RCA/MSN TV 2 Internet and Media Player by MSN TV
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Digital camera reviews of RCA/MSN TV 2 Internet and Media Player
Digital camera Review: Another MSNTV(WEBTV) FAILURE
Summary: 1 Stars
When MSN bought Webtv Networks in 1997, they essentially ruined what could have been a nice, but limited, alternate way to surf the net.MSN did not know how to market Webtv. And they stopped giving decent upgrades shortly after 2000.Still, devoted webbies stuck with the system, do or die, which kept it above the 500,000 user base.Now comes MSNTV2. Yawn.The new box is another limited, poorly designed sequal. There is still no hard drive to download. No Java capability. And what's worse, users of the original webtv system LOSE their favorites and pagebuilder! So if you have built a website on your orignal webtv, kiss it goodbye if you do a box transfer to the msntv2!The PLUS features are gone as well.One thing MSN brags about this unit is it's ability to be a MEDIA CENTER and stream from your exisiting PC..Well, only if it's an MSN plug in..MSNTV2 still won't work with Real Player, or anything outside the MSN network.Besides, you can add a media center to your exisiting PC tower, so this feature is nothing great.So I give this product the lowest grade possible!It is stil a low grade product, unable to download plug-ins you want..You are at the mercy of MSN regarding any upgrades.It is broadband compatible, but with all the box's failures, who cares if it's broadband?Oh yeah, it has a 6.0 explorer browser, but once again, WHO CARES when you have no ability to choose a plug-in to download?!As of the time I wrote this review, my local Best Buy store has had over 100 units returned from customers. Wide-spred reports of major freezes and crashes are reported online as well as problems accessing Ebay.I was a loyal Webtv user for many years, but the past two years have seen my Webtv plus fastly lose access to modern internet features, including browsing basic sites.When I got Msntv2, I promptly returned it and got a PC.All in all, this is a product that could KILL the set-top box market faster than you can say RCA CED DISC PLAYER!Digital camera Review: Awsome Product,Highly Recommend!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first bought the MSN 2 System I thought at first it was going to be a big flop from what I read on it but,it is the best product I have used since I got a webtv.I have had the classic,plus systems,and all but,this system beats them to a heart beat.When I had to upload pictures on the webtv plus it was such a pain because I had to hook the camera up to it and wait quite awhile for the picture to load,now,I upload with the smart card reader and I can send lots of pictures in e-mail to my friends all at one time instead of one by one.Fast the speed is there and it is great!I get into files I wasen't able to get into before because MSN 2 is now supported. [...] If I can't read something,I can resize the text so,I can read it,copy,cut,and paste is now a new feature also and it is so fun to do,sure you can't put on signatures or get into webtv groups but,with the MSN 2 system there are tons of groups you can get into and enjoy.The radio option is also alot of fun too.
For those of you out there that are thinking about getting the new system,get it,you'll love it!Messenger you can put smiley faces to send to others too.I only have the dial up and no problems here yet,have had mine for over a month now.I just found some cool game sites that you can play games that other on a computer can play too.Also,you can buy a mouse to work with the system,which for games it's awsome.Nothing beats it and I have no future plans to go back to webtv because MSN 2 is the one for me.
Sit back and enjoy it,once your on,you'll be hooked,I did and love everything about it!
Digital camera Review: BE AWARE and BEWARE -- 1000s OF WEBTVs ARE MISSING A PART
Summary: 1 Stars
I haven't used a WebTV before, so I don't have the experience to comment on the "upgraded" model (RM4100) compared to the old models of WebTV.
I recently ordered the RM4100 model, and was pleasantly surprised that I received my order in 2 1/2 business days.
That feeling quickly turned to frustration and anger, when I tried to set the unit up and I found that the power supply unit was missing the part that actually plugs into a power outlet.
THE POWER TRANSFORMER FOR THE MODEL RM4100 COMES IN TWO PARTS.
