A Perfect Match: PC and TV Becoming One

by Jim Mikles
Spring 1998

Watch a few hours of TV or spend some time surfing the Web and you can't miss the fact that TV and computers are becoming more and more alike. In content, appearance and technology, each is adopting features from the other. TV shows link you to Web sites, Web sites look like TV shows, PCs come with tuner cards, TVs come with modems and the list goes on. Although people aren't herding to embrace the concept of a single home information-entertainment appliance quite yet, this marriage between the TV and PC is picking up substantial momentum. Just look at the marketing blitz surrounding Internet TV products like Microsoft's WebTV and the Oracle-backed Network Computer (NC). There are a host of others products out there as well (see Net-top Box Buyer's Guide, Smart TV, Winter 1997), but beneath all the glitz, this so-called "convergence" is occurring on a more fundamental level. Approximately 20 million American homes already own a computer, own a television and are connected to the Internet. That number is expected to more than double by the turn of the century. As Internet and TV become more and more synonymous, some of these homes will buy an Internet set-top (Net-top) box, such as the WebTV or an NC. Some of them will upgrade to a $5,000 PC/TV super-system like a Gateway Destination, Compaq PC Theatre or Philips DVX8000. Most, however, will continue on the predictable and well-trodden path of incremental technology adoption. They'll use what they have until it breaks or is obsolete, and they'll add or upgrade components incrementally when the need exists. For these people, there are many less elaborate and affordable ways to integrate the PC into the TV experience. From just having the PC located in the same room as the TV, to cabling a hard-wired link between the two, to designing a wireless room-to-room connection, it can be relatively cheap and easy to make your own PC/TV. We'll describe the basic components and methods involved in some of these configurations a little bit later (see Blueprints for PC/TV, page XXX), but first an answer to the most basic question: Why?

The Casual Connection

Whether you or members of your family are light, moderate or heavy TV viewers, a PC can make TV a hundred times better and more useful in your home than it is now. Even a very casual level of connection greatly increases your ability to use and enjoy television. With an Internet-enabled PC in the same room as your TV, the two are a natural complement to each other. You probably already know about the comprehensive TV program listing services available online. These sites provide fast and powerful search engines that allow you to quickly browse sort and organize what's on. Beyond this, more TV "companion" content is being developed for the Web, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM all the time.

Most major cable and broadcast networks have developed web sites to accompany their television content and provide an expanded viewing experience. Many of your favorite programs also have accompanying Web sites, fan sites and chat rooms. While it's still largely in an experimental stage, most TV companion Web sites are dynamic, diverse and in many cases more in-depth than their television counterparts.

For example, on Discovery Online, one of the most innovative TV companion Web sites, not only can you find additional programming content for Discovery, Animal Planet and the Learning Channel, but you can also select the programs you want to see for the month and receive an automated e-mail reminder the day before the programs air. The two-way, interactive nature of these Web sites make them a natural fit for enhanced television viewing.

"It allows people to build a sense of community around our programming," explains Thomas Hicks, vice-president and publisher of Discovery Channel.

In the broadcast arena, NBC so far has gone the farthest toward actually integrating its Web site into its programming. The 1998 season premiere of E-R, which was broadcast live on the air, was also partially streamed real-time on the Internet at a special site devoted exclusively to building on the event with chat rooms, questions and answer sessions with cast members and virtual tours of the live set. Other NBC programs such as Homicide: Life on the Street and The Pretender also enjoy popular Web sites that integrate TV plots into online Web sites, and vice-versa (see What's On, page XXX).

"From the numbers of hits we've had at the related Web sites during the programs, we've found that people really like to watch TV and browse the Web at the same time," says Edmond Sanctis, senior vice-president of NBC Digital. "We've found that stories from the same program can be told across platforms and people really like to go online to continue the TV experience."

One way to get the Internet on TV is a Net-top box, such as a WebTV or an NC. They connect the TV to the Internet simply with a friendly interface that's easy use. They lack the processing power the typical PC user is accustomed to, however, and most require an additional $10-$20 per month subscription to a proprietary Internet Service Provider (ISP). But there's really no need to spend anything to at least experiment if the Internet makes your TV better. Just put the computer in the living room for a while and use it at the same time. If you like it, and you already own a PC, you can connect it to your television for about the same price as the average Net-top box. You can get the additional power and versatility of a full-blown PC without the $5,000 price tag.

