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- WebTV makes deal with RealNetworks to finally provide upgraded RealAudio to WebTV subscribers (7-1-99) (CNET)
WebTV subscribers are collectively saying, "It's about time." They want their RealAudio. As reported by TV ONLINE magazine in their April 1999 issue, previous WebTV president Steve Perlman said, "WebTV is working on streaming audio for 1999 that includes the latest versions of Windows Media Player and Real Networks [Audio]." It was only a matter of time.... - WebTV and RealNetworks agree to provide RealAudio G2 support for WebTV subscribers (7-1-99) (PRNewswire)
- RealNetworks to provide technologies for WebTV upgrade to RealAudio G2 (7-2-99) (AP)
- WebTV will support RealNetworks upgrade (7-1-99) (InfoBeat Internet Daily)
InfoBeat reports, "Microsoft's WebTV Networks Inc. said RealNetworks will provide WebTV Networks with technologies to support the latest RealAudio G2 format. WebTV Networks intends to provide RealAudio G2 support to its subscribers via a service upgrade later this year." - WebTV jumps on RealNetworks G2 bandwagon (7-1-99) (InternetNews)
- WebTV gets RealNetworks support (7-1-99) (ZDNN)
- WebTV DISHPlayer ad in newspaper (7-2-99) (ruel)
- Microsoft TV Platform Adaptation Kit to feature Microsoft Windows Media for 'on-demand' audio and video (7-1-99) (PRNewswire)
Microsoft WebTV Platform Division general manager Phil Goldman said, "Windows Media Technologies provides a comprehensive approach to streaming media. Windows Media Technologies will complement and enhance broadcast video by providing consumers with access to high-quality streaming audio and video at the click of a remote control. We expect many content developers to take advantage of this technology when they create interactive shows and advertising." - Jesse Berst, page 2: AOL out-interfaced Microsoft to win the future? (7-1-99) (AnchorDesk)
Fits in with the TV-Viewer-versus-PC-user dichotomy: Jesse Berst writes, "Analysts report computer users are less interested in word-processing or spreadsheet applications and more interested in easy access to the Net..... It would be foolish to count out Microsoft entirely, of course. Having failed to win by giving people what they want, the software giant resorts to the time-honored tactic of buying its way in ... to lock out AOL and other rivals." - Sega Dreamcast game console has Internet connection (6-30-99) (Orange Country Register)
- Telewebbers: X Games connect TV and Web (6-30-99) (CNET)
- Telewebbers: TV broadcast networks test "links" to sales websites (6-29-99) (USA Today)
- Who will rule Broadband? (6-28-99) (MSNBC)
MSNBC quotes Dataquest researcher Kathie Hackler as stating, "Whoever gets to the household first will win." - Ino announces TVPC MP3 set-top box (6-29-99) (PRNewswire)
- EchoStar adds American Interactive Media's TVOD to on-demand services for WebTV-capable DISHPlayer satellite-dish boxes (6-28-99) (PRNewswire)
TVOD president Bill Zaccheo said, "Networks such as ComedyNet will be a rich multimedia experience on EchoStar's DISHPlayer. Microsoft's WebTV channel guide will help viewers find ComedyNet's homescreen, which will be running brief comedy videos such as Comedy On The Road. Other areas of the screen display video-on-demand options for comedy shows such as Scottland' Breakup Girl or the Toyota Comedy Festival. A customer who owns DISHPlayer and subscribes to WebTV can click his remote to view, pause or rewind shows in real time. Viewers can also click through to chat rooms to interact with comedians or visit message boards to exchange jokes. CrimeBeat and Romanceland will offer similarly rich interactive experiences." - TVN to use IVT's Burstware technology to send compressed video/audio via satellite to cable headends (6-29-99) (IWIRE)
IWIRE reports, "TVN Entertainment will use IVT's core technology for its variety of digital interactive and transactional services. TVN recently acquired GRTV Network (a subsidiary of Guthy-Renker Corporation), and the Panda Shopping Network (PSN), a live home shopping service to add e-shopping and direct response to its NVOD and VOD transactional services. TVN has also entered into a relationship with Citibank to provide banking services through digital set-top boxes." - InterNiche releases small 30-kilobyte NicheView browser for PDAs, Set-Top Boxes, cellular phones, and other net devices (6-28-99) (PRNewswire)
30-kilobyte browser program. For those regular computer fans out there, this small 30-kilobyte program sounds like something from old pre-Windows days when there were somewhat less bloated DOS programs, and from the ancient CP/M days when you had tightly coded programs written in assembler. -
NTN could be biggest unknown interactive TV fantasy-gaming player? (6-28-99) (ZDII)
ZDII's Larry Dignan writes, "NTN Communications Inc. (AMEX: NTN) could be the biggest interactive TV player you've never heard of. Because you probably don't hang out in a bar, then try to do a better job at predicting the next play on the big screen TV than some guy you don't know in a watering hole in Pepper Pike, Ohio...."
