Lenovo to use TV as a PC monitors

Lenovo (the Chinese company that bought IBM's PC biz) is going to roll out a $199 PC that uses a TV as a display instead of a monitor. They're only releasing it in China for now, but I'm sure they will see the light sooner or later and go global with it. Sounds familiar to the MSNTV & MSNTV2 owners eh?

I bet they won't tie a subscription fee to it too. You bring your own internet connection and have a go at it. I do wonder how they actually plan to convince the rural Chinese that they need a computer, how they're going to handle Internet infrastructure deficiencies, and how they're going to teach people to use these things. Only time will tell...

Slashdot | Lenovo Aims $199 PC At China's Rural Population

MSNTV 2 Wireless Testing

My MSNTV2 question answering time has been severely restricted due to a host of new projects. They have been trickling in at a rate of one to two every couple of days, but I still have bout 20 questions in the hopper.

So what have I been doing? Well, around here in Silicon Valley (and the country) a host of free wireless broadband services have been popping up. Cities are providing these as a way to get everyone over the evil dialup speed bump and onto the broadband highway. I decided to figure out if MSNTV2 would work with these networks.

My first test was with MetroFi in Cupertino, California just a block or two from Apple's headquarters. The test seemed to go quite well except I was unable to actually register over wireless and video playback was choppy (MetroFi only gives you 300Kbps which is barely enough for one user to watch videos smoothly let alone be shared between many users).

If you are already a registered MSNTV2 user, you could just pop on a wireless USB adapter and connect to the free network and you should be on your way. All you'll pay is $9.95 per month for MSNTV2 and enjoy broadband speeds (well 300Kbps barely qualifies in my opinion, but WAY better than creaky old dialup). Imagine that...broadband for only $9.95 per month (dialup is $21.95 still and is slow as ever).

MSNTV 2 Client Upgrade

The MSNTV2 team has just rolled out a new client software update today with Flash 7 (finally!) and a host of other improvements and upgrades.

See the list of improvements: MSN TV 2 - Release 1.3 (build 6341)

Also, stay tuned as the team is prepping a release geared around improving email performance. I'm not sure about the schedule of this, but you'll be happy to know that it's a service-side fix that does not require users to wait for a download.

Anyway, we hope everyone enjoys the great new features (you can play Flash video now...try SushiSuperStar!)

MSNTV 2 Linux Cluster

I was wondering when someone would figure out how to get into our little MSNTV 2 box. It's not like we did much to keep folks out, but it seems to have taken this fellow a little bit of effort. Anyway, congrats to this guy for getting Linux to boot on the box. Quite the mad professor, eh?

Thanks for the tip, Eric!

MSNTV2 FAQ Updated 2/4/2006

MSN TV 2 - powered by phpMyFAQ 1.5.5

Most Recently Answered

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MSNTV2 FAQ Updated

Got MSNTV2? Go read some answers.

Most Recently Answered
( Yahoo Mail Compatibility )Hello. I am unable to ... (102 views)
( Copy Photos onto USB Drive ) I'm a ... (9 views)
( Morningstar.com Compatibility )I upgraded my father-in-law to msntv2 ... (9 views)
(MSNTV2 and MSN Premium) Can I log onto MSNtv ... (28 views)
Is there a way to transfer scrapbook photos from ... (343 views)
( Favorites Updates ) Since we are only allowed ... (260 views)
Wells Fargo compatibility (and the wonders of the user ... (139 views)
( Print email with larger text ) I would ... (111 views)
Your site now focuses on people who have ... (236 views)
( Username in Status Bar ) I would like ... (103 views)
Will the universal ac Targus power adaptor work with ... (61 views)
( Back Button ) My question is quite simply: ... (214 views)
( WMP Repeat )In a future upgrade, will there ... (163 views)
Will we be ever able to change our email ... (97 views)
( Jump to Bottom )I'm looking for a command-key ... (179 views)
What I would love to see, is a "back" ... (106 views)
( Lightshow more often )My MSNTV2 is connected to ... (420 views)
( Weirdness when switching from dialup to broadband )I ... (175 views)
Reset the box with the (not so) secret code ... (490 views)
Scanner compatibility (1847 views)

