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PC Today: Notebooks, Shareware, Internet Service Providers
March 2001• Vol.9 Issue 3
Web TV Use Your Television To Get Online

Jump to first occurrence of: [WEBTV]

Let’s start by acknowledging one thing: If you don’t own a WebTV box and have no plans for getting one in the future, this article isn’t for you. Microsoft’s WebTV (http://www.webtv.com/) offers its users several service plans that let them connect to the Internet through their television sets or use their TVs in new and interactive ways.

While seasoned computer users may shudder at WebTV’s narrow focus in terms of what the box can do, those who are looking for a simple Internet connection or another way to get online may wish to consider WebTV.

What You’ll Need. If you are indeed interested, the first thing you’ll need to do is get the necessary hardware. In addition to a WebTV receiver (see the “WebTV Hardware” sidebar), you’ll need a TV and a phone line. (You can use the phone line you use for your voice calls, and if your phone supports call waiting, you can set up WebTV to give you the option of accepting incoming calls while you’re online.) You’ll also need a WebTV service plan, of which you have three choices: WebTV Classic, WebTV Plus Interactive, and WebTV Personal TV.

WebTV Classic. With the WebTV Classic receiver and service plan, users can surf the Internet, send instant messages and e-mail, chat, and more. Each WebTV Classic subscription comes with SurfWatch and Kid Friendly to help keep younger users safe and entertained, and users can create up to six different, private e-mail accounts and build their own personal Web pages.

Many WebTV receivers, such as this Personal TV receiver and dish from EchoStar, come with a standard remote and optional wireless keyboard.

Several different companies, including RCA and Sony, make receivers you can use with the WebTV Classic service. Prices for the receivers range from $99 to $129; the monthly service fees run from $19.95 to $21.95, depending on the model of receiver you use. If you decide to use your own ISP (Internet Service Provider) with the WebTV receiver, service fees drop $10/month (See the Use A Different ISP section below for more information.)

WebTV Plus Interactive. With the WebTV Plus Interactive service, you get all the perks of WebTV Classic plus a host of interactive features that let you play along with game shows, surf to related sites while you’re watching a show, chat about a show with other viewers, get behind-the-scenes information about a show, and more. WebTV Plus Interactive also features a TV listing function that lets you view listings for the next seven days, search through listings, and record your favorite show. It can also notify you when your favorite show is about to start. You can even surf the Web and watch TV at the same time with WebPIP (Web picture-in-picture).

Like the Classic receiver, Plus Interactive receivers are made by a variety of companies and cost about $199. The service plan costs $24.95/month, or $14.95/month if you use your own ISP.

WebTV Personal TV. The third service that WebTV offers, Personal TV, requires a DISHPlayer satellite receiver from EchoStar (http://www.dishnetwork.com/). With Personal TV, you can do such things as record up to 12 hours of digital quality programming, instantly replay part of a program you’re watching, and pause programming. The DISHPlayer receivers range in cost from $199 to $399, and Personal TV service costs $9.99/month. You can also combine the Personal TV service with the WebTV Plus Interactive service for $29.94/month.

Set Up & Child-Proofing. Setting up WebTV for the first time is fairly simple. After purchasing the receiver, hook it up to your television and telephone line and turn it on. An on-screen registration process will automatically take you step by step through the subscription process.

You can search for access numbers that are in your local calling area on the WebTV Web site.

To activate features such as SurfWatch (to filter out adult content) or Kid Friendly (a special section devoted to offerings for kids) for a child’s account, first sign on to WebTV as the primary user. Choose Settings from the Web home page, select Extra Users, and then the user account on which you want to place restrictions. Choose No Web Restrictions and then the level of restriction that you wish to have applied to that user. Select Continue and then Done to finish.

Use A Different ISP. There are a couple of reasons why you might want to use your own ISP with the WebTV receiver instead of the WebTV ISP. For example, if WebTV doesn’t offer any local access numbers in your area, you’ll probably want to stick with an ISP that does to avoid long-distance charges. To check on the availability of local access numbers in your area, go to http://www.webtv.com/products/lookup/local_access.html and enter your phone number in the field provided. Secondly, if you are happy with the service you already receive from an ISP, you may not want to go through the hassle of changing service providers.

Remember that if you do use your own ISP, WebTV will knock $10 off the monthly service charge. Unless you use a free or very inexpensive ISP, though, you’re not going to save any money taking this route, and if your ISP is AOL or CompuServe, you’re completely out of luck. WebTV is not compatible with either one of those popular ISPs.

