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- TV's NAPTE '99 to emphasize Convergence; also will have webcast video of the conference (12-16-98) (PRNewswire)
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The NATPE '99 conference will be held in January 1999, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and will emphasize NATPE's commitment to the convergence of traditional TV broadcasting and digital media. NATPE (the National Association of Television Program Executives) will provide daily panels on Internet content and digital media at the conference. - WebTV launches "Click-to-Video" banner ads (12-15-98) (InternetNews)
- WebTV integrates Banners, TV commercials and websites (12-14-98) (PRNewswire)
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Wink and Lifetime TV brings enhanced broadcasting interactivity to women's programming (12-14-98) (PRNewswire)
- MSU redevelops its strategic plan for set-top boxes to include U.S. (12-15-98) (Business Wire)
The report says the U.K.-based MSU's SlipStream access technology allows TV viewers in Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, China and English- and Spanish-speaking countries to access and interact with foreign websites in their native language. The MSU website says the MSU SlipStream telephone-based set-top box is supposed to be able to connect to any ISP. ("The unit is specifically designed to connect to any Internet Service Provider, a feature not currently found on all systems. ") - Ruel's Spotlight Website: MSU SlipStream (12-15-98)
- Ruel's Spotlight Website: MiTAC Internet devices (12-15-98)
MiTAC's telephone-based set-top boxes are supposed to have MSU SlipStream chips. The MiTAC logo says, "It's Very Well Made In Taiwan." MiTAC has two Internet boxes, the MITACWEB V3 and the MITACWEB V2. - Jesse Berst: Why PC Desktop applications will move to Webtop for use on internet appliances (12-14-98) (AnchorDesk)
- WebTV About-Face: WebTV to support RealAudio and cautiously plans support for Java (12-14-98) (CNET)
Expect RealAudio 5.0 sometime next year. Java should hopefully be supported on the WebTV Plus boxes sometime next year also. -
NetGame announces High-Speed In-Room hotel cable internet access for laptops and set-tops in Israel (12-14-98) (PRNewswire) alternate link
- NEC deal with NCI for set-top software (12-14-98) (CNET)
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NEC adopts NCI software for Internet-based TV services (12-14-98) (PRNewswire)
- AOL taking the Net from the PC to the TV (12-13-98) (BBC)
With regard to the AOL Anywhere initiative, the BBC reports that AOL "is exploring not only set-top box technology providing integrated online and television content but Net-enabled telephones, wireless devices and electronic message boards on people's refrigerators." - MeterNet WB6400 Set-Top box to open up the low-cost set-top market (12-11-98) (ruel)
- Not all Cable TV will provide digital interactivity (12-10-98) (Daily Telegraph)
- Smart Cards let consumers use TVs to buy stuff (12-14-98) (Morning Star)
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General Instrument's set-top boxes to accept VISA Smart Cards and to
download electronic coupons & offers onto the card (12-10-98) (PRNewswire)
VISA International VP for emerging products Philip Yen states, "Being able to use your VISA smart card over the digital TV network creates a world of new opportunities. One example would be to down load special offers or coupons from a TV advertisement onto your VISA smart card. As long as there are common standards, the scope to develop new applications is almost limitless." - General Instruments set-tops to support VISA Smart Cards (12-10-98) (CNET)
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WorldGate signs up Five cable operators for multi-year affiliate deals (12-10-98) (PRNewswire)
The five cable operators are Prestige Cable of Georgia, Click! Network Tacoma Power of Washington, Massilon Cable of Ohio, and internationally, TVCable Ecuador, and Cable Bahamas. WorldGate's customizable foreign language interface appears to be appealing. TVCable Ecuador's VP of Engineering Derek Caney states, "The system installation was a breeze, and it has been functioning problem-free since day one.... The Spanish interface allows our subscribers to communicate with the world." - Another naysayer says slow growth for Internet via TV? (12-9-98) (Nando)
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch version of article 12-16-98)
