Smartware: Software to Make Your TV Smarter

by Charles Mohnike
Summer/Fall 1999

Lurking in the nether regions of the Windows 98 operating system is a powerful TV application that is a combined TV program guide, TV search engine and TV-viewing interface. WebTV for Windows is a perfect program guide for any PC/TV and is an excellent companion for watching TV on the PC.

Like its set-top siblings, the WebTV Classic and WebTV Plus, WebTV for Windows looks good and has considerable function and is easy to use.

Installation
We installed WebTV for Windows on our test machine, a Pentium II 300, via the "Add Programs" icon in the Windows 98 Control Panel. Nothing happened at first because it turns out the WebTV for Windows feature only supports ATI tuner card products. It's a little vexing the program only supports a single manufacturer's tuner cards, but ATI has some very nice hardware, so after some teeth-gnashing, we replaced our Matrox Millenium with an ATI All-in-Wonder Pro, connected our standard coaxial cable-TV connection to the card, and we were up-and-channel-surfing.

WebTV first asked us to choose a screen resolution, with choices for close desktop viewing on a standard computer monitor or from a distance on a television screen. The program then began a channel scan much like a VCR or cable-ready TV, searching our cable connection for existing stations and adding each to the channel guide. Each was illustrated with a preset channel icon, which gives it a slick, very TV-like feel.

WebTV for Windows offers two options for retrieving program listings, which include the program, short program synopses and running times. Users can choose to either download them from Gemstar's Web site or pull them from the airwaves in typical Gemstar StarSight fashion from the vertical blanking interval of the local PBS station. Gemstar's site was down when we ran our test so we went with the second option and retrieved two weeks' listings over the air.

The Program Guide
WebTV's program guide is very easy to navigate and will be familiar to anyone who has channel-surfed on an upscale Electronic Program Guide. We used our computer's mouse to move through the program listings, though they're also navigable by keyboard commands.

Channel Listings
Scrolling up and down in the program window gives a view of available channels and programs; scrolling left to right lets you see what's airing later in the day. As you move through the listings, a small preview window in the upper right corner displays video for the selected channel. To view a channel full screen, click on either its program listing or the preview window.

Custom Channel Views
WebTV supports custom views of its program guide, allowing you to eliminate listings for channels you're not interested in. To change views, just navigate to the "configuration" channel, which is where all changes to your setup are made after installation is complete. If you have a VCR or gaming system attached to your tuner card, you can set up custom channels to support them.

Frequently Watched Channels
The program also offers one-click selection of four frequently viewed channels, hardly enough for the serious channel surfer, but sufficient for keeping your favorite broadcasts close at hand. To access the list, right-click while you're viewing a channel full-screen. A short menu pops up, allowing you to add the current channel to your favorites, remove other channels, or navigate back to the main program guide.

Searching Programs
One of WebTV for Windows' best features of WebTV lies in its ability to search program listings. You can view upcoming broadcasts in a variety of preset genres, including drama, sci-fi, educational and sports, or enter keywords into the search box for a full-text search of all program listings. Search results may be sorted by date or time of broadcast.

Reminders
If you find a program airing at a future date and want a reminder before it airs, click its listing in the guide. You'll get a "reminder" menu allowing you to set up an alert a few minutes, hours, or days before the broadcast; or to program WebTV to automatically switch to the broadcast so that you can record it with your VCR's programming function.

Windows Functionality
WebTV functions like any standard Windows program, meaning that you can minimize its window to the taskbar, or quickly switch from it to any other Windows application. This makes it ideal for "companion" TV and Web viewing because you can easily switch between a broadcast and your Web browser with the ALT+TAB keys. While you're watching a sports broadcast, for example, you can check out a player's stats on the ESPN Web site.

There are other software packages with more customization and programming features than WebTV for Windows, but for those seeking a quick way to converge their PC and TV viewing the program offers quick setup and easy channel navigation. While we'd like to see WebTV support a broader range of tuner cards in the future, it presents a low- or no-cost solution (if you've already purchased Windows 98) to getting the most out of your TV and PC.