who wrote (1746)	7/19/1998 9:04:00 PM
From: ayn rand	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2843

July 18, 1998 Poof! - Your PC is now a WebTV nettalklive.com Gadget Guy Dave Mathews: If you are one of the few and the proud with Windows 98 installed (successfully) you now have the option of adding a WebTV interface to your computer. Microsoft bought the fledging "Internet over your television" company in October for a mere $425 million and now claims to have 400,000 customers on the service. In the past WebTV was simply a hardware device that plugged into your television like a VCR. For around $20 per month you can surf the web, listen to streaming audio, and perform basic web functions minus the downloading and running of programs on a $200 (the plus model) box. Today WebTV is additionally a full-featured add-on to Windows 98, which pulls down HTML news and information at ISDN speeds over the PBS airwaves around the nation. It also allows you to watch television in a window on your desktop or in full-screen mode on your PC and capture images right to your hard drive. The best bonus however is the interactive program guide whose listings are updated via the Internet. If you want to add this feature to your PC beware that the WebTV interface takes over 40 Megabytes of your precious hard drive space, but it will give a terrific program guide to even those of you without ATI's All in Wonder video board required for television viewing. More Win98 hardware drivers are arriving on websites as we speak for boards from other manufacturers like Hauppauge, who have made Vertical Blanking Interval or VBI Intercast boards for the past two years. If you have a PCI based TV/VBI board lying around, check the manufacturer's website for the needed WDM drivers. If you want to add this functionality to your Win98 box; stick with the ATI board, as it is the only card currently supported by Microsoft. It takes four core companies to bring you WebTV for Windows 98: Intel - The decoding technology for the PC & encoding equipment for the television broadcasters. Microsoft - The distribution of the PC client software required Wavephore - The content creator "clearinghouse" for the web pages you see over the service Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) - The transmission medium to get the data to your PC over the airwaves. The program guide: One word describes this feature: Killer! The best news is that you only need an Internet connection to keep it updated. No hardware is required. The Gemstar guide asks for your zip code, then allows you to pick the cable company that you subscribe to. Channel lineup information is then downloaded and program times are sent to your PC. Now it is a snap for you to pick shows based on their categories, or airtimes. The best part of this is once you find a show you like, you can display the other times it will be broadcast or other shows with a similar theme! With cable companies re-running programs, and Net Talk Live! available on many different stations even within the same city, this is a great way to find the best time for you to watch a program. Remember that Gemstar is the group that brings you VCR Plus+ so they know what they are doing! The television viewing: As you work on your PC, you now have the ability to watch programs in the corner of your screen. This is cool and all, but it gets REALLY cool when you add multiple monitors to your system. One monitor can display full screen TV, while the others can show you your work, email, etc, etc. Remember, up to NINE monitors can be added to Windows 98! The web page viewing: Ever wonder about statistics on a player when you are watching a sporting event? Or how many times have you asked "Where in the world did Jennifer Anniston get that fabulous outfit?" You will have an answer every time with Intercast technology. WaveTop's VBI Internet data streaming in through your antenna connection is a little different however. Although the data still travels at 120k bits per second like Intercast, the content does not follow the program you are watching. There are 10 channels of WaveTop information for you to view. Although you cannot request what is sent, your computer collects the data while it is turned on and you read the content which interests you. Their channels consist of News, Stocks, Kids, Family and the like. For more information on the technology used to feed the data to your PC, read my Intercast article linked below! Some of the WaveTop content sent within the VBI data stream. Extras: Most of the VBI cards have a composite video input to allow you to attach a video camera so you can videoconference through the card's with program's like Microsoft NetMeeting. Video capture of still or moving shots from your favorite TV shows is also possible were they can be edited on your hard drive with a program like Paint Shop Pro or Adobe Premiere. I can only imagine what you will do with your favorite TV stars when they enter the digital imaging realm! WebTV is a very cool feature for Windows 98, but most of the features can still be added to Windows 95 with the download available from WaveTop or Intel's website! Just check the links below! nettalklive.com - My article on Intercast. intercast.org - Intercast Organization Main website. intercast.com - Intel's Intercast site. Microsoft's WebTV section. wavetop.net - WavePhore; the techology licensed to Win98. atitech.ca - ATI's All in Wonder video board required for television viewing. Article Archive