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| WebTV For Windows |
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MULTIMEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT February 2001 • Vol.7 Issue 2 Page(s) 75-76 in print issue |
WebTV For Windows A Combination Of TV Entertainment, Internet Resources & Computing Interaction | ||
 WebTV for Windows enables you to interactively watch TV via the Internet in a window or full screen on your Windows Me PC. In a WebTV window, some of the extra data embedded in the normal TV transmission, such as closed captioning, can also display on your PC. Add Web site links to enhance TV broadcast content through the WebTV for Windows conduit on your PC, and your TV viewing automatically becomes more interactive. This combination results in being able to watch a football game on your Internet-connected PC and have immediate access to team and player background information, statistics, and other game scores from a Web site. Even while you're watching a TV documentary or news show on your PC, the broadcaster can offer links to sites with related or more detailed information and you'll be able to access them instantly.  I Want My WebTV. Your PC already has the software for WebTV for Windows included on the WinMe installation CD-ROM. However, to watch TV on your PC, and to get the full benefits of WebTV for Windows, you'll need to install a TV tuner card in your PC case and connect it to your existing TV cable or antenna. For the best WebTV experience, your system will need a 300MHz Pentium II processor or better, 64MB of RAM or more, 2GB of free hard drive space or more, a 56Kbps (kilobits per second) modem and Internet connection, CD-ROM drive, Pentium-compatible or equivalent TV tuner card, a graphics/video card, a sound card, and speakers. Viewing should be on a SVGA (Super Video Graphics Array) monitor with at least an 800- x 600-pixel resolution or higher. The minimum requirements are lower than this, but we found that these recommended requirements are more practical for adequate performance. Having a high bandwidth Internet connection, such as cable, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), or a T1 line will enable better interactivity with the Web components of WebTV for Windows. Adding A TV Tuner Card. There are two ways that you can add a TV tuner card to your PC case. One, you can replace your current graphics card with a graphics/TV tuner card that includes a TV tuner embedded on the card. For example, ATI Technologies (905/882-2600; http://www.ati.com) sells the All-In-Wonder series for $180 to $230. Or, consider 3dfx Interactive's Voodoo3 3500 TV series ($140 to $190; 888/367-3339; http://www.3dfx.com). Users satisfied with their current graphics card can install a separate TV tuner card. 3dfx Interactive sells a VOODOOtv series ($50 to $100), ATI Technologies sells a TV Wonder series ($50 to $80), AVerMedia Technologies sells a TV98 series ($70 to $100; 408/263-3828; http://www.avermedia.com), and Hauppauge Computer Works sells a WinTV series ($50 to $200; 631/434-1600; http://www.hauppauge.com). We suggest checking with the manufacturers to confirm that the TV tuner adapter is compatible with the graphics chip on your graphics card. Each vendor should also include online product support sections on their Web sites about updated WinMe devices and the drivers necessary to get your WebTV for Windows up and running smoothly. Once you have your card ready to install, shut down WinMe and turn off your PC. Touch a metal part of your PC case and then unplug it from the wall outlet. To further prevent static electric discharge to any PC components, use an antistatic strap that's wrapped around your wrist and grounded to the PC metal case. Open your PC case and locate an expansion slot on the motherboard that can accept the graphics/TV tuner card. If you are replacing your current graphics card, remove it from the expansion slot and insert the new graphics/TV tuner card. If you are just adding a TV tuner card, locate a vacant expansion slot and insert the card. Usually these cards will require a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) slot, which appears as a 3.5-inch long white expansion slot located perpendicular from the back edge of the motherboard.
