MSNTV 2 FAQ back online

Sorry about the recent outage. I've been in the process of moving things over to a new hosting service all the while working on finishing up my current project at work, preparing for our move to Berkeley, and helping my wife with her final weeks of school.

Anyway, I will be running through the FAQ to answer questions, delete junky questions that have already been asked and answered, and the like. Stay tuned and visit often as updates are (finally) coming.

Live Long and Prosper

Totally not on the topic of TV or anything like that, but I thought I'd point you to an interesting service that just popped up on my radar:

Prosper.com.

These guys let you lend and borrow money directly from others while cutting the banks out of the middle. If you lend money, you will make more than you would with the banks. I'm giving it a try...if you've got idle cash, put it to work (yes that's a listing that I put out just to give it a shot).

Back from Vacation...

I just got back from Yosemite and am now getting ready for my wife's open studio event in May. Her site has been redesigned and will continue to receive upgrades throughout the month. We're also going to be working on setting up an attractive display. At any rate, I have a feeling we're going to dead tired by the time the whole even rolls around. Sorry I won't be able to hang around here too much...perhaps I'll have some moments to spare here and there to update y'all on the geekery that is TV these days, but for the most part I'll have my hard hat on over at her site: HongyunArt.

Feel free to drop me a note if you have questions about MSNTV or anything else.

Breather

Sorry for the lack of visible updates lately...I've been taking a breather from all of my side projects except for dodoskido and a little bit of time on sushisuperstar. Neither of these take very much time and are quite fun. So, I've effectively been on a blog-hiatus. I have been answering folks individually, but not really taking the time to post the answers publicly (mostly because they're not really "frequently asked"...most are just one off questions).

So will I come back to answering questions on the MSNTV faq full swing? Most likely not at the rate I was doing before. I'll still probably answer emails and only update the FAQ when I do get something that is asked more than once or twice. So you can still get help over at the faq area, so don't worry. Until they start allowing me to book company time for this effort I think this is a reasonable balance. Less maintenance overhead for me and you guys still get your questions answered and your opinions and suggestions still get fed directly to the engineering team.

Why is this happenning? A few weekends ago, I sort of blew a mental fuse. Not really anything major, but I just felt burnt out. I have been dealing living with my parents-in-law for what seems like an eternity (3 months with 3 more to go). They really are nice folks, but a little on the weird side. Anyway, since the weather has been getting better on the weekends, we've been spending more and more times outdoors exploring the bay area (I mean just look at all of the real-time photos I've taken on dodoskido and you'll see that I've been to both Berkeley and Napa this one weekend alone! It's quite a relief to finally get out of the house and enjoy the long-missed California weather, but when I gotta come back home and cook for the gang too, it leaves very little time or energy for blogging.

Anyway, not to fret, I'm still here...just taking a breather from the fray before I rejoin it. Full swing? Probably not. A peck here and there? You got it.

St. Patrick's Day T-Shirts

Having or going to a St. Patrick's Day party? We have a whole host of new shirts made especially for St. Patrick's Day. Hurry, St. Paddy's day is next Friday!

Hello My Beer Is... St. Patrick's Day T-Shirt

Hello My Beer Is Guinness... St. Patrick's Day T-Shirt

Hello My Beer Is Murphy's... St. Patrick's Day T-Shirt

Hello My Beer Is Beamish... St. Patrick's Day T-Shirt

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

Just Like Leno

Sorry, one more plug (just like when stars go on Leno to "plug" their new movie):

Etsy - Your place to buy and sell all things handmade

When I logged in today to check Hongyun's (Who's Hongyun?) stats on Etsy, I couldn't believe it when I saw that her Mongolian Bride piece had grown in views by about 400 overnight! There were also quite a few messages expressing adoration for Hongyun's various paintings. I thought to myself, "did we just get slashdotted for her painting?" Well the answer hit me when I went to Etsy's homepage:

Hongyun's painting has just started being featured on Etsy's homepage and we were getting a large number of hits from this. Anyway, I hope this leads to a sale for her...it's rough to work on art for many years and not sell a piece (although to be fair, she just started creating work for sale just this last year).

Anyway, if you haven't seen or tried etsy, I definitely recommend it.

See For Yourself.

PPC-6700 Phone for sale

eBay: PPC-6700 Sprint PCS NO CONTRACT Practically New! (item 5851102520 end time Jan-12-06 21:42:02 PST)

I'm selling one of Sprint PPC-6700 phones I just got. It turns out my wife doesn't seem interested in using it (I SO LOVE MINE) so I have an extra one that I have no use for.

This is the very first Windows Mobile 5.0 phone out there. It's the latest and greatest. It offers up to 4.5 hours of talk time. The screen is bright and very crisp, ripe for watching videos that you can store on Mini SD cards that are compatible with the phone. You can check your corporate email, surf the web,and do all kinds of neat stuff with the phone. There are tons of games and applications (many free!) available for Windows Mobile. The 1.3 Mega Pixel camera the takes photos and records 30 second clips. 802.11b wifi, Bluetooth, EVDO, and IrDA allow you to hook up to just about everything under the sun right now. Another neat feature is that you can hook it up to your laptop via the sync cable or bluetooth and use the phone as a wireless broadband modem whereever there is EVDO service. It is absolutely AWESOME for this. No more hunting for wifi hotspots or being tied to certain coffee shops because you have an account with that shop. Just go wherever you want and get broadband. Truly awesome! Surprisingly, the phone is not that big. It is about the same height and thickness as my Sanyo SCPH-4900 (of course it's wider). Anyway, I'm sorry to see this little thing go, but am happy I still have my other one. Woo hoo!

