MSN's WebTV Grows Up + MSN TV 2 Device

During the dot-com boom, people who didn't want to miss out on the Web and e-mail craze but didn't want to buy a real computer could get WebTV, which delivered the Internet through the warm, friendly glow of their TV sets. Now that personal computers are cheaper and considerably easier to use, WebTV's original allure even for newbies has faded. But Microsoft Corp., which bought WebTV in 1997 for $425 million and rebranded it MSN TV, hasn't given up.

The software giant recently released MSN TV 2, a $199 device that now supports high-speed, always-on Internet connections, home networking and messaging on a TV while still functioning as a basic TV-based Web and e-mail terminal.

Advanced users who for years collectively looked down their noses at WebTV will be surprised at how capable MSN TV 2 is and how well it works in home networks. In geekspeak, it's a media adapter, a category of home networking gear that can stream such content as pictures, music and video from networked PCs to the television.

Full story: Winona Daily News

MSN TV 2

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The unit is a complete overhaul of Microsoft's previous MSN Internet receiver. It comes equipped with a 733Mhz Celeron processor, 128MB of RAM and 64MB of flash memory for storing photos and other digital media as well as a wireless keyboard and remote. Connection-wise it comes with both built-in Ethernet as well as a 56k modem, and for expansion purposes you'll find two USB ports for use with things like printers and wireless network adapters.

The MSN TV 2 runs on a new version of Microsoft's MSN TV service that allows users to view digital music, video and photos either via the web or a networked PC. The service includes access to over 200 digital commercial-free music stations, a primary MSN email account with 2GB of storage and 10 secondary email accounts with 250MB of storage.


Cost : $199.95 with service starting at $9.95/month for broadband users and $21.95/month for dialup.

http://gear.ign.com/articles/554/554144p1.html
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1253827625082461/
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/p...05MSNTV2PR.asp