When I first opened the box (a box which in fact looked like it had already been opened and resealed) and checked to see that all the parts were included, at first glance it did look like everything was there. The problem is, the power transformer comes in a frosted plastic bag, and if you just eyeball it, it DOES look like you have everything because what they DO pack is the part of the cord which plugs into the WebTV unit and which has the actual transformer box on the line. What is missing is the power cord which plugs into the other end of the transformer box and then into an electrical outlet.
In other words, there's no way to power the unit.
I first called the toll-free number in the WebTV setup manual for customer service, which got me to someone at RCA. This person told me that since I'd ordered the unit thru Amazon, that I'd have to deal with Amazon instead.
I have to stress that all of the customer service people I subsequently dealt with at Amazon were wonderful, and as helpful as the situation allowed them to be (but their hands are basically tied in this manner).
The first person at Amazon I talked to explained to me that they didn't keep separate parts on hand, so the only thing I could do would be to return the whole unit for a replacement. I thought that was a little excessive for what I thought should be a simple part replacement, so she suggested that I call the RCA/WebTV customer service number again, and try to get the part number and the cost of the item, and that if Amazon couldn't find that (or a comparable) part, Amazon would then issue me a credit for that amount.
Since by this time it was after 8pm Eastern Time, the RCA/MSN WebTV customer service was closed, and I had to wait until the next morning to call them back. The person I got at that time did give me the part number, and said that it only costs $9.50, but that THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO STOCK AVAILABLE ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY (and presumably in the universe).
She then added that THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, THAT THEY INADVERTANTLY SHIPPED OUT THOUSANDS OF THESE UNITS MISSING THE POWER CORD, BUT THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO EXCEPT TAKE MY NAME AND GET BACK TO ME "IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS" REGARDING THE RESOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM.
I demanded to speak to a supervisor, explaining that I wasn't about to wait "a couple of weeks" for something that should be very easily replaced, especially since they were now admitting that they were at fault. The supervisor, while very pleasant, was absolutely not helpful at all. She reiterated that there were none of these power cords available anywhere, and that it would take more than 2 weeks, perhaps a month or more, for a replacement cord to become available.
I pointed out that this violates the terms of the unconditional warranty covering both labor and PARTS for the first 90 days of ownership; she could only repeat that they -- customer service -- have been instructed to merely take the names and phone numbers of customers who call in with this problem; they then forward this information to some mysterious, unnamed department whose job it is to compile a list of these customers...she said I could call back IN TWO WEEKS TO SEE IF A TRACKING NUMBER HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO MY CASE.
She couldn't guarantee that a tracking number WOULD have been assigned by that time, and even if it had been, there was no way to predict how long it would then take for a cord to be sent to me. All she knew was that this department that was compiling the names of customers who'd gotten units missing the cord was going to eventually get around to assigning a tracking number to each customer, and then send the info to a 3rd department that would actually take care of shipping the cord out.
Sometime.
Maybe in a "couple of weeks".
Maybe in a month.
Maybe even 2 to 3 months.
She didn't know. They weren't telling customer service. Customer service is as much in the dark as anyone.
I told her that no way was I going to wait for something that they should be able to resolve right away, and that they were forcing me into the only option available, mainly to send the whole unit back to Amazon, in which case I would do so for a refund, not a replacement. In other words, they were going to lose a sale over the inability to supply a part that costs less than $10 and which they admit they'd bungled in shipping.
I then called Amazon back with the latest info (and to give them a "heads up" that they probably need to check all of the units they themselves ship out to verify that BOTH of the TWO parts of the power transformer are indeed in the box); the Amazon customer service person I got at this time was also very helpful (and as astonished as I was at RCA/MSNs cavalier attitude towards resolving a problem that RCA/MSN admits they are at fault); she again stated that I could return the whole unit to Amazon (without having to pay for shipping) and that Amazon would send me a replacement, but I repeated that I thought that it was a little excessive when all that was needed was a small part (I kept hoping SOMEONE would say "Hey, let's just pull the part from a box we have on hand and send it to this customer", but that didn't happen).