Most Popular Answers
8614 views: Compatible USB Printers
5262 views: MSN TV 2 Specs
4963 views: Broadband without a PC?
4444 views: Release 1.2 (build 6214)
4222 views: Compatible USB Printers 1.2
3874 views: ( Keyboard Skipping )Early buyers of MSNTV2 are reporting ...
3633 views: Can I transfer my MSNTV (WebTV) email address to ...
3307 views: MSN TV 2 versus MSN TV (WebTV), what's the ...
2833 views: How do I get photos into my MSN TV ...
2785 views: Is the Dial-Up service going to be the increased ...
2666 views: Compatible USB Wireless 802.11b adapters
2465 views: MSN TV 2 Release Date
2366 views: Is the MSN TV (WebTV) keyboard compatible with MSN ...
2171 views: How much does MSN TV 2 cost?
2159 views: What is MSN TV 2?
2152 views: Newsgroups (aka "Discuss" or "alt.discuss") compatibility
1982 views: Can I have a MSN TV (WebTV) account and ...
1937 views: Does MSN TV 2 support PIP?
1847 views: Scanner compatibility
1527 views: Why hasn't my question been answered yet?
1465 views: Who runs MyTVLife.com?
1345 views: USB Drive compatibility
1327 views: ( What's coming in the next upgrade? )I saw ...
1248 views: MSN Music and Video Services
1171 views: What is Broadband and where do I get it? ...
1094 views: Release 1.1.4 (build 5128.8)
1072 views: Can I hook up a mouse? Keyboard?
1016 views: Will Favorites be transferred over?
987 views: My local cable provider (Comcast) offers internet access that ...
984 views: Macromedia Flash compatibility

Got MSNTV2? Go read some answers.

MSNTV2 FAQ Updated

Most Recently Answered
Your site now focuses on people who have computers rather ... 1 views
( Username in Status Bar ) I would like to see ... 1 views
Will the universal ac Targus power adaptor work with msntv2? (Power ... 1 views
( Back Button ) My question is quite simply: Why can't ... 1 views
( WMP Repeat )In a future upgrade, will there be an ... 1 views
Will we be ever able to change our email background thanks ... 1 views
( Jump to Bottom )I'm looking for a command-key equivalent to ... 69 views
What I would love to see, is a "back" function when ... 24 views
( Lightshow more often )My MSNTV2 is connected to DSL ( ... 331 views
( Weirdness when switching from dialup to broadband )I have a ... 141 views

See the answers and more now

MSNTV Cats Flying Out of the Bag

During his keynote, BillG showed off some stuff the MSNTV team has been working on. It's quite an honor to grab such a large chunk of the demo especially since our team is so tiny and we've only been working on this stuff for a few months. I'd like to say I had a hand it in, but alas I did not.

At any rate, I was proud that our team is on the right track so much so that BillG and company decided to use our technology to spotlight Windows Live.com, Messenger, and MediaCenter. We also got a plug for Remote Record!

There were also other cats let out of the bag this morning by our marketing folks. MSNTV has announced a partnership with a company called KVH that creates RV, boat, and car sattellite TV and communications products. We're going to put MSNTV2 in RVs, boats, and cars! Using the power of EVDO (think broadband speeds with cell phone coverage), users will be able to surf in their RV at current EVDO speeds (300Kbps-2Mbps). I recently uploaded the photos of the mobile test to the dodoskido gallery. Basically we took an MSNTV2 box and the green Junxion box that hooks up to the Verizon EVDO service. We tried to take a TV along, but my power inverter was too overloaded so I brought my laptop with an RCA to USB adapter. We found a couple of minor quirks that occurred when using the broadband while on the freeway (which we've since fixed), but overall we were quite surprised at how smooth the performance really was. I'm not sure if I'll get one in my car, but rest assured, I'll have some form of broadband in my car soon as I just signed up for Sprint's EVDO service on my new Sprint PPC-6700 (goodbye Tmobile Wifi!).