Bid Now: eBay: PPC-6700 Sprint PCS NO CONTRACT Practically New! (item 5851102520 end time Jan-12-06 21:42:02 PST)

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

Still Alive (as usual)

Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated (ie, I ain't dead). I'm currently slammed with patching up what I can on the Silicon Valley Open Studios website as well as helping Hongyun finish up her transfer applications for UC Berkeley. As usual, it's been hectic.

I'm going to do one more post and then try to keep you abreast as the TV 2.0 world evolves.

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!

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.

Back Tomorrow or Thursday

I'm in Los Angeles now visiting my family and will be driving up tonight so I can get back to work on Wednesday. I'll be answering questions and posting new things on Wednesday and Thursday so check back!

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.

MSN TV FAQ Updated!

Here's the 10 most recent questions answered on the MSN TV 2 FAQ:

2005-07-12 00:54 I happen to be fortunate to own a set-top.com remote. This ... 1 views
2005-07-12 00:12 Can I use an IRC chat with MSNTV2? 57 views
2005-07-12 00:09 When Internet Explorer 7 and the next version of Windows Media ... 1 views
2005-07-12 00:04 Can you get msntv in Santo Domingo and/or Costa rica? ... 1 views
2005-07-11 23:43 Junk Email and Blocking Senders 303 views
2005-07-11 23:39 MSN TV 2 Word Processor 360 views
2005-07-11 23:30 pressing BACK to exit from a saved favorite item takes one ... 1 views
2005-07-11 23:14 Umm,.. hey what's the deal on msn restrict'n the wtv sig-box ... 3 views
2005-06-22 00:25 (Home networking with dialup and a router) I am trying to ... 321 views
2005-06-22 00:19 Tommy I hope you can help me.I am a beta tester ... 268 views

Do you have a question for me? Perhaps you're having trouble with a site? Let me know! (use the new Problem Report Category!)

Back From Maui

Back From Maui * dodoskido: Windows into Microsoft *

We just got back from our awesome Maui trip and have tons of photos in the gallery. I'm still recovering from my sunburn, but have to say that Maui was one of the best vacations I've been on in a long time. Reviews and more to come...

The Doctor is Out

I'm off to Maui until July 4th so I probably won't be listening to the cries for help or rants until I get back. If you have an immediate issue with MSN TV 2, please contact customer service. Until then have a good one...see you when I see you!

MSN TV FAQ Updated!

Check the MSN TV 2 FAQ!

Most Recently Answered
2005-06-22 00:25(Home networking with dialup and a router) I am trying to ...32 views
2005-06-22 00:19Tommy I hope you can help me.I am a beta tester ...31 views
2005-06-22 00:16PR: "The Publisher, My Life, did not respond to your request ...20 views
2005-06-22 00:04I'm on cable BB with latest upgrades. Attempts to view WMP ...21 views
2005-06-21 23:54(PR: eBay.com) You know, I gotta say I love my MSNTV2, ...20 views
2005-06-21 23:46I dont really have a question, just a comment. Its about ...36 views
2005-06-21 23:35Are there any plans to incorporate the Java VM into the ...22 views
2005-06-21 23:30About TV 2 Word, will we see a spell check like ...22 views
2005-06-21 23:28Help! I have not been to delete any messages in a ...21 views
2005-06-21 23:18New "Problem Report" Category! Use it wisely.34 views

MSN TV FAQ Updated!

Hi Gang,

Here's the 10 most recent questions answered on MSN TV 2 FAQ:

2005-06-15 03:01 Most important improvement you could make to MSN TV is support ... 1 views
2005-06-15 02:56 (Photos from a camcorder) I purchased a card reader so I ... 119 views
2005-06-15 02:50 hi ever so often in the bottom right corner over the ... 1 views
2005-06-15 02:46 Are there any books published on MSNTV2 similar to those for ... 1 views
2005-06-15 02:44 I am interested in a "Sandisk Photo Album" (digital photo TV-viewer ... 1 views
2005-06-15 02:39 PDF (Adobe Acrobat) compatibility 306 views
2005-06-15 02:37 CTRL codes (Shortcut keys) Are there hidden shortcut keys ie. ALT+ ... 170 views
2005-06-15 02:33 (Email Status Light) There's a third status light on the front-panel ... 403 views
2005-06-15 02:24 ALT codes (chat characters) 172 views
2005-06-15 02:22 How often are major releases planned? It appears the frequency is ... 1 views

Do you have a question for me? Perhaps you're having trouble with a site? Let me know!
If you're interested in news about how TV and media content are changing you may want to checkout MyTVLife.com's home page. I'm going to make the site even more usuable in the coming weeks, you can follow my progress here.

Free Website

I'm considering setting up free blogs for MSN TV 2 users who want one. I'm still trying to figure out if there will be a screen process or how this will be handled. What will probably happen is that I will control the templates and you guys could write whatever you'd like on the site. You can have your very own blog for free! This will be ad supported of course but I think it'll breathe some life into this place and create more community here.

