Satellite Dish TV, Internet Converge in DishPlayer

As we know from the ruling in the landmark Microsoft antitrust case, the company’s fingers stretch across much of modern technology.

And with one of its latest products, DishPlayer 500, Microsoft has put itself at the convergence of television, satellite dishes and the Internet.

Microsoft WebTV, in partnership with EchoStar (parent of DishNetworks), now offers a satellite dish with a built-in hard drive that lets you digitally record TV programming, as well as surf the Net and access e-mail with an optional interactive service.

The DishPlayer device costs $399, plus various monthly fees that could cost up to $85 if you want the entire TV and Internet package. I’ve been using DishPlayer for the last few weeks, and I am generally impressed with how it has enhanced my family’s TV viewing, though I’m not all that thrilled by its Internet features.

This package comes with a receiver about the size of a VCR that you plug into your TV. There is also a virtual computer keyboard that pops up on the TV screen, although I found it a pain to use and would suggest you buy the optional wireless keyboard for $50.

But by including a 17.2-gigabyte hard drive into DishPlayer’s receiver, Microsoft and EchoStar make it possible to digitally record up to 12 hours of TV programming. In this respect, the product is similar to TiVo and ReplayTV, the popular devices that, with a subscription fee, also function as sophisticated personalized video recorders without having to pop in a videotape. The DishPlayer’s hard drive makes recordings at the highest possible digital quality.

To actually use the receiver’s TV recording system, you have to pay $9.99 a month to subscribe. Then the WebTV Personal TV Service lets you preset recording up to seven days in advance and you don’t need to worry about the time and channel. Just select the program from an on-screen menu and press the record button; the rest is done automatically.

In addition to recording shows, you can also pause live TV or rewind to an earlier part of the show you’re watching. Again, TiVo and ReplayTV offer these features as well. The DishPlayer’s hard drive continues to record the program even if it’s paused or you’re watching an earlier part of the show.

We had friends over for an “Oscar night” party, but some of our guests didn’t arrive until 90 minutes after the show started. So we began recording at 5:30 p.m. and used the rewind feature after they arrived so we could watch it from the beginning. Because we were watching it in delayed mode, we were able to fast-forward over commercials and some acceptance speeches.

As with other satellite TV systems, you must also pay a subscription fee to get the satellite feed. This runs from $19.99 to more than $65 a month, depending on the package. My package includes access to network TV stations from both Los Angeles and New York. Because I live on the West Coast, I can watch “Politically Incorrect” at 9 p.m. local time from WABC’s broadcast in New York, instead of having to wait until midnight to watch it on my local station. Or I can record it to the hard drive and watch it at any time.

And then there is the WebTV Internet service. Microsoft charges $24.95 a month for unlimited access to the Web or e-mail, or $29.95 a month if you subscribe to both the Internet service and the Personal TV service. There is a $10 a month rebate if you use WebTV in conjunction with an account from another Internet service provider.

So, if you want the entire package of TV and Internet access, expect to pay $85 a month or more. But there are plenty of different movie and special programming options that can lower the monthly bill.

Also, you don’t have to subscribe to the Internet service, which, frankly, is the machine’s weakest feature. Even though the WebTV comes with the same 56-kilobit modem as most PCs, I found it to be slow and not very satisfying compared with surfing the Web from a PC. The overall experience was not quite ready for prime time.

One problem with this Web hookup is that the latest version of RealAudio or Microsoft’s own Windows Media Player files didn’t work. That’s because WebTV is not a personal computer and does not have all the software and processing capabilities of Windows that allows users to download special software. This is a problem with all Internet appliances.

For example, on my PC, I track my investments using Microsoft’s Investor.msn.com Web site, but that doesn’t work properly with WebTV. I tried to download it on WebTV, but again it didn’t work. Microsoft says it is working on an upgrade that will enable the units to support some of these features.

And the installation of DishPlayer requires you to assemble and mount the dish outside, aim it at the satellite, run a coaxial cable to your TV set and fiddle with the receiver until everything is set up correctly.

With the help of a contractor friend, it took about two hours to install DishPlayer, including an hour talking to, and on hold with, telephone tech support. I also had to wait several minutes while the system downloaded the latest software from the satellite to the unit’s hard drive. I also needed to connect the receiver to a phone line to take advantage of WebTV Internet or to order pay-per-view programs, which requires the receiver to call in for payment verification.

Another major selling point is the ability to integrate TV watching with Web surfing. If there’s a Web site associated with a TV show or movie, you’re supposed to be able to jump to it directly from the program listing, or you can play along with “Jeopardy” or “Wheel of Fortune” while you watch on TV. But I found the TV-Web integration to be confusing and frustrating. When I tried to look up the cast of a movie, for example, it took me more than a minute to get to the movie’s Web page. I never did figure out how to play interactive “Jeopardy.”

Someday, this feature could be great. But for that to happen, WebTV will have to be able to take advantage of high-speed Internet service via a cable modem, a DSL line or, perhaps, a two-way satellite link.

Despite my frustrations with the Web portion of the product, DishPlayer 500 may be well worth the price if you’re thinking of getting a satellite dish for TV viewing.

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Technology reports by Lawrence J. Magid can be heard between 2 and 3 p.m. weekdays on the KNX-AM (1070) Technology Hour. He can be reached at larry.magid@latimes.com. His Web site is https://www.larrysworld.com.