Power PC/TV

Once you're sold on the benefits of PC/TV and ready to consummate the union, you need to make some type of physical connection between the two. This can either be hard-wired or wireless, and in many cases will be some combination of both. A physical connection gives you the ability to get both PC and TV content on a single TV screen. You also get the added benefit of being able to play CD (audio, video or ROM) or DVD (video and ROM) on your TV.

Some of the other benefits of PC/TV are that you also get to keep your existing ISP, your favorite browser and your full PC processing functionality. This is important because as the Web continues to grow, more and more "plug-ins" are required to run the nifty features on today's best Web sites. RealVideo and Shockwave Director, for example, are popular video and animation browser plug-ins that are easy to install and run on a PC, but not currently supported by any of the leading Net-top boxes. There are other benefits to the PC/TV configuration. Upgrading a PC's modem speed, processing power and RAM is inexpensive and relatively easy to do. Microprocessor technology evolves quickly, as we've witnessed with the Pentium, Pentium MMX, and Pentium II chip generations, and a PC/TV allows you to periodically upgrade. Software applications for the PC Windows environment are numerous and well designed. A full PC/TV not only supports word processing and other standard software, but special database applications, user password commands, filtering software, tracking programs and other applications to help you regulate what you and your family watch on TV. And then there's gaming. Nintendo, Sega and Sony are great, but bring the full processing power, rendering capability and title choice of even a moderately-equipped PC to the TV, and only the highest-end 64-bit systems can compete.

Currently, some Net-top boxes support some of these applications, but with closed, proprietary operating systems, you are forced to use what you are handed in terms of software. There is a growing category of Net-top boxes that incorporate greater processing power, but they jump considerably in price from their stripped-down brethren and you should again consider what it takes to build your own full-powered system.

Appearance Is Everything

If you are already computer savvy, then you are probably wondering about PC/TV and the difference between TV and VGA screen resolution. The typical VGA computer monitor uses progressive scan technology to display an image, versus the way a television uses an interlace format. Even if you don't know the difference, suffice it to say that's why the resolution on your computer monitor is a lot better than what appears on your TV screen. There are large-screen VGA monitors available, and even some hybrid monitors made specifically for PC/TV. While they are certainly nice to look at, the price of these products will bump your system into the decidedly high-end category. To keep it on the cheap, you've got to continue to use your existing TV. This isn't a problem except that most Web pages are made to be read from a desktop at 2-3 feet, not watched from a couch at 10-12 feet. Many Web pages have small text, small buttons, and too many links to scroll through as they sit silent and motionless on the screen. But more and more, Web designers are getting the drift that it doesn't take much extra work to make a page that plays well on TV. As the universe of Web pages designed for the 10-foot viewing experience grows, so then does the potential for the Internet to expand, enrich and enhance what we watch on TV.

The Next Wave

Speaking of content, so far we've looked at the Internet and TV as related but separate realms, each more useful when used in conjunction with the other. But even if they are wired together and displayed on the same screen, you are still using the TV or the PC separately. Build a PC/TV now and you can look forward to the next generation of Internet TV, when the two will be merged seamlessly together. In this world, there will be no Internet or TV. Web pages broadcast over the air as part of the TV's vertical blanking interval, or received by the television via a set-top cable modem, will be a standard part of what we watch on TV. Click with a remote or wireless keyboard on an athlete to display his or her statistics for the game. Compete in real time with contestants on Jeopardy. Chat with the director or star from a favorite movie or TV show as it airs. E-mail a question to the scientist studying Great White Sharks on the Barrier Reef. Some of these possibilities are available now, and they will all be available soon. The possibilities for communication in this arena are truly limitless. In some way, shape or form, we expect the PC/TV revolution will eventually reach everyone. (Sidebar)

A Blueprint For PC/TV

Ready to build your own PC/TV?
There are a few critical things to consider before you start. First and foremost, you need to know how to open the computer case and install various hardware (modems, sound cards, video cards, etc.) in the appropriate expansion slots on the motherboard. Next, you need to install the appropriate driver software to run the hardware. Perhaps the most tricky part of all will be to configure the operating system to understand and agree with what you've done. Plug and play isn't always like it says and some troubleshooting is unfortunately the norm rather than the exception. Take heart. Although it requires some patience, it will be worth the effort.