What do you think? Do you want a free blog? What would you talk about? Please post comments if you have something to say one way or another.

MSN TV FAQ Updated!

Most Recently Answered
2005-05-30 18:40 (Custom pictures in Screen Saver) I have heard there is a ... 87 views
2005-05-30 18:38 I now have broadband hooked up to my msn-2 and i ... 78 views
2005-05-30 18:36 (Backup settings to external drive) A few days ago my father ... 43 views
2005-05-30 18:36 Hi, I would like to see the drivers added for a ... 41 views
2005-05-30 18:35 Can I use a USB2 port extender as well as a ... 42 views
2005-05-30 18:35 I am getting a lot of navigation errors. Is this the ... 49 views
2005-05-30 18:35 (Streaming video with dialup) I HAVE NO PROBLEMS PLAYING MUSIC ON ... 46 views
2005-05-28 00:00 MSN TV 2 email on your PC 504 views
2005-05-27 23:53 (Diploma Pages reappear after deleting cookies) I notice everytime I delete ... 57 views
2005-05-26 00:25 (Change email display name) How do you delete your name when ... 154 views

See the answers and more at the
MSN TV 2 FAQ!

Freedom finally

After my decision to clean up the FAQ and provide only answers to technical questions (I've completely deleted the rants section and have been trimming other sections down), life is much better. I believe the FAQ is finally at a pretty useful state. Anyway, I still plan to offer some sort of self-maintaining document that users can edit at will, but have not done anything towards this yet.

I originally started the site with the intention of helping folks discover MSN TV 2 and help them along their way. The problem I ran into is that most of the folks that frequent the FAQ are WebTV veterans who just like to rant about what's different from their old box. Anyway, this gets old quite quickly and that was part of my decision to rid the FAQ of the rants. I found that while I was chasing these rants down, I started to lessen the scope of the site and therefore made it "unfun" for me.

To resolve this, I'm going to start talking more profusely on the race to transfrom TV into "the digital living room" vision that we've been hearing so much about. Quite simply, the focus of the site, just like the focus of TV is shifting. MSN TV 2 will simply be one topic of many that is discussed here (Tivo, MCE, SageTV, Xbox Live, Slingbox, etc and so forth). I'm doing this not because MSN TV 2 is boring, but because these are things I'm truly passionate about and enjoy using. If you're cool with that then I welcome you along the new path of MyTVLife.com.

Focusing the FAQ

I've been reviewing the questions and answers of the FAQ and I've decided on a few things:

1. I'm going to prune the FAQ: Rants, general comments, duplicate topics are going to be deleted. Too much junk is gunking up the efficiency of the site (and making it difficult for me to answer questions).

2. New duplicate questions are going to be deleted and I'm probably not going to respond to them. I have been sending users links to already answered questions if their questions are duplicates, but I simply don't have time to do this anymore (and I recognize that this is a symptom of the FAQ being "polluted" with dupes and random junk).

3. New questions with more than one main question will be deleted. I simply don't have time to pick out the relevant parts of the questions. Please don't ask things like: "I have a questions, how do I do X? Oh yeah, and I was wondering when Y is coming out? Btw, did you fix Z yet?" These are now going to be instantly deleted (unless one part is very relevant and easy for me to answer). It takes me much longer to separate these posts out.

4. "When will this be available?" or "Why is this not available?" types of questions will be deleted as they eat up my and other coworkers valuable time. I may choose to respond to you in email, but they won't be added to the site.

5. Rants will be deleted without response. The original intention was for the site to be a technical reference...an encyclopedia if you will. Rants pollute the document. I understand some folks may have concerns, rants, etc. That's fine. You can email me or even use the "ask" feature of the FAQ. Just know that your post will NO LONGER be replied to on the site as it takes me and others away from the original mission of the FAQ.

6. I'm going to experiment with different formats (most likely a wiki) that would allow YOU, the reader and users of this site to help each other out. The problem is I'm not sure the collective "YOU" can handle it. With great power comes great responsibility. I'm not sure I can trust those that would use it to not pollute it with idle conversation. You see, I'm not against community or forum sites, but the reason I tend to stay away from forums is that they hamper my ability to find information quickly. I like FAQs and Wikis because they are very direct and to the point. Forums have about 10% of what I'm looking for buried in 90% of what I'm not looking for. There are similar to some of the mailing lists I subscribe to at work. I get one good email from the list and then a giant conversation ensues with tangents, curveballs, reeling-in, and final the end of the thread. While I enjoy the commaraderie, I find it a challenging format to maintain knowledge and be productive. At any rate, I'm going to try a few different wiki implementations to see which work best with MSN TV 2 and see if it makes more sense than the FAQ format.

Wife is Going to Kill Me

Yes, I know I should be getting some shut eye, but these questions have been piling up and I just had to cut the stack in half...here's the latest (shh!! keep it down so I can sleep!)

Most Recently Answered
2005-05-06 01:22 High-speed CF card: TiTommy, U R the Greatest! Have you tried ... 1 views
2005-05-06 01:19 What is happening to my msntv2???? It has crashed about 5 ... 1 views
2005-05-06 01:15 I know you said that AVI files are not officially supported ... 1 views
2005-05-06 01:11 THE MEMORY OPTION FOR MSN BOX.IS THIS CARD ALSO USED FOR ... 1 views
2005-05-06 01:05 (Hide Media Player) a few days ago i asked about connection ... 1 views
2005-05-06 01:00 Can we get the option to display the time next to ... 1 views
2005-05-06 00:59 Is it possible to print from the MSNTV 2 device to ... 1 views
2005-05-06 00:57 Why do so many people here, and in posts in MSNTV2 ... 1 views
2005-05-06 00:48 My local dealer offers an SMC WIFI USB G adapter model ... 1 views
2005-05-06 00:37 I currently pay for webtv right from my checking account,will I ... 1 views

See the answers at the MSN TV 2 FAQ

New release and new questions answered

So we got reports that the 5128.4 update caused crashing problems with a subset of our user base and that it was related to favorites. The problems did not happen with everyone, but for some it was very bad. It seems that alphabetizing favorites touches a part of the code that it used to not touch so often and that caused some bad things to happen. Anwyay, the long story short is that the bug is fixed and we're releasing another patch tonight to y'all. So rest easy, things should be much better tomorrow morning (and I'm sure you'll let me know if they are or are not).

Go to the FAQ for these answers and more!

Most Recently Answered
2005-04-21 01:04when my husband is on the msntv2 it often freezes up ...1 views
2005-04-21 00:45ALT characters17 views
2005-04-21 00:39(Shortcut keys) Are there hidden shortcut keys ie. ALT than can ...6 views
2005-04-21 00:26When selecting multiple media files to be displayed/played what is the ...6 views
2005-04-21 00:24Release 1.1.4 (build 5128.8)16 views
2005-04-21 00:20My comments is to mike hunt MSNTV2 is better than webtv ...8 views
2005-04-21 00:16(Favorites crash) Since the latest "upgrade", I have been having problems ...5 views
2005-04-21 00:06How does WebTV handled CODECs required play a video file. Media ...5 views
2005-04-20 23:17My Msntv 2 is connected to the internet by dsl. I ...8 views
2005-04-20 23:04I wish the various users were identified by user name rather ...5 views

Latest questions answered

Most Recently Answered
2005-04-15 03:10 We need to be able to access Spell check directly from ... 1 views
2005-04-15 03:08 ever since yesterday upgrade when i go to yahoo tv listings ... 1 views
2005-04-15 03:05 Video - s vs. component video I didn't see any difference ... 1 views
2005-04-15 02:56 We're now getting a message from Wells Fargo that our browser ... 1 views
2005-04-15 02:49 I would like to know why I am getting a navigation ... 1 views
2005-04-15 02:43 Is there anyway at the present time to dump the old ... 1 views
2005-04-15 02:40 (Home networking with dialup and a hub) I have a computor,me ... 1 views
2005-04-15 02:33 I just recently received a msntv2 as a gift... I am ... 1 views
2005-04-15 02:26 MSNTV2 PHOTOS ON THE NET? My original question ended up being ... 1 views
2005-04-12 18:16 i am a current subscriber to sirius satellite radio and as ... 52 views

Come and get'em while they're hot! Go to the MSN TV 2 FAQ by MyTVLife.com

MSN TV 2 1.1.3 Client and Service

MSN TV 2 has just released the latest updates to its client and service. These include some major functionality users have been asking for:

1. Cut, Copy, and Paste! No mouse required!
2. Favorites are alphabetized
3. Upload photos to Ebay adn Epson sites
4. Stability bug fixes

The update is our first patch release and it very small (upgrading takes about a minute even on dialup!)

Pardon the dust

I'm moving things around in the FAQ to fit new categories that have been created. Things will be in flux for quite sometime as there are about 500 questions to move around. I'll probably be updating the categories on the main blog to make it easier for me to bucketize my writings.

New Answers, No Foolin'!

2005-04-02 01:56 hello, i have a friend who uses webtv classic, is there ... 1 views
2005-04-02 01:46 I'm confused about "MSNTV 2" monthly fee plans. I currently pay ... 1 views
2005-04-02 01:30 Are there any plans to upgrade the MSNTV2 to pop3? I ... 1 views
2005-04-02 01:06 Will MSN TV 2 access fillable forms sites as,usually written in ... 4 views
2005-04-02 01:01 I would love to see a sig box for MSNTV2 also ... 3 views
2005-04-02 00:57 if the os on the cf card and cpu are x86 ... 3 views
2005-04-02 00:52 I started using the MSNTV2 last October, 2004, with MSN as ... 3 views
2005-04-02 00:44 Mahalo, thanks Tommy for this excellent forum which I have found ... 3 views
2005-04-02 00:40 Why is it necessary for MSN to cut off Instant Messengering ... 3 views
2005-04-02 00:37 When I try to go to HotMail, all I get is ... 3 views

See the answers and more at the MyTVLife FAQ.