To confirm the card installation, click Start, Settings, and Control Panel. Double-click System and select the Device Manager tab. Scroll down and click Sound, Video And Game Controllers, and you should see your card listed. There shouldn't be an exclamation point (!) or question mark (?) icon next to your listed adapter. If there is, highlight the device, and click Remove. Then reboot your PC and try installing its device drivers again following your card's installation manual. Welcome WebTV For Windows. To install WebTV for Windows on your WinMe computer, click Start, Settings, Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs. Select the Windows Setup tab, and scroll down to the bottom of the list, and click the checkbox next to WebTV for Windows to select it. Click Apply. Next, insert the WinMe CD-ROM if your WinMe installation files are not already on your hard drive (usually in the C:/WIN DOWS/OPTIONS/CABS directory). Click Yes to restart WinMe when prompted. When WinMe starts again, it might prompt you to install additional software. Go ahead and do so. During this installation, you might see a few Version Conflict warning windows appear on-screen. As a rule, you can click Yes to keep the installed version. Once again, click Yes to restart WinMe when prompted. When WinMe starts, you'll see a WebTV icon located on the Quick Launch bar (next to the Start button). Configuring Your Preferences. When you first click the WebTV icon from the Quick Launch bar, a Configuration Wizard will take you step by step through the process to activate WebTV on your PC. If you don't see the WebTV icon in the Quick Launch bar, perhaps it isn't enabled. Place your mouse cursor in a blank space on your WinMe Taskbar, right-click, select Toolbars, and then Quick Launch. The WebTV icon should now appear. After scanning for TV channels, click Next, enter your ZIP code, and get your local TV listings through your PC's Internet access from the Microsoft TV Listings Web site by clicking the link. Click Yes to the Security Warning to accept the TV Program Guide Download Control, the TV Program Guide Loader, the TV Regions Control, and then select your TV broadcast region, and click Save. Click Get Listings and wait while the local TV listings download. (The Zap2it TV listings, a division of Tribune Media Services, are for users of Microsoft WebTV for Windows in the United States and Canada only.) When you see the Success! Listings Updated notification, you can scroll down and set up the option to update TV Listings daily, or close the window and return to the Configuration Wizard and click Next. A WebTV Program Guide Tour will describe some of the WebTV features. Click Finish to go to the WebTV Program Guide, scroll through the TV shows listed on the Guide tab, and click something to watch. You can update your TV listings at any time by scrolling through the channel listings in the WebTV Guide window until you find the TV Configuration channel. Double-click it and click Go To, Get TV Listings. Next, confirm your ZIP code, and click the Microsoft TV Listings underlined in the To Get TV Listings blue box. After clicking Get Listings, wait until the local TV listings download and you see the Success! Listings Updated notification. Close the window and return to the Get TV Listings screen. Click Close to return to the WebTV Guide window to view your local TV listings. WebTV Navigation. When you launch WebTV for Windows, the WebTV Guide screen lets you scroll through the TV listings for your area to select what you want to watch. The channel selected displays in the TV window in the upper right corner. Click the underlined name of the show under the TV display and your browser will search for Web sites related to the TV show you are viewing. If you want to watch TV without the Guide, just click Watch and the TV display will occupy the full window. Push the F6 key on your keyboard and the TV display will appear as a full-screen display on your monitor. Push the F6 key again to return the display to the full-window mode. While you are in any full-screen or full-window mode, you can press F10 to return to the Guide through a WebTV menu bar. Or, move the mouse icon to the upper edge of the screen to see a menu bar appear along the top edge of the TV display. The WebTV menu bar lets you change channels, change your channel settings, add a channel to the menu bar, get help, or click back to the Guide display. Using the Settings feature, you can click the Show Closed Captioning signal that transmits with most TV broadcasts. The Search tab in the WebTV Guide enables you to search through TV listings by category or find out other times when a TV show broadcasts. Once you install WebTV for Windows, sit back and enjoy your 21st century TV. For a list of interactive TV broadcasters, TV advertisers, and regional TV broadcasters, check out the Who's Doing Interactive TV Web page (http://broadcast.microsoft.com/stations.htm). No matter which shows you decide to watch, one thing is for sure: Watching television with WebTV for Windows introduces new interactive dimensions to your TV viewing leisure time.  by Steven Sweet
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