> >Which makes me wonder -- why isn't there a "home station" on TVs and radios,
> >such that when I turn on my TV or radio, it goes to a "portal" station.
>
> We have one on cable TV: "Prevue tonight". At least in this market,
> it's a really obnoxious thing. Half the screen is a schedule of shows,
> the other half is a series of really loud, flashy, 10 second
> advertisements (blipverts?).
Ive been using a TvTuner card as my main TV viewing device these days.
Included with the software that I can install for it is a version of
WEBTV that links my tv tuner and a TV Guide type service and the web. When
I turn to certian chanels that chanels Homepage comes up. This is handy
for OPB(pbs in oregon) and a few other things.
They are using the VBI to transmit some of this stuff right own the pipe
off line, that is off the net. Seems that band a few of the vbis togther
youcan get 9600 down...zero up of course.
There is a neat utuil I got wherein I can spy on the VBIs to see if data
is being bounced in to me from the stations, and also if there is any CC
traffic, which also uses the VBIs
Also having the tv card do the CC capture is realy great for shows like
McNiel Lehr and John McLaughlins Hit Squad. Cuting and pasting is every
so much easier when you have the CC text.
there is such a big poetential of control here, pointing folks to places
and pages at the drop of a VBI.....Im sure there is much pushing and
shoving to make this a booming market.