WebTV, now owned by Microsoft, was one of the first entries in the much publicized convergence of the World Wide Web with television. You buy a set-top box similar to a cable TV box, then sign up with the WebTV access service and browse Web pages using a Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer browser and a hand-held control. A keyboard is provided optionally. WebTV uses your television set as an output device; the signals arrive, however, through a modem and a telephone line at 33.6 Kbps (Classic model) or 56 Kbps (Plus model).
There are two set-top boxes: the Classic, manufactured by Sony and Philips Magnavox and priced at $99, and the television- enhanced Plus, manufactured by Sony, Philips Magnavox, and Mitsubishi, priced at $199. The monthly connection charge is $19.95 (as of May 15, 1998). For both models, the wireless keyboard is a $50 option, except that Mitsubishi bundles the keyboard with the set-top box and charges $250 for the package.
The most recent WebTV service includes support for frames, JavaScript, RealAudio, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), and other Web technology.
According to the latest provided figures, WebTV has 325,000 subscribers.
The WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) is a specification for a set of communication protocols to standardize the way that wireless devices, such as cellular telephones and radio transceivers, can be used for Internet access, including e-mail, the World Wide Web, newsgroups, and Internet Relay Chat (IRC). While Internet access has been possible in the past, different manufacturers have used different technologies. In the future, devices and service systems that use WAP will be able to interoperate.
The WAP layers are: