Discussion Remember WebTV?

[whm1974]

I recall these being sold during the late 90's and very 2000's and I basically made fun of anyone who own these devices. They were popular for awhile and I'm surprised that the device and service last as long as it did. I think I quit hearing about this around '04/'05, maybe?

Didn't know that Microsoft changed the hardware over to PC type hardware.

Reminds me of the time that Charter around the same time was giving its PC-less customers a setup box that gave them to access to the internet. That thing was slowww despite the higher bandwidth.

MSN TV - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ultimatebob]

I'd argue that WebTV/MSN TV never really fully died, but evolved into what's now known as the XBox One. It basically does the same blending of Live TV and Internet content, with the added bonus of online gaming and streaming services.

 

[lxskllr]

That was my first internet access. It worked ok. Kinda nice sitting in a chair, and seeing the web on a biggish screen.

 

[dingster1]

Yes.i bought one for my mom.She loved it!

 

[whm1974]

Yes.i bought one for my mom.She loved it!

What??? You didn't buy a PC for your mom instead and showed her how to use it??? Shame on you!!!

 

[whm1974]

So who else poked fun at WebTV users besides me?

 

[NoTine42]

I'd argue that WebTV/MSN TV never really fully died, but evolved into what's now known as the XBox One. It basically does the same blending of Live TV and Internet content, with the added bonus of online gaming and streaming services.

While Microsoft’s TV as a web appliance was replaced by the Xbox One, I’d argue most of the market (e-mail customers/elderly without a home ISP) has been replaced by smart phones.

 

[ultimatebob]

While Microsoft’s TV as a web appliance was replaced by the Xbox One, I’d argue most of the market (e-mail customers/elderly without a home ISP) has been replaced by smart phones.

Yeah... tablets work well for that as well. I saw that Consumer Cellular now has a dumbed down tablet for seniors now that's kinda like the JitterBug phone

 

[whm1974]

I will say overall while MS replaced the WebTV with the Xbox One, the concept of Internet through Setup Box has been replaced by SmartTVs and cheap computers.