Latest and Greatest

2005-03-23 09:23 I have found that when I listen to XM Radio Online, ... 1 views
2005-03-23 09:20 (MSN TV 2 Support) trying to setup msn2,and having problems,there is ... 5 views
2005-03-23 09:16 Can you access your hotmail inbox etc when you sign on ... 1 views
2005-03-23 09:13 On Yahoo Mail, we can't "reply" or "forward" at all. We ... 1 views
2005-03-23 09:08 (USB Card Readers) can a dazzle universal 6 in 1 card ... 7 views
2005-03-23 08:59 This isn't really a question. I came from MSN TV2 to ... 5 views
2005-03-23 08:49 Is it possible to have larger letters (fonts) in Q & ... 6 views
2005-03-23 08:40 Compatible USB Wireless 802.11b adapters 1321 views
2005-03-23 08:33 Some months ago I asked when or if I would ever ... 98 views
2005-03-23 06:51 I am having trouble getting into a Christian chat room in ... 8 views

See these answers and more at the MSN TV 2 FAQ

Newest FAQ Answers

Most Recently Answered
2005-03-21 00:18 I have an iomega FotoShow. Can I use it with the ... 1 views
2005-03-21 00:13 (Spam Filter) since changing to msntv2 getting extreme amount of unsolicited ... 1 views
2005-03-21 00:08 How do I "hang up" when I'm using MSNTV2? Nowhere do ... 1 views
2005-03-21 00:05 (Secret Codes) I would like to have the codes to set ... 1 views
2005-03-20 23:56 What is the difference between "Recommended" and "Supported" printers? 1 views
2005-03-20 23:54 On the WebTv Classic Keyboard there was a "TV/Video" Key that ... 1 views
2005-03-20 21:23 (Do I need a router?) I am trying to find out ... 11 views
2005-03-20 21:14 Some months ago I asked when or if I would ever ... 8 views
2005-03-20 21:09 I already have a MSN account through Verizon DSL. Do I ... 5 views
2005-03-14 13:45 MSN TV 2 Word Processor 237 views

Go to the MyTVLife FAQ to read the answers and ask your own questions.

MyTVLife.com in flux

Over the next few days, I'm going to be working on the look and feel as well as add some features to help me manage the site a little bit more easily. I'm also considering switching the FAQ mechanism for something more robust, but I'll have to see about that because that would mean migrating all of the current questions over to something new and that would be quite tedious.

Anyway, I'm telling everyone this information because things may look different or break completely while I work on these things...please be patient.

Happy Birthday to Me

So what did I do for my 30th birthday? Write a mini word-processing application that works with MSN TV 2 of course. It's currently very light on features...I just made the text wrap properly, although in the future I may figure out a way to get the box to not print the date and URL (probably by creating a word doc or something like that).

Anyway, caveats:
This is unsupported. Use at your own risk. I may make upgrades in the future or I may not. Just give it a try.

MyTVLife.com's MSN TV 2 Word Processor.

PS Click GoogleAds if you find it useful.

New MSN TV 2 FAQ entries

2005-03-10 10:25 Is box stability a major priority? I have to use Alt ... 14 views
2005-03-10 10:17 I have just got MSNTV2 for my birthday! I was so ... 7 views
2005-03-09 23:30 Why did microsoft decide not to include the full screen option ... 23 views
2005-03-09 23:25 My refresh button on the keyboard doesn't work. It sends to ... 18 views
2005-03-09 23:22 Will we ever be able to access alt. discuss in future ... 19 views
2005-03-09 23:16 I recently found a device at SAM's club which allows you ... 27 views
2005-03-09 14:26 Your answers to the most basic questions re MSNTV2 units tell ... 65 views
2005-03-07 07:43 Would like to see more audio and video files campatability and ... 81 views
2005-03-07 07:37 I just bought a epson c66 printer and cannot do photo ... 45 views
2005-03-06 01:13 currently i am using the msntv2 with dial-up and i am ... 162 views

Go see the answers at the MSN TV 2 FAQ

Do you have your own question? Ask it here.

FAQ updated!

Here are the 10 most recently answered questions:

2005-03-03 07:36 can you give me any info on how to upload pics ... 28 views
2005-03-03 07:23 Does Philips Magnavox make a MSN TV2 unit? All I have ... 13 views
2005-03-03 07:16 In my e-mail folder, The Tip on Trash Can is that ... 14 views
2005-03-03 07:13 Now that we have spell check and "Thanks MSN Team" all ... 8 views
2005-03-03 07:04 Is it feesible for the new box to eventually have a ... 28 views
2005-03-03 06:58 Why with an MSN TV2 and an HP 6550 printer can ... 10 views
2005-03-03 06:46 Can you give me a e-mail site for information and complaints ... 12 views
2005-03-03 06:44 I can not go to Citi Cards web page. The web ... 10 views
2005-03-03 06:39 How do I SET the clock, and be able to check ... 13 views
2005-02-24 02:37 This is the second time that Customer Service has told me ... 227 views

See the answers at the MyTVLife.com MSN TV 2 FAQ

MSNTV2 FAQ mega update

I just ran through a super duper update of the FAQ (well, just plowed through most of the pending questions...ask more soon!).