Nando cyberspace writer Michelle Rafter cites the recent relatively slow growth for internet via TV. It seems that her basic argument is that since it did not take off, then it's a disappointment. I would say that internet via TV is really a SLEEPER waiting to take off. Rafter has only been looking at the baby steps. It's too early to make any negative judgment on interactive TV based on slow growth. Part of this is also a culture change in how TV is used. Internet via TV is a sleeper waiting for people to catch on. Look at the one comment by a cable operator cited by Rafter. In St. Louis, Charter Communications is offering WorldGate over it's cable service. Charter Communications regional vice president E.J. Glaser said, "People love it. Some people had never used the Internet before and they were hooked." To me, that sounds like a sleeper waiting to take off. - U.S. White House holds closed-door meetings on convergence (12-9-98) (Industry Standard)
- Forrester Research study predicts standard digital TV (not HDTV) will succeed (12-9-98) (ZDNN)
- Ruel's Spotlight Website: Official WebTV Viewer software page (12-9-98)
For Web Developers: Preview how your webpages will look on WebTV using the official beta version of the WebTV Viewer for COMPUTERS. This WebTV browser simulates how a webpage looks on WebTV but on a computer. Available for Windows and Mac. Be sure to read the documentation regarding the limitations of this software.... This is a good simulator (there is a virtual version of the Sony remote control), but with limitations. (You can only experience the real WebTV with a real WebTV box.) - AOL is working on the AOL-TV box (12-8-98) (Washington Post)
The Washington Post report cites AOL's interactive services division president Barry Schuler as saying AOL is "in active development" of AOL-TV, but there is no launch date. The Post also cites Schuler as indicating that AOL is in talks with manufacturers to build the AOL-TV set-top box. The Post report indicates the AOL-TV box will be similar to a WebTV telephone-based set-top box. AOL hopes to capitalize on its well-known brandname and marketing to open up the interactive TV set-top market. On the telephone front, it will be AOL-TV versus Microsoft's WebTV. - AOL plans interactive TV (12-8-98) (CNET)
- Profiting from the overall digital TV revolution (12-8-98) (Fortune)
- Ruel's Website Spotlight: MeterNet WB6400 set-top (12-7-98)
The MeterNet WB6400 is a telephone-based set-top box with a 33.6 Kbps modem. It is marketed with free webpage-based email service that could be private-branded. The website states, "We can arrange to brand the Web Mail service while we host and maintain the system on our servers. Every MeterNet WB6400 that you distribute can include your branded webMail as the default mail location." Just add the ISP service that has to be paid for and you get "free email" in a box. This is a smart idea. About a week or so ago, someone in a non-official-WebTV part of the world asked me about a particular buggy settop and I told that party to consider a browser-only box without any POPD email. Instead consider webpage-based email....- Click here for 11-6-98 Press Release announcing the debut of this box.
- ALSO SEE RELATED: Email Market to Explode with "Push" Opt-In Email (12-8-98) (AnchorDesk)
- Microsoft shows off early WinCE version for WebTV; also Scientific-Atlanta PowerTV news (12-7-98) (TechWeb)
- Microsoft to provide WebTV service on Scientific-Atlanta's Explorer 2000 set-top box & digital interactive network (12-4-98) (Reuters)
Reuters reports "WebTV ... is the most widely used service that melds TV and the Internet." - OpenTV & Interactive Channel form strategic alliance to deliver interactive programming via satellite TV (12-7-98) (PRNewswire)
- Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures invests $10 Million in Wink Communications (12-3-98) (PRNewswire)
- WorldGate & Scientific-Atlanta announce WorldGate's Internet TV Over Cable service will be available on Explorer 2000; WorldGate is participating in S-A's CreativEdge Developers' Program (12-3-98) (PRNewswire)
- Ruel's Spotlight Website: Scientific-Atlanta's CreativEdge
- Source Media offers free interactive guide service to cable operators who launch Interactive Channel (12-3-98) (PRNewswire)
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Source Media's Interactive Channel offers local healthcare directory for cable TV (12-3-98) (PRNewswire)
- Hewlett-Packard CEO describes PC as "Pretty Crude" and becoming obsolete; computer manufacturers rethinking the future of the PC and looking towards information appliances (12-2-98) (CNET)
- PC-TV item: AOL President Bob Pittman states, "Nobody wants to watch TV on their PCs. Shoot me if I'm wrong." (12-4-98) (ZDNN)
Bang.... InterVU, partly owned by NBC, plans to test television pilot shows on the internet. AOL President Bob Pittman is skeptical of the concept. -
@Home acquires Full Force Systems and its set-top applications and interactive TV company (12-2-98) (PRNewswire)
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SkyConnect provides interactive TV for hospitality venues (12-2-98) (PRNewswire)
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