MSNTV2 FAQ Updated

Most Recently Answered
( Lightshow more often )My MSNTV2 is connected to DSL ( ... 1 views
( Weirdness when switching from dialup to broadband )I have a ... 5 views
Reset the box with the (not so) secret code 32768 6 views
Scanner compatibility 1587 views
On some websites, the information lies outside the viewing screen. Neither ... 5 views
Compatible USB Wireless 802.11G adapters 510 views
( Slow and weird email behavior )I have received email 3 ... 374 views
( Hotmail compatibility )pressing empty button to delete messages from trash ... 685 views
( Choosing a Printer )I saw the list of compatable printers...thanks..that ... 164 views
(Buying a used MSNTV2 box) I purchased a MSNTV2 unit on ... 359 views

Check out the FAQ for the answers and more!

Most Popular MSNTV2 Questions Answered

Today we're looking at the wayback machine since the latter half of the decade is almost upon us. It's good to take a look in the rearview mirror once in a while to take a look back at those bygone days of the little silver box that could. Here are the most popular answers in the MSNTV2 FAQ since it's launch back in October 2004.

[1.] 8280 views: Compatible USB Printers
[2.] 5122 views: MSN TV 2 Specs
[3.] 4746 views: Broadband without a PC?
[4.] 4154 views: Release 1.2 (build 6214)
[5.] 3788 views: Compatible USB Printers 1.2
[6.] 3781 views: ( Keyboard Skipping )Early buyers of MSNTV2 are reporting that they are having ...
[7.] 3526 views: Can I transfer my MSNTV (WebTV) email address to MSN TV 2?
[8.] 3149 views: MSN TV 2 versus MSN TV (WebTV), what's the difference?[9.] 2779 views: How do I get photos into my MSN TV 2?
[10.] 2647 views: Is the Dial-Up service going to be the increased up to 5x-times-faster-than-regular-dialup type? ...
[11.] 2568 views: Compatible USB Wireless 802.11b adapters
[12.] 2442 views: MSN TV 2 Release Date
[13.] 2302 views: Is the MSN TV (WebTV) keyboard compatible with MSN TV 2?
[14.] 2117 views: What is MSN TV 2?
[15.] 2113 views: How much does MSN TV 2 cost?
[16.] 2092 views: Newsgroups (aka "Discuss" or "alt.discuss") compatibility
[17.] 1930 views: Can I have a MSN TV (WebTV) account and a MSN TV 2 ...
[18.] 1884 views: Does MSN TV 2 support PIP?
[19.] 1583 views: Scanner compatibility
[20.] 1491 views: Why hasn't my question been answered yet?

Hotmail becomes Windows Live Mail

What's in a name really? A lot apparently. Microsoft is switching the name of hotmail to "Windows Live Mail" to fall inline with their recent "Live.com" announcement. So what else is new over in the hotmail building (other than we can't call them hotmail anymore)? Everything. Signup for the Beta to see all of the cool new features. And yes, I've confirmed that there will be a version that works with MSNTV2 when Live Mail officially launches.

MSNTV2 FAQ Update (finally)

Get the answers and more here
Most Recently Answered
( Slow and weird email behavior )I have received email 3 ... 101 views
( Hotmail compatibility )pressing empty button to delete messages from trash ... 419 views
( Choosing a Printer )I saw the list of compatable printers...thanks..that ... 41 views
(Buying a used MSNTV2 box) I purchased a MSNTV2 unit on ... 224 views
( Usenet encoded files ) Is it possible to go to ... 27 views
(Configuring a streaming media server) What is the recommended configuration for ... 29 views
Broadband without a PC? 4586 views
I have a computer and webtv on the MSN Oneplan and ... 19 views
( Lifecycle support ) Hi Tommy: I can't find specific lifecycle ... 166 views
( MSNTV2 outside the US )How about ability to choose the ... 95 views

I, Tommy the MyTVLife.com guy, promise to update the FAQ more often and devote at least an hour or two to answering or hunting down answers for MSNTV 2 users each week....but seriously folks, sorry for the lack of updates. My wife and I have been hunkered down with her finals and UC transfer applications. We've both been under the weather which doesn't help move things along. She's working on getting her portfolio together for the trasnsfer. You can see a selection of her work here while I work on sprucing up her main website. And the fun hasn't even started. I'm going to be applying for MBA programs this coming year so I have to start study very soon.