2005-02-15 02:38I currently am on the Dishplayer 500, which has the webtv ...1 views
2005-02-15 02:30The old webtv supported MIDI music files. As you most likely ...3 views
2005-02-15 02:23How much does MSN TV 2 cost?1103 views
2005-02-15 02:19RE: "VIEW BLOCKED IMAGES AND MAKE THE LINKS WORK" function in ...4 views
2005-02-15 02:15I was at overstock.com today and found that I could not ...3 views
2005-02-15 02:12i recently purchased a msntv2 abd also signed up for qwest ...3 views
2005-02-15 02:07Does the msn 2 offer any faster reception than my existing ...4 views
2005-02-15 02:03I have been trying to access a military paysite. I was ...4 views
2005-02-15 01:43If im playing back albums (like concert albums) from my computer ...3 views
2005-02-15 01:25this is the 2nd time in 2 days that my msntv2 ...3 views

Read the answers at: http://MyTVLife.com/faq

Wheels for Sale

Just liquidating some wheels for my friend (he works at a tire shop and has had these things sitting in his home for a while)

eBay item 7951471786 (Ends Feb-07-05 06:54:40 PST) - CHROME!!! Enkei LM1 18"x7.5" 5-114.3 NEVER USED!! LR!
eBay item 7951473111 (Ends Feb-07-05 07:05:05 PST) - Acura TSX 17" Factory Stock Wheel NO RESERVE!! HURRY!
eBay item 7951474017 (Ends Feb-07-05 07:12:26 PST) - Mazda 3 Mazda3 Factory Original Wheels SetOf4!!

Toilet explosion...the saga

Where have I been you ask? Read on:
Part 1
Part 2

Need One More...

Seriously...I need just one more sign up for the free ipod...next person to get credit under my account can send me their link and I'll post it on the homepage of my sites (dodoskido.com, mytvlife.com, and goingfromfattofit.com) until the cows come home...seriously...I'll wait for all of the cows to come home...

And to answer your question...no it's not a scam...I received one of these a while back, but this one is for my wife...she wants the ipod mini since it's lighter and cooler. I'll stick with the ipod gigante thank you very much...

10 Latest questions answered

2005-01-03 13:18 THIS ISN'T A ? AS MUCH AS A COMMENT. mY PUTER ... 4 views
2005-01-03 13:08 Is a hp psc1350 printer compatible with msntv2? Whwn I try ... 3 views
2005-01-03 13:05 If I am already an MSN Premium Subscriber (on my broadband ... 3 views
2005-01-03 13:01 What happen to spell check on e-mail. It was there on ... 4 views
2005-01-03 12:59 What accessories do I need to be able to transfer digital ... 4 views
2005-01-03 12:52 I have tried to find the call waiting feature on my ... 4 views
2005-01-03 12:49 I would like to request a "Member Center", for centralized information ... 5 views
2005-01-03 12:45 Does MSN test their peoducts? I just recieved a new MSNtv2 ... 3 views
2005-01-03 12:42 I cannot checkout at kmart using msntv2. 4 views
2005-01-03 12:40 I have an msntv2 & I bought a an hp photosmart ... 3 views

Go to the MSNTV2 FAQ

Latest FAQ Updates

I've given up on the CARP wrapping widget that I found since it produces the correct immediate result, but the text is not picked up by the bloglet email subscription thing and hence...no updated faq info mailed to my subscribers (of which there are quite a few of now).

So here are the latest posts (manually pasted by my hand...sigh):
Vacation 12-10-2004 to 1-5-2004
IRC and MSN TV 2 Real Audio needs to be added as an audio format. I ...
Is having two separate subsciptions the only way to have two ...
Do I need a computer to use the MSN TV 2? ...
What mouse can I use with msntv2? For example if I ...
Is the HP PSC 1315XI all-in-one printer compatible with MSN TV ...
(Cordless Mouse) What is a cheap cordless mouse cost to use ...
How can I print 8x10 photos with my msntv2?
Will the msntv2 ever offer alt.discuss?

Latest FAQ Update

My New Fitness Blog

Going From Fat to Fit

So you'd think I'm the last person that should be writing about fitness...after all, I am obese and diabetic. However, I've been in Microsoft's Weight Management program for about 6 months and have lost 7% body fat and feel the best I have in a long time.

If you are the least bit curious on what it takes a nearly 300lb diabetic to turn around his life and become healthy, you won't want to miss Going From Fat to Fit

Latest FAQ Updates

FAQ updates via email: first try

I'm trying out a new thing to see if I can get some sort of automated faq email update sent to people who subscribe to the site. Here's the first permutation (if you want to know the technical aspects of this, go the extended entry:

What I did:

phpmyfaq (the faq system that I'm using) has the ability to export the latest answered questions as a valid (I think) rss feed. So I do this (currently manually).

After that I installed Carp which takes RSS feeds and translates it to javascript.

Then I post the carp php call that creates the javascript in movable type (the content management system that everything except for the faq).

Next up is going to be:
fix cron4rss.php so that it works (currently it dies whenever I try to execute it).

Updates (or lack thereof)

Updates are on the way (most likely tonight). I've been neck deep in video from my wedding ceremony (occured last December). My wife and I are going to China and are trying to prepare a couple of edited "music videos" as we like to call them. Basically, a highlight reel with some nice music so people who watch it don't get sleepy.

At any rate, I know there is a backlog of questions and I'll address them this afternoon/evening.

Back but not Back

Midterm over, 96 < my score <100.

I answered a bunch of questions last night, but am neck deep in the middle of a test pass (big stretch of testing that needs to get done in order ot qualify a new release). I'll make good on answering more questions as time allows (hopefully some tonight). I'll also make good on the details of the release AFTER it ships (not sure of the scheduling of it).