To set up a WebTV subscription with your own ISP, make sure the ISP will support WebTV. (95% of ISPs will work fine with WebTV; check with your ISP tech support to confirm that they do, and that they’ll offer support in case you need it to get WebTV set up and running.) Once you’ve got your ISP username, password, and access numbers, select the Use An ISP option during the on-screen registration process.

Keyboards, Printers & WebTV. If you’re looking to use a keyboard with your WebTV receiver, you can get an optional wireless keyboard with many models for just a few dollars more. Have a spare, regular keyboard lying around? You can also use that with WebTV as long as it is an AT-type wired keyboard with a PS/2 (6-pin) connector.

WebTV receivers also support many different printer types so that you can easily print things you stumble across on your Internet jaunts. To see if your existing printer is compatible with WebTV, go to http://www.webtv.com/products/printers/prcomp_printer.asp.

Upgrading To Plus. You’ve been using WebTV Classic for a while and you’re wondering if you can upgrade to WebTV Plus. The answer is yes, as long as you use a credit card to pay your monthly fees or have a password set up on your Classic terminal. You should also plan to use the same phone line with the Plus receiver that you used with the Classic receiver. To switch, simply unplug the Classic receiver, plug in the Plus receiver, and follow the instructions when Transfer Account pops up on the screen. If you have any problems, contact WebTV; they can switch your account over for you. ( NOTE: you can’t use the same account on both terminals at the same time.)

Other Countries. While WebTV has a sizable presence in the United States, you can also use its products and services if you happen to live in either Canada or Japan. To get more information on Canadian services, check out http://www.webtv.com/products/international/canada/index.html; for service in Japan, try http://www.webtv.co.jp/.

by Rich Gray

WebTV Hardware

You most likely already have a phone line and TV, so you really only need to get a WebTV receiver. Which receiver you get, however, depends largely on what version of WebTV you decide to use.

WebTV Classic. The WebTV Classic Internet receiver is available from a variety of companies, including Sony (http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/ss5/home/webtvtminternetterminal/index.shtml), Philips Magnavox (http://www.buyphilips.com/) and RCA (http://www.rca.com/product/viewdetail/0,1322,PI856,00.html). Most of these receivers feature 56Kbps (kilobits per second)-compatible modems, and all have smart card slots, printer adapters, remote controls, and various memory capacities. You can also pick up a wireless keyboard to use with them. These receivers cost from $99 to $129.

WebTV Plus Interactive. The WebTV Plus Interactive receiver is quite similar to the Classic receiver and is available through Philips Magnavox (http://www.buyphilips.com/), Sony Electronics (http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/ss5/home/webtvtminternetterminal/index.shtml), Mitsubishi (http://www.mitsubishitv.com/) and RCA (http://www.nipper.com/). These receivers all sell for $199 and come with a remote, printer adapter, smart card slot, and optional wireless keyboard.

WebTV Personal TV. In order to use the WebTV Personal TV service, you’ll need a DISHPlayer satellite receiver from EchoStar (http://www.dishnetwork.com/). These dishes cost from $199 to $399.

To find any of these receivers, you can either visit each company’s Web site or stop by the WebTV store locator (http://webtv.net/products/lookup/find_form.asp). Enter your ZIP code, city, or state to get a list of WebTV receiver retailers near you.

At A Glance

Connection Options: Most WebTV Classic and WebTV Plus Interactive receivers come with dial-up modems that are capable of 56Kbps (kilobits per second).

Pricing:
*WebTV classic receivers: $99 to $129, service: $19.95 to $21.95/month ($9.95 to 11.95/month if you use your own ISP)
*WebTV Plus Interactive receivers: $199, service: $24.95/month ($14.95/month if you use your own ISP).
*WebTV Personal TV receivers: $199 to $399, service: $9.99/month (combine Personal TV with Plus Interactive for $29.94/month).

URL: http://www.webtv.com/

Phone Number: For questions regarding WebTV services, call (800) 469-3288.

Most Current Access Numbers: http://www.webtv.com/products/lookup/local_access.html

Pros: WebTV is easy to use and cheaper than buying a computer if you just want Internet access.

Cons: The service is costlier than if you use a plain ISP, and it’s limiting in terms of what you can do compared to a computer.

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