On the plus side, my wife's parents have arrived safely for their first visit to America and will be staying with us for the next 6 months! Woohoo...great Chinese food to eat all of the time! Anyway, I thank everyone for their great questions (as always, keep them coming) and I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful and safe holiday season. See you over at MyTVLife.com

Windows Live Favorites

So Windows Live Favorites is now in beta and I've been playing with it. What's REALLY cool is that MSNTV2 has designed their server side favorites storage to hook into Windows Live Favorites. So I can manage and access my favorites on my MSNTV2 box or on my PC seemlessly. It rarely happens that MSNTV is leading the pack as far as adopting Windows technologies, but in this case, I believe we're the first team to adopt Live Favorites and use it on a non-PC platform.

MSNTV2 FAQ Updated!

Most Recently Answered
( AOL email bounce )Everytime I forword a e-mail to anyone ...1 views
( Mouse with USB Hub )i bought a microsoft mouse basic ...1 views
( Email scrolling )What's with this highlighted box around the messages? ...3 views
Will MSN be correcting "thE sensitivity level setting" w/ call waiting?? ...3 views
( Hardware and Software Versions )am cosidering buying msntv2...is there a ...5 views
Will be getting a PC in a few weeks and be ...3 views
( Navigation Error ) What does error code 80004004 mean? When ...3 views
( Configure Router Feature and PPPoe DSL ) In my state ...109 views
( Ethernet cable types )Will there be any advantage to using ...69 views
( Keyboard Skipping )Early buyers of MSNTV2 are reporting that they ...3446 views

See the answers to these MSNTV 2 questions and ask your own!

All about flash cards and USB readers for MSNTV2

I've finally got around to putting this little guide together about USB card readers and flash cards in general.

I cover topics like what a flash card is and why one would need one. I know to most of the techie world this is like saying gravity exists, but to many MSNTV 2 users, these things are a mystery. Well, they are a mystery no more...behold:

MyTVLife.com's -- All about Flash Cards and USB Card Readers.

Reminder to MSN TV 2 newbies

Well, it's that time again. School has begun in most parts of the nation. Football season is under way (I'm not a big fan). The seasons are changing and poof...Christmas is but three short moons away.

While most folks will be hunting down the last of the Xbox 360's and iPod Nano's, some of you will be looking for information regarding MSNTV 2. Why? Well, it's a great gift for your technophobic family members (think grandma and that cousin you have that has never used a computer). Also, it's very inexpensive after the rebate. For some of you, this may be good second Internet Access device since it is compact and uses your TV. Others will want to use it to bring the music and videos locked up on their PC to their living room. Whatever the case may be, thank you for stopping in to my neck of the woods that deals with your new found electrolust.

A few reminders:

Please, oh please, read the FAQ. I know, there is a LOT of stuff in there and it may be difficult to navigate, but please try to search and use the faq categories to see if I've already answered a similar question to the one that is bouncing around in your head right now. I get about one or two duplicate questions per day and just end up deleting them (sometimes without a response to the person who asked it). When doing a search on the faq, try using less words that are to the point. Rather than searching for "my brother got me this thing and I want to know what kind of printer I can get for it", try searching for "printers" or "printer".

Scour and re-scour the FAQ before posing your question. While you scour, you're bound to learn new things about the MSNTV 2 so don't think of it as time wasted...you're learning and helping me continue to enjoy providing this service.

If you like the site and it helps you, visit a sponsor (but only if you're interested in what they're offering). Please do NOT just click sponsered links just to click them. This doesn't help me or the sponsors out. Also, if you've decided you'd like to get an MSNTV 2 box or some other doodad, consider buying from amazon with this link. Everytime you use the link to purchase something from Amazon.com I get a kickback that helps fund the site's hosting costs (which don't amount to much, but the Amazon kickbacks almost cover it).

If you're sure that your question is new and not something that has been answered before, by all means Ask It Now.

10 New Answers on the FAQ

Most Recently Answered
( Supported Video Formats )My digital camera is capable of MPEG-4 ... 36 views
( Supported Music Formats )I am confused re what format I ... 28 views
How to setup POP mail in your MSNTV2 Inbox 10 views
( MSNTV2 outside of the US )The new box, msntv 2, ... 20 views
( Favorites Updates )Since we are only allowed 800 favorites total ... 36 views
( Hotmail compatibility )pressing empty button to delete messages from trash ... 28 views
( Setting up a Home Network )can you refer me to ... 15 views
( Convert @webtv.net -> @msn.com )I'm on the MSN OnePlan and ... 29 views
We need new SIGN-IN pics: these are the same ones we ... 63 views
( MSN Messenger )Can I IM with my new RCA/MSN TV ... 43 views

Get the Answers!

