"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
09/08/2015 at 11:30 • Filed to: None
1
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"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
09/08/2015 at 11:30 • Filed to: None | 1
| 15 |
Over the weekend, a friend of mine gave me an old (1999) WebTV Plus box. These were supposed to revolutionize the internet, allowing anyone with a television to browse the web and send email. In reality, this was the “computer” your grandparents most likely used to send you cute and/or annoying emails.
There really isn’t much to say about it, except for the fact that it can’t really do anything since the required subscription service was discontinued back in 2014 (not that I would have gotten the service anyway). This is one of the flash memory units, too, so it doesn’t even have a built in hard drive.
I think it was last used around 2004. Does anyone remember these shows?
It powers on, and that’s about it. I have no idea what I’ll do with it.
Jcarr
> Boxer_4
09/08/2015 at 11:35 |
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I have no idea what I’ll do with it.
WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
> Boxer_4
09/08/2015 at 11:50 |
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The first DVD player my family ever had, had internet browsing capabilities. The remote had a full keyboard, and well for the time it was pretty cool, but is now super outdated. I think it worked off of 56k.
Brickman
> Boxer_4
09/08/2015 at 13:54 |
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Your friend must really hate you :P
jester74
> Boxer_4
09/08/2015 at 13:56 |
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Yeah....my mind was going “well what if he,nah...maybe he could,nope...what about, not going to work”.
Sorry dude, Jcarr has it right.
MonkeePuzzle
> Boxer_4
09/08/2015 at 14:23 |
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“printer port” sums it all up
Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> Boxer_4
09/08/2015 at 17:37 |
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Keep it as a museum piece. Most likely the reason why it won’t work is because it’s looking for a dialup internet connection... and Microsoft shut down the WebTV service:
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/…
For about $10/month, you should be able to find a dialup internet service provider. Or your current internet provider might even offer a backup dialup number like these guys:
http://web.aei.ca/english.shtml
Now the question is... can it be made to work without a webTV service?
You probably could...
http://turdinc.kicks-ass.net/Msntv/WebTV-MA…
http://neophob.com/2010/01/root-m…
Also did you know that box was once classified as a weapon?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSN_TV#We…
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Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> MonkeePuzzle
09/08/2015 at 17:38 |
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The printer port is on more modern pieces of tech than a system with a phone port, but no ethernet.
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Boxer_4
> MonkeePuzzle
09/09/2015 at 10:29 |
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I still have printers that use the “printer port”. However, those printers are not compatible with this unit.
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Boxer_4
> Jcarr
09/09/2015 at 10:30 |
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I did that to a junk VCR I recently got; it was satisfying.
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Boxer_4
> Brickman
09/09/2015 at 10:31 |
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The best part is that it was kept in his garage for a while, and somebody drove over a corner of the keyboard.
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Boxer_4
> jester74
09/09/2015 at 10:33 |
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Yeah, who would have thought that an unsupported dead-end technology wouldn’t be useful...
I’ll probably still hang on to it. You never know what may come up...
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Boxer_4
> WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
09/09/2015 at 10:34 |
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Internet capability for televisions has certainly come a long way since it first started.
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WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
> Boxer_4
09/09/2015 at 10:40 |
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It really has. If you’d told me ten years ago, that I’d have a 42” flat screen 3D TV with built-in WiFi, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype apps, as well as other downloadable apps, and I’d only pay $400 for it, I’d think you were nuts.
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Boxer_4
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
09/09/2015 at 10:40 |
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I didn’t bother connecting it to dial-up since I had seen before that the Microsoft service had been discontinued. I’m guessing that it will not work right without that service, even if it is connected to a dial-up connection.
I’m pretty sure that MAME will not work on this unit, since it isn’t one of the few with a hard drive. I’ll have to look into the other option.
The history of early computers/internet devices is very interesting. I knew a bit about the box being classified as a weapon, but it’s interesting to learn more. I will hang on to it as a museum piece. Between what old computer items I have and what another friend of mine has, we probably could open a museum.
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Boxer_4
> WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
09/09/2015 at 10:47 |
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The original WebTV box cost $329 + $50 for the keyboard, not including the $19.95 monthly service fee, all for surfing the web and doing email.
Adjusting for inflation that’s ~$600 for one month of service, for something that isn’t nearly as capable as your $400 TV.