WebTV

MSN TV (formerly WebTV) was the name of both a thin client which used a television for display (rather than a computer monitor), and the online service supporting it.

The product and service was developed by WebTV Networks, Inc., a company purchased by Microsoft Corporation and absorbed into MSN (the Microsoft Network). While most thin clients developed in the mid-1990s were positioned as diskless workstations for corporate intranets, WebTV was positioned as a consumer device for web access.

The WebTV product was an adapter that allowed a television set to be connected to the Internet, primarily for web browsing and e-mail. The setup included a web browser, a corded or wireless (e.g., bluetooth or IRDA) keyboard and a connection, using a modem, ADSL, cable Internet access, or power line communication.

While WebTV did not allow as much functionality as a computer-based web browser, it was a low-cost alternative to a traditional computer connection to the Internet.

On July 1, 2013, an email was sent out to customers that the service would be shutting down on September 30, 2013, and customer service would be available until January 15, 2014.

Co-founder Steve Perlman is credited with the idea for the device. He first combined computer and television as a high-school student when he decided his home PC needed a graphics display. He went to build software for companies such as Apple and Atari. While working at the Apple spin-off, General Magic, the idea of bringing TVs and computers together resurfaced.

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