Msn tv

Before Microsoft

The first company WebTV Networks Inc. provided these services. (whose original name was "Artemis"). The company was founded in 1995 by Steve Perlman, Bruce Lick and Phil Goldman, who next year in partnership with Philips and Sony released the first WebTV, allowing the user to browse the Internet using a TV, even if he lacked computer literacy ; it was also offered the opportunity to watch television on one computer, without the need to add additional devices.

In mid-1997, Thomson RCA introduced through its computer network its own version of WebTV. Thomson’s idea was to deliver devices with similar Philips and Sony hardware and integrate new entertainment lines with NetChannel.

The first WebTV services were divided into two classes of service: WebTV Classic - the first version, available since 1996; WebTV Plus - hardware revision, which included the ability to image "TV for the Internet", the system "picture in picture".

In 1997, Microsoft bought the company for $ 425 million and worked in partnership with Intel and Compaq to set a digital communications standard that would make a technological breakthrough for television by accessing digital content through a television and using the television on the Internet.

One of the main problems in the first WebTV models was the lack of technology and computing power, which hampered the improvement of software. This prevented the improvement of the first models and new Internet applications were integrated into the devices initially. Lack of adaptation to changes in technology is one of the main problems identified by users.

Microsoft Reengineering

In 2001, Microsoft, through its subsidiary MSN, gained absolute control of the enterprise and terminated contracts with Philips and Sony , leaving only the RCA manufacturer of future WebTV models. Current users of the promotion were invited to switch to the terms of the agreement offered by the new brand - MSN TV. After changing the WebTV sign, MSN TV increased by nearly a million subscribers at the end of 2001.

In 2004, Microsoft extended trade agreements with Thomson, and together created a new version of the hardware MSN TV. In a version called MSN TV2, Microsoft changed the color of the device from gray to white and blue, which characterize the brand. Improvements in hardware compatibility are highlighted: USB mouse and broadband connections without the need for special adapters. The software has been improved, the integration of Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 as a browser and some features of Microsoft Media Player to improve the playback quality of the files that the user has on the device. Another advantage is the connection of devices for exchanging files between several computers (PCs, laptops, etc.) within the local network.

With these achievements, the old version of WebTV was moved to the new version in the near future, and experts emphasized that from a low cost you can get a great device for navigating the Internet, due to the wide range of parameters and ease of use for those who did not have experience work with a computer. In February 2006, the Linux BIOS hardware hackers analyzed and published a guide: “How to Install Linux on MSN TV 2,” leaving it as a sign of their achievement on the MSN TV 2 cluster.

Equipment

MSN TV is a device that connects to the TV via a cable with standard audio and video input or S-Video Connection. It is complemented by a wireless keyboard and remote control that allow you to interact with web pages and functionality.

There are also optional peripherals such as printers, card readers and WiFi connectors to increase the capacity and connectivity that MSN TV provides.

Before Microsoft

The WebTV system had two chips that allowed you to browse the website and process images without causing problems with the television: the unique low performance of processors, which initially had a speed of 112 MHz in the version of WebTV Classic, and in WebTV Plus it was 167 MHz, 1.1 GB HDD , 56kbps modem, 8 MB of RAM, 2 MB of ROM, which supported the startup process of the device and the ASIC graphic chip, which made the image and video recordings better, provided acceptable quality of information displayed on the screen.

Microsoft

After Microsoft purchased WebTV, in 1999, the first real progress was made in the evolution of graphic chips known as “Solo2,” which cost $ 20 million and was Microsoft's first attempt to enter the market for computer chips. The advantage of this chip is the processing of several video streams, which allows recording several programs simultaneously and working on the Internet via WebTV.

Despite the improvement in the video chip, there is no hardware acceleration. To enable new Internet applications, Microsoft, Intel and Compaq began to research and develop this device. In later versions, in MSN TV 2 there is an Intel Celeron 733 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM, 64 MB flash memory.

Client Architecture

Earlier versions of WebTV worked with a 64-bit RISC processor, with a processor speed from 142 MHz to 167 MHz. RAM has also increased because there have been changes (or updates) to the hardware, but the difference is not noticeable to the user. A key component is the disk, which allows the device to start, and therefore it could be hacked to introduce Linux as an operating system.

The latest version of WebTV uses an x86 processor with Intel Celeron architecture, allowing the installation of the Microsoft Windows CE operating system.

Specifications

Software

The first program for WebTV was the Spyglass Mosaic Internet browser, which is almost identical to Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 and Netscape Navigator 3.0. Along with the Spyglass browser, there was a license to enable parental controls for WebTV (for filtering content for children). VideoFlash software with MPEG-1 support and MPEG-2 audio decoder support in addition to MIDI emulation are used to display video.

In earlier versions of the software, Java is not supported due to the mismatch of the hardware requirements necessary to run applications in this language. Other software limitations are architecture, as RISC forces companies to produce software for the platform.

It currently offers the public a version of Internet Explorer 6.0; Support for Windows Media Player technology, which allows video playback through the device; support for displaying information in PDF format; A version of MSN Messenger that can be integrated with a Microsoft passport and create new Hotmail accounts.

Patents

WebTV Networks Inc. filed patents to protect its software and hardware that interact with the system.

• WorldScan: a technology that allows you to view web content in any signal format (NTSC, PAL, SECAM)
• TVLens: A technology that enhances image eliminates flicker.
• PhosphoRam: an on-the-fly image decompressor that minimizes RAM consumption.
• One Thumb Browsing: allows you to search for images on the page and inside them.

Virus

In 2002, MSN TV technology was attacked by the first virus for the platform. The program was written by David Ginson and distributed by email between WebTV devices, which when opening the letter changed the connection number to the MSN TV service to 911 (emergency number for the United States). In response, police sent cars to the homes of WebTV users.

E-mail with the virus was distributed mainly in April-July 2002 and led to problems with the police.