Owners of bars, pubs, and restaurants around the U.S. and elsewhere have written in asking for recommendations about set-top boxes and PC-to-TV converters for showing the Internet on TV sets in their establishments. Some have said that you know a new form of entertainment is about to hit the mainstream when you begin to see the new entertainment in bars, pubs, and restaurants. Also check out Fantasy Futures at http://www.fantasyfutures.com which is a fantasy stock trading simulation website that also has fantasy sports betting (fake money used for bets) and which is similar to NTN. NTN is located at http://www.ntn.com. The folks at Fantasy Futures asked for coverage here at the set-top net pages because they say they are receiving a good number of WebTV visitors. As previously reported on these pages, the gaming websites (whether real money casinos or fake money simulators) know that the potential big profits could be via the set-top interactive TV connection. -ruel - United Pan-Europe Communications acquires GelreVision as part of triple-play of video, voice, and data for set-tops (6-25-99) (PRNewswire)
- United Pan-Europe Communications to acquire MediaOne's A2000 interest and to deploy digital set-tops over A2000 in the Netherlands (6-24-99) (PRNewswire)
- Enersphere.com purchases a USA Video Interactive system for community-based in-home network services via set-tops (6-25-99) (PRNewswire)
- MyWeb and Bejing Post & Telegraph intros set-top service in China (6-25-99) (asia.internet)
- Singapore trio launch MyWeb $100M set-top invasion of China (6-25-99) (Excite-Reuters)
Reuters reports, "A trio of young entrepreneurs [28-year-old CEO T.S. Wong, and fellow engineers Danny Toe and Jason Chan] from Singapore say the best way to bring Chinese people online is through their television sets. And they plan to spend $100 million to prove it." - Three Reasons to get $199 Sega Dreamcast (6-25-99) (AnchorDesk)
The Sega Dreamcast was previously reported to be WebTV-capable. And TV ONLINE magazine reports in its July 1999 issue: "Phil Goldman, vice president of engineering for WebTV Networks says his company has 'created a new version of WebTV' on a CD-ROM that can be inserted like a game title in the [Sega Dreamcast] console." (For those computer users who are wondering, don't expect to be able to use that CD in a computer -- you'll need a Sega Dreamcast to use the CD.) TV ONLINE magazine reports the WebTV experience on the Sega Dreamcast will be similar to what you find on the WebTV Classic units. If you are a TV videogame player in the U.S. looking for multi-player online gaming and you want WebTV also, go check out the new Sega Dreamcast when it arrives in the U.S. in September. - WebTV-capable DISHPlayer from EchoStar to cost $199 until September 30 (7-99) (TV ONLINE)
TV ONLINE magazine's July issue with WebTV viewer Daisy Fuentes on the cover has a two-page article on the DISHPlayer WebTV-EchoStar satellite-dish box. The DISHPlayer has a price tag of $499, but the price has been reduced to $199 until September 30, 1999. In one part of the article, TV ONLINE writes, "DISH and WebTV Networks can download data directly to the [DISHPlayer] receiver's hard drive at very high speeds. The companies plan to download ... video games, music, e-commerce offerings, as well as selected Internet content. But the real bonus will come later this year when a digital video recording feature is added." The DISHPlayer is a set-top box worth checking out. - Liberate and RealNetworks team up to put RealPlayer in set-top boxes (6-24-99) (allNetDevices)
Liberate Technologies, formerly NCI, is teaming up with RealNetworks to put RealPlayer G2 in set-top boxes. (allNetDevices managing editor David Haskin sent in this allNetDevices news link. Thanks, David!) - RealNetworks software to be included in cable set-top boxes using the Liberate technology (6-24-99) (InternetNews-Reuters)
