$900
|2-Set Top Boxes,







$550
|1-What's it all about, eh?


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                           An article by D!ck
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If you've read the mags recently of flicked to Channel 4's teletext page
651, you'll notice the growing debate of the usefulness of set-top-boxes
and their possible effects on the internet.

Basically they consist of a box (duh!) containing a small motherboard, a
harddrive and a modem, and possibly a CD-ROM drive, you plug it into the
TV  and  the  phone line and find space for it on your TV cabinet, then,
using  a  special  remote  control, you  have  access  to a multitude of
services along the lines of home banking, home shopping, video selection
and, of course, the internet.

While  the  idea  of  a box is sound, it remains a questionable business
venture.   The  British  public is famous for being resistant to change,
witness the CDTV, the Sony MiniDisc, even going Decimalisation all those
years ago, we resisted each and every one of them.

But  these "Netstations", as they're known, are a different matter.  Joe
Public  is  more  aware than usual of what the Internet is and what it's
all  about,  and  so  may well be persuaded into buying one, or at least
having  a  play on one.  The simple fact that it's not a proper computer
is  actually in it's favour, only 19% of adults have a computer at home,
but the Netstations could change all that.

One  reason,  as  hinted at, is the interface.  Being able to browse the
internet   from   the  comfort  of  your  armchair  using  nothing  more
complicated  than  a remote control renders the whole net as a glorified
teletext  service, something most people are already at home with.  Thus
it  follows  that  more people will be tempted into buying them and more
people will be using the internet.

This  is  where  things  start getting really annoying for those who are
already  familiar with it.  The influx of new users is going to slow the
net  down  to  a  crawl,  especially at peak times during the day.  Many
users  will simply not be able to get logged on as the ISP's quickly run
out  of  lines,  and the fact that the boxes are standardised means that
they will be some way behind the cutting edge of technology, with slower
processors and modems, all adding to the time they spend online.

One  offshoot is that telephone companies are more likely to pospone the
cutting  of  call  costs, mainly because they'll need the extra money to
invest  in  faster lines and more of them.  Certainly it's unlikely that
they  will  ever give us free local calls ALL DAY, the traffic caused by
the  thousands  of  new  users will cause a huge strain on the available
resources and make it economically unviable.

What  are  YOUR  views on set-top-boxes?  Are they going to be a pain in
the  arse  for regular net users or are the benefits of extra investment
and  uprated  technology  going  to  far outweight the extra few minutes
you'll  need  to find a page?  Let us know, here at The Word (Address is
in the Diskback section amongst others), we want a good debate going and
you are the people to do just that.

                            Dick@emarkt.com
-!-

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[They  say Science Fiction doesn't take long to become Science Fact.  If
you've read the early Cyberpunk novels or you've played DreamWeb, you'll
know that in the future, there is the average person who cruises the net
from  their home with a set top box and those who can go where ever they
wish (even if not allowed) with the use of a computer (Ona Sendai's as I
recall).   There  will always be those that want everything pre-packaged
and  easy to use and there will be us lot who prefer hands on experience
and full control of the steering wheel.  Kei]

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end