When considering what additional hardware you will need, you'll definitely want the fastest modem you can afford to install, at least 28.8 and preferably 56 Kbps. Because we are accustomed to listening to sound and watching images on TV (as opposed to scrolling through pages and reading text) you will also want a good sound card. Another critical component is a scan converter or encoder, so the PC can generate a signal the TV can understand. Some video cards have an encoder built in, so you can upgrade your video card and get an encoder at the same time. You can also purchase an external encoder that plugs into the PC VGA-out port. In a wired configuration, you'll need an extension cord for your keyboard, so you can use it from the couch. You can also use one of the many wireless keyboards available. A wireless pointing device, which is something like a handheld trackball, is also important to manipulate the cursor on-screen and surf the Web. A fast software driver, such as CD-ROM or better yet, DVD-ROM, makes the PC/TV a consummate entertainment machine by allowing you to run your favorite PC game titles. Finally, you will need to consider optimizing your display settings by increasing the Windows system fonts (which are used to display window titles, menus, and dialog boxes), and by adjusting the fonts in your browser. For Windows 3.1, a neat little software package called VDOview (downloadable from http://www.adstech.com/downloads/ELITEPRO.ZIP) is designed to rescale fonts for the vision impaired, but it also works great for scaling the desktop to TV-friendly proportions. Once you are convinced that a PC/TV is a worthy investment, you can purchase one of the new TV monitors that support VGA-out.

Although a PC/TV for the most part uses standard PC equipment, it does require a few fairly specialized components:

Scan Converter or Encoder
A scan converter or encoder changes your signal from the "progressive scan" mode a VGA monitor uses to display video to an NTSC signal (or PAL in Europe) that your TV uses. A scan converter or encoder can be built into a video card, or come as an external box that plugs into your existing video card's VGA-out port.
Tuner Card
Although a tuner card is not necessary to get your PC on your TV, it does allow you to merge your TV and PC more seamlessly together. Because of new data broadcasting technology (see related story about Data Broadcasting, page XXX), expect to see more and more video cards equipped with a TV tuner. Many new tuner cards also have a scan converter or encoder built in.
Input Device
Extension cables are one possibility that allow you to perform PC input and surf the Web from your couch, but wireless is a better option. Infrared keyboards and pointers are the standard, although radio frequency (RF) wireless devices are being developed.

There are many possible configurations for homemade PC/TV. Here are three that we designed that involve various levels of components and expense*:

1. Photo of Pentium 120 box, with VGA and keyboard extension cords.

Computer equipped with a 120 MHz Pentium processor, 16 Mb RAM, 56K modem, 16-bit sound card, Hauppehauge Win/Cast video card (with TV tuner and scan converter). ($900)
RCA 27-inch color television
VGA extension cable
Keyboard extension cable
Mouse extension cable

2. Photo of Pentium 200 box, Mitsubishi TV and Airlink

Computer equipped with 200 MHz Pentium MMX processor, 32 Mb RAM, 56K modem, 16-bit sound card, Aver Media TVGenie. ($1,200)
16x CD-ROM
Mitsubishi 19-inch color television
AiTech AirLink wireless scan coverter
Wireless IR keyboard and mouse

3. Photo of Pentium 266 box, Princeton, 21-inch monitor wired together in a network

Computer equipped with a 266 MHz Pentium MMX processor, 32 Mb RAM, 56K modem, 16-bit sound card, ATI Pro video card (with TV tuner and scan converter). ($1,400)
2X Toshiba DVD-ROM
NEC 21-inch monitor
Princeton Arcadian TV-VGA monitor
IR wireless keyboard and remote
Standard keyboard and mouse
Y-Key-Key keyboard splitter (for dual input)