"[...] Charlie Tritschler, vice president of marketing for Liberate, said the deal with RealNetworks was not exclusive and the company would continue to work with Microsoft in other areas." - Liberate Technologies to integrate RealPlayer G2 into information appliance software platform as preferred broadband media technology (6-24-99) (PRNewswire)
- MyWeb internet TV set-top boxes go to China (6-24-99) (InternetNews) (alternate allNetDevices link)
- Dii Group supports China partner DVB Holdings Ltd. with set-top boxes for Chinese schools and "Web Boxes" for SilkOnNet.com Chinese-language interactive-TV service (6-23-99) (PRNewswire)
Dii Group Asia president C.Y. Cheong said, "These new initiatives should accelerate and increase the demand for set-top boxes, as well as spur demand for higher-end 'smart boxes' that allow two-way communication with the Internet. The Dii Group will supply most of these set-top boxes in China from our large manufacturing campus in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province."
As a coincidence, Managing Director CK Cheung (similar but differently spelled name) of Expert View Ltd., an unrelated Hong Kong-based company, recently sent in a message the other day. Cheung says people in China are very interested in set-top boxes. Cheung also says that his company is "able to get large quantity [of set-top boxes] out in China." Cheung additionally writes, "We are experienced in VCD/DVD player trading and have shipped over 500K units to China in the last 2 years, mainly in Guandong Province. We also trade fax machines, some telecom equipment, and import into China." A major client of Expert View Ltd. is China Telecom. (Check out the info about IGI Consulting reports on telecom in Guandong Province.) -ruel - Jesse Berst: The Digital Home - The Big Wait (6-24-99) (AnchorDesk)
Professional computer critic Jesse Berst says the digital home is still under construction. He advertises his commentary with the title of "Digital Home: The Big Lie" in the AnchorDesk daily mailer, but tones down the title to "Digital Home: The Big Wait" for the actual article. - WebPad and other Net Appliances get real (6-24-99) (Excite-Reuters)
- MSNBC to provide 24 / 7 enhanced interactive television for WebTV Plus (6-22-99) (PRNewswire) (alternate IWIRE link)
- Sony's $899.99 GLASSTRON headset simulates a 52-inch Big-Screen TV audio-stereo-video home theater system (6-22-99) (MSNBC)
- Tech companies scrambling and stumbling into digital living room (6-22-99) (ZDNN)
- Six toys that no TV Couch Potato should be without (6-22-99) (AnchorDesk)
- Cable TV going interactive (6-20-99) (Mercury Center)
- Inter-Con/PC announces management team for set-top box introduction (6-22-99) (PRNewswire)
- uniView hires Thomson Financial Investor Relations (6-22-99) (PRNewswire)
- AOL's Andreessen previews TV vs. Web battles (6-22-99) (PCWEEK)
- US West tests "WebVision" in three cities (6-23-99) (allNetDevices)
- US West begins technical trial of "WebVision" integrating telephone and internet service with existing TV service through dial-up and DSL telephone service in Denver, Minneapolis, and Phoenix with full-scale deployment in Fall '99 (6-21-99) (PRNewswire)
- GEDI Interactive TV ready for deployment (6-21-99) (PRNewswire)
The GEDI Interactive TV is reported to allow "the user to answer the telephone, have a phone conversation through TV and receive and store up to 100 voice messages in its digital phone-answering device. GEDI Interactive TV is also equipped with a CD player with CD-ROMs that store up to 15 retail catalogues each so the TV viewer can browse and 'window' shop -- without going on line -- or play music through the TV set. When the user wants to perform such e-commerce activities as on-line banking, on-line trading or make a purchase, he or she plugs into a phone line for a moment, then points and clicks the appropriate commands."
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