Vacation?

Nope...I'm still here. I have a midterm tomorrow that I need to study for and also two PCs that I need to fix (one for my friend's mom and one that is my sister's old PC that I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with). Also, I'm working hard on my wife's website: hongyunart.com. The layout of this version of the site is not so great, but you can see what I'm working on here. It's a much cleaner layout and looks nice in my opinion. I'm going to upload her and her student's artwork to the site tonight and try to get my studying done. I should be back to answering questions tomorrow night (I may knock a few out tonight, but not sure) after my midterm.

Anyway, cheers and thanks for your patience.

New Subscription Management System

I've been using a stopgap measure for a while to maintain subscriptions. While it worked, it didn't work very well. For one thing I had to manually send update notices. Another bad thing is that for some reason, my webhost likes to send a few emails whenever someone subscribes so I would have even more email to sift through. I think those days are gone with the new subscription system run by blogarithm. Anyway, please signup there as my notices to those who have subscribed thus far will be exceedingly rare.

New Answers in FAQ

Here are the most recently answered questions on the MSN TV 2 FAQ:

The five questions posted most recently:
2004-10-18 09:26 A notepad/clipboard would be very helpful, perhaps accessed through the main ... 1 views
2004-10-18 09:25 "Why" questions 1 views
2004-10-18 09:16 i had webtv plus and recently had to buy MSNTV. Why ... 1 views
2004-10-18 09:06 For those who already have the MSNTV 2, please answer the ... 6 views
2004-10-17 01:58 Do you know when Amazon is going to be shipping the ... 56 views
2004-10-17 01:28 I would like to see a option on the print menu ... 60 views
2004-10-17 01:26 You CANNOT use a mouse with MSN TV 2!!!!!!!!! (At least ... 129 views
2004-10-17 01:25 Can MSN TV 2 and WebTV share the same primary account ... 73 views
2004-10-15 18:55 What is a router? 88 views
2004-10-15 18:41 How do I put (attach) pictures into an email? 64 views

Hope to see you back at www.MyTVLife.com soon! Have a question? Ask me!

Minor Facelift

I'm working on giving the MSN TV 2 FAQ a minor facelift. Mostly just to make it more readable, but also to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Here are the 10 latest questions answered:

2004-10-15 18:55 What is a router? 34 views
2004-10-15 18:41 How do I put (attach) pictures into an email? 23 views
2004-10-15 18:29 Will a fujifilm card reader work with the MSNTV 2? 7 views
2004-10-15 02:06 We have this http://help.msn.com/!data/en_us/data/msntvv1.its51/$content$/MSNTV_TRS_TOC_Email.htm?retURL=http%3A%2F%2Fhelp.msn.com%2F!data%2Fen_us%2Fdata%2Fmsntvv1.its51%2F%24content%24%2FMSNTV_ALTTOC_main.htm Can you post the real Msntv2 Help ... 54 views
2004-10-15 02:05 Early buyers of MSNTV2 are reporting that they are having problems ... 267 views
2004-10-15 02:01 How many separate e-mail acounts can we have with the new ... 13 views
2004-10-15 01:59 We need advice about a TV. Our old "tube" (a 20" ... 18 views
2004-10-15 01:55 If I choose the monthly broadband service plan and later wanted ... 31 views
2004-10-13 02:36 I have an HP printer that is not compatable with MSNTV ... 101 views
2004-10-13 02:32 Compatibility with other chat sites 41 views

Welcome to MyTVLife.com

I thought I'd take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the new MSN TV 2 Enthusiast home page. The page is now located at MyTVLife.com but nothing else has changed. The focus here is the same: giving you all that you need to make the most of your MSN TV 2. I'll also still be giving little glimpse into MSN TV and the world of Microsoft on a periodic basis...maybe post some photos of my office or something so you can see what I do on a daily basis (besides running MyTVLife.com and dodoskido.com).

At any rate, I'm glad to see you've made it over here and I hope I can help make your MSN TV 2 experience the best it can be. If you have any questions or concerns about MSN TV 2, this site, the Internet, what kind of diet you should be on, where to find the best Chinese food, what the best tennis shoes are, or anything at all, feel free to drop me a line.

Everything seems to be in order

MSN TV's marketing folks are on my case again about using "msntv2" as part of my domain name. In the end, to make life easy for them, I've decided to give them the name (in exchange for a link on the msntv marketing website). The new site is called MyTVLife.com. I'm sorry to be moving the site again, but this is the best thing to keep me gainfully employed and keep the site up and running.

Thanks for all of your support!

FAQ Updated!

Here are the latest 5 questions:

The five questions posted most recently:
2004-10-13 02:36 I have an HP printer that is not compatable ... 1 views
2004-10-13 02:32 Compatibility with other chat sites 1 views
2004-10-13 02:27 Compatibility with various travel websites 3 views
2004-10-13 02:26 Does email have emoticons? 3 views
2004-10-13 02:24 Are you aware of the BellSouh 6100 issue? The ... 3 views

Subscriptions Available

I've added subscription links to the side bar in case you'd like an easy way to find out what's new....I'll be sending out notices (to those who leave their email address) whenever I updated the FAQ (and don't worry, your email is safe with me...I won't sell or release it to anyone).

dodoskido redesigned

I thought I'd send a shout out to my personal weblog dodoskido.com...currently it's getting a nice spring cleaning (I know it's fall...) and will getting a full make over before December (I hope). After the final stages of spring cleaning are finished over on the other side, there will be some interesting developments. Namely:

1) hongyunart.com will go live...it's currently in creation mode and isn't much to look at. When it's done, it will be the primary website for Hongyun (my wife) to show off her artwork, write and collect findings in art, and serve as an informational site for her private art tutoring that she does on the side.