MSN TV 2 going to the Red Cross

I just got a call from some of our business folks and it looks like we're sending 10 MSN TV 2 boxes over to the Red Cross. I hope it's to help hurricane victims find their families or something cool like that.

MyTVLife WP has Tab now

I've added the ability to TAB on the MSNTV2 Word Processor. Give it a try and let me know if you run into problems. I'm open to other enhancement requests as well.

MSNTV2 Compatible Printer LIst

I've updated the printer list. It now includes information on the latest supported models and printers that support 4x6 printing.

MSN TV 2 - Compatible USB Printers 1.2

MSNTV2 Tip: Spellcheck everywhere

B1NightOwl sent in a tip on how to setup MSN TV 2 so you can spell check just about anywhere. I added the tip to the MSNTV2 Word Processor page since I figured that's where it'd be the most useful.

Thanks B1NightOwl!

MSN TV 2 Release 1.2 going out tonight

Just a quick note...Release 1.2 (build 6214) is going out to the general population of MSN TV 2 users tonight. Enjoy!

Why Buy Used?

MSN TV 2 has announced a rebate of $100 starting today through the holiday season. Buy from Amazon.com and you'll get the box for $79 after rebate! Amazon is also giving away free super saver shipping as well and as the usual no tax outside of WA state.

See for yourself.

MyTVLife word processor

With the coming 1.2 release of the MSN TV 2 software, the MyTVLife word processor should see a lot more use as you letter sending folks will be able to type what you want and have it print out WITHOUT THE ANNOYING STUFF on the bottom (like the URL). Anyway, I haven't figured out the spell check (it works on the PC, but not on MSN TV 2 since it uses pop up windows). I'll see what I can do. Also, I've figured out "tab" you'll be able to tab in the next version. Anyway, hope you all enjoy it.

See for yourself.

MSN TV 2 Upgrade: 1.2 Release

Wow, have we been busy here at MSN TV. We've started rolling out our latest update to a limited group of users and will be sending the updates to others soon.

Here's the relatively full list of the changes and enhancements made.

A note for you technical types: We've upgraded the underlying OS from Windows CE 42. to 5.0! Anyway, if you're one of the lucky ones who have this release, enjoy! To those still waiting: it's coming to you very soon.

NetFlix close to launching online movie downloads

It seems that the whole movie download scene is about to explode. CinemaNow and MovieLink are the front runners in this space, but so far no one's made it easy to watch their downloaded movies on the TV without the PC whirring away. MSN TV has been working with CinemaNow for most of the year on getting the service ready. But still, the market is a small one...for now. I think what is keeping CinemaNow and MovieLink from exploding is that they're not making much use of the long tail theory which has kept iTunes humming along. A good example is the foreign movies (one of my favorite genres because most of the movies made in the US are pretty much cater to the day worker set these days). CinemaNow lists 74 movies in this category while Netflix has a whopping 6,700! So you can see the dilemma. And don't get me wrong, it's not CinemaNow's or MovieLink's fault. It's the (you guessed it) movie studios who continually do stupid things (like make movies like The Dukes of Hazzard). But I digress...

The online movie space is going to heat up very soon as Netflix is close to offering online movie downloads and Apple is rumored to be getting into the video download business as well. I personally can't wait and hope that MSN TV 2 works with Netflix's interpretation of the content delivery over the net, but we'll have to wait and see for that one.

MSN Local Search works with MSN TV 2!

Google Maps doesn't exactly work well on MSN TV 2 (it usually crashes any box running build 5128/9.8). However, MSN has just released MSN Local Search. It provides aerial sattelite and standard map views as well as great zooming and scrolling capabilities without page reloading (courtesy of Javascript). There are a few minor features that aren't working with 5128/9.8, but should be working as soon as we ship our next release later this summer.

Go MSN Search team!