Fall 1997
Winter 1997 Table of Contents
Feature Stories
Break Out the Popcorn, We're Going Surfing: Net-top Boxes: A Cheap and Easy Way to Bring the Internet to TV
An Internet set-top box is a cheap and easy way to bring the Internet to your TV and into your home, but is it for you? This exclusive report outlines what you can expect from the whole "Net-top box" phenomenon, including a comprehensive Buyer's Guide.
The Biggest Disc Ever: Is DVD All It's Hyped To Be?
DVD, or digital versatile disc, is the new technology that is supposed to replace VCRs, laserdiscs, audio CDs and computer CD-ROMs-all in one fell swoop. Could it really be true?
Shelter from the Media Storm: Technology To Protect Kids From The Naked, Nasty and Violent
Sick of all the gratuitous sex, violence and otherwise undesirable stuff on TV these days? You're not the only one. Here's how you and your family can keep it away.
Sailing Shark-Infested Waters: A Map For Media Literacy
Don't be made roadkill. Formaaer FCC chairman Nicholas johnson issues a scathing indictment of mindless television consumption and offers some suggestions for salvation.
Gatekeepers and Pipe Dreams: Who Controls the Bandwidth, Controls the Future
Picture a pipe carrying water. The fatter the pipe, the greater the water flow. What if you want more water than the pipe can carry? Now you're starting to understand "baaandwidth," and what it means for TV, the Internet and the future of technology.
Departments
Touch That Dial
- Hughes Network Systems DirecDuo
- JVC HM-DSR100
- AIMS Lab InstanTV
- Princeton Graphic Systems Arcadia Home Monitor
Help Screen: Don't Be A TV: Television Victim
- Don't Be A TV: Television Victim & Warning: The Media May Be Hazardous To Your Health
- Who Is King of Hollywood?
- Dot Com Kids: The Search for The Missing Keys
Columns
Toob: I Want That Click
Video-on-demand, streaming real-time from the Internet to our televisions, will be great if it ever happens, but there are a few things we can do in the meantime.
Advisors: The Mother of Children's TV
Peggy Charren is a leading advocate for improved children's television and was instrumental in helping pass the landmark Children's Television Act.
Real People: Tea With The Andersen's
Families across America are turning away from regular television and tuning into the Internet.
What's On: The Learning Curve
The Learning Channel has grown from a small , niche cable channel to one of the most popular places on TV by offering entertaining fare that also lets people learn.
Black Boxes: Go For Broke With a PC/TV
- Compaq PC Theatre 9000
- ATI All-in-Wonder
Fall 1997 Table of Contents
Feature Stories
Buyer's Guide to Smart VCRs
The days of the blinking "12:00" willl soon be just a memory. Today's home video recorders feature on-screen program huides, option menus, child-proof locks, battery backup systems and more.
Now That's A Smart TV
Imagine a television that can create a personal viewing profile, pick the shows that will interest you, program your VCR to record them and keep your kids from watching the wrong stuff. We take a look at the market today and give you a glimpse of the future.
How To Balance Your TV Diet
How can you watch junk TV and still build a healthy mind? Follow our easy "diet" plan to balance your TV intake.
TV Good, TV Bad: Now We Can Choose
Although there is little debate that television is recognized as the most powerful and influencial mass communications medium ever invented, the argument still rages about whether TV is an inherently "good" or "bad" thing.
The Internet: Coming Soon To A TV Near You
The Internet will truly revolutionize TV as we know it. The question is, what will this experience be like: will the Internet play on a TV set?
Departments
Touch That Dial: PCTV Compaq PC Theatre, Hi-Val Hi-Val DVD Home Entertainment System, RF-Link WAVECOM Sr. TV Allowance, EchoStar Dish 5000
- Compaq PC Theatre
- Hi-Val Hi-Val DVD Home Entertainment System
- RF-Link WAVECOM Sr.
- TV Allowance
- EchoStar Dish EchoStar 5000
Hooking Up: Do-It-Yourself Remote PCTV
The prospect of a full-blown PCTV system is intriguing, but the costs are prohibitive. As a result some people may consider building their own, which is really quite possible.
etc.: Hybrid CD-ROM
By interacting with the World Wide Web, hybrid CDs such as Launch deliver traditional CD-ROM entertainment in a creative new format.
Help Screen
- Kick the TV Habit!
- Questioning the Media: A Critical Introduction (Second Edition)
- The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946-Present (Sixth Edition)
Columns
Toob: TV: The Final Frontier
New technology allows us to look at television - and what it can do for us - in a whole new way.
Advisors: The TV Patrol
Who are the watchdogs behind the organizations that filter, rate and recommend what you should see on your TV screen?
Real People: The Time Shifter: Craig Duncan
Forget about what's on tonight. Rearrange TV programs to suit your own schedule with the help of a VCR and a program guide.
What's On: A Healthy Alternative
From its beginning as a spin-off from a non-profit religious network, The Family Channel has earned fame as a wholesome source of programming.
Black Boxes: I Want My WebTV
- Sony WebTV Internet Terminal