2) next will be a slight refresh of msntv2.INFO. I'll be providing some subscription options to keep you updated and will do some cleaning as well.

3) I'll be starting a new website called goingfromfattofit.com which will detail my personal journey from fatdom to fitdom. I've actually been in a program for about 6 months now where I've seen incredible gains in strength and fitness, but haven't lost that much weight...that's all going to change when the site launches....

Cat Out of the Bag

Since the new msntv site is out and about, strutting it's stuff, I figured I would let the cat out of the bag and publish most of the questions I had been waiting to send out so I wouldn't get busted. The cat's out of the bag so please enjoy the faq and ask lots more questions! Have a good evening...see you in the morning...

New MSNTV2 site is live!

Remember, to support msntv2.INFO by coming back to order you MSN TV 2 box after soaking up the cool info at the new site!

Enjoy! MSNTV2.com

Special offer for current MSNTV (WebTV) subscribers

A note from the MSN TV marketing team:

When MSN TV introduces the new product in October, they will be contacting current customers with a special offer exclusively for them. This is to thank them for their loyalty and excitement about the product, so watch for that offer!

See! I told you, that our marketing team is working on a special deal just for your Webbies out there. I'll post again if I hear anything else.

Back in Action!

I received an email the other day from Microsoft's legal folks regarding msntv2.info and the FAQ. Basically they said, you have our blesssing and to go forth and blog (just keep the prelease info to a minimum, but after launch, the world is your oyster).

FAQs are coming back! Well...sort of. I'm still answering YOUR questions, but not posting anything yet. I'll post a few thing here and there over the next couple of weeks, but after October 1st rolls around, the FAQ will chocked full of information, advice, and tips.

FAQs temporarily halted

Once again the powers that be have stepped in to say that I'm doing something bad by helping people learn about the product too early. Anyway, relevant "bad posts" have been taken down for now. Also I will not be posting answers to questions until after MSN TV 2 launches but keep the questions coming as I will be answering them on the FAQ system and get them ready for launch.

MSN TV 2 FAQ Beta

MSN TV 2 FAQ

Give it a shot! Only a few questions answered so far, but click above and then "ASK Question" to ask your question!

FAQs coming

There have been quite a few questions asked about MSN TV 2 and I promise, I'll provide a way for people to better ask the questions and actual answers. Please be patient as the team and I buckle down for the last few weeks before our release. After the product is released, I will have (hopefully) a wealth of information. The folks here at MSN TV want me to keep the info locked down for the time being as some important bits of information are still in flux. I'll have the beginnings of an FAQ section soon

Useful information on the way

So where's the good stuff you ask? Well, the answer is that it's on the way. I'm in the process of writing up articles and tips that will be published on launch day. Why not post them earlier? Well the same marketing guys said that this site is an information leak that needs to be plugged. Well, I'm not sure what's so leaky about it...I mean if you read the previous 4 posts, you'll see that the information is the same that you can get from the press releases. At any rate, to appease the marketing folks this time around, I'll keep my mouth shut or rather, my blog entries un-published until the MSN TV 2 boxes hit the store shelves in October. In the mean time, I'll post links to reviews, news, and whatever "leaks" out from other sources.

Squeezed by the Man

The new URL is now www.msntv2.info. The MSN TV marketing folks really wanted the msntv2.com domain name badly but didn't think to register the site until today. At any rate, I gave it to them and will use msntv2.info instead. I'm just too nice...

Posting from the MSN TV 2 Internet & Media Player

Hi everybody!
Hi Dr. Nick!

Just a quick hello to test posting a blog entry from MSN TV 2. The engineering team is currently doing a bug bash to find as many bugs as possible in one day and it looks to be quite successful! As the bug bash closes, I'm playing music from my home network and USB CD player with an MP3 CD (officially not supported, but it works) via a wireless connection to my wireless laptop. While surfing the web and posting this. Ahhh...the media good life.

Site Setup Continues

So far I have a fairly stable layout with two different indexes and stylesheets for MSN TV (2) and PC/Mac. Next on the list is to make sure archive pages are styled properly and have proper links as well as a few more touch ups and this site should be ready to rock and roll.

Welcome to the MSN TV 2 Enthusiast Site

This is the first post to get things rolling. I'll be working on fixing the layout/design of the site over the next few weeks and adding more information about the MSN TV 2 product as it rolls off the presses.

Disclaimer: While I work for MSN TV 2, the information contained in this website is in no way connected to MSN TV or Microsoft. Information and opinions found on this site are the rantings of a rogue engineer and should be taken as such. While I try to keep my information as accurate as possible, mistakes will eventually happen. If there is some misinformation or confusion, just let me know and the information will be reviewed and revised shortly. Otherwise, enjoy!