I then added that since the manufacturer is admitting that they sent 1000s of these units out missing the power cord, that I was hesitant to trust that a replacement WebTV unit sent to me wouldn't also have the part missing.
The Amazon customer service person then went to bat for me, putting me on hold and calling various Circuit City stores in my area to see if they had a power cord that could be used (BTW, the RCA/MSN customer service people had stressed that no way could I try to get anything via another retail outlet, as that would "damage the unit" -- yes, perhaps if the WHOLE power transformer had been missing and I tried to use a completely new transformer, but the portion of the unit with the actual transformer box WAS included in the shipment, the only thing it needed was something to actually deliver electricity to the transformer).
HALLELUJAH!! A local Circuit City stated they thought they had what I needed, and said that I could bring the part that I DID have to the store and they'd try to find the power cord that fit it (and since they sell WebTVs, I figured that perhaps if I looked pathetic enough they'd feel sympathy for me and grab a cord out a WebTV box they had on hand) -- remember, I was still under the impression (given me by the RCA/MSN customer service people), that this transformer -- including the power cord part -- was a unique design solely for the WebTV and that trying to use anything else would risk damaging the WebTV unit and/or the transformer box.
HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! Circuit City indeed had a power cord to fit. And, as it turned out, so does Radio Shack, CompUSA, WalMart, etc. This mysterious and "unique" power cord turned out to be your common, everyday laptop computer power cord. So much for RCA/MSN's claim that there were absolutely none available anywhere within the known (and presumably unknown) universe.
Circuit City gave me the power cord for free; pretty decent of 'em, considering I hadn't bought the WebTV from them.
When I got home, I plugged the supplied transformer line into the WebTV unit, then attached my Circuit City-acquired laptop power cord into the other side of the transformer box, and plugged it into an electric outlet, and VOILA! It worked perfectly.
As I stated at the beginning, this is the first time I've used WebTV, but I am an experienced PC/Internet user. If I was going to rate this model of WebTV just on my experience so far in going online with it and using it for email, I'd probably have given it 3 stars (I knew not to expect PC bells & whistles, and while good enough for what I wanted it for -- simple email access and limited web browsing -- I've found it unnecessarily clumsy and awkward in its page designs and ability to access certain online fields).
But due to the extreme hassle they -- meaning RCA/MSN, not Amazon -- put me through for a cheap, commonly available part, with a policy (which I was told came down "from headquarters") of telling customers they are going to have to wait weeks, if not months, for the part to become available (and what do they expect these customers to do in the meantime?), I would have rated it zero stars if the option was available. If they treat new customers this way, there is no reason to expect they will treat longtime customers any better.
Remember, it's stated in the user manual that there is an unconditional warranty on labor and PARTS (complete replacement for free) for the first 90 days; but yet the manufacturer is telling customers they may have to wait anywhere from 14 to 90 days for an item that you can easily find in any electronics or computer store.
So buyer beware -- if you are going to buy this model of WebTV ANYWHERE -- whether from Amazon or another venue, make very sure to verify that BOTH portions of the power transformer are included.
Don't just accept an assurance that someone looked in the box and saw it -- I was fooled at first too, since what IS included is the cord that has the fairly large transformer box on it, and without taking it out of the frosted bag it is packed in, it indeed at first glance looks like you have what you need. It isn't until you actually open the bag and take the item out that you can verify whether the 2nd cord is also in the bag.
BTW, I again want to stress how HELPFUL the Amazon customer service people were through this whole process; when I called back the final time to let them know that I'd resolved the problem by getting a power cord at Circuit City, the person I talked to stated that they would be issuing me a credit for $10 just for all the aggravation I'd gone through -- pretty nice, considering the problem isn't even their fault!
Digital camera Review: BUY A NEW COMPUTER INSTEAD
Summary: 1 Stars
Why would Microsoft make this machine for MSN INTERNET? Whats the difference. You'll get bored with it after a while. GET A COMPUTER.Digital camera Review: Better than any PC to TV converter we tried
Summary: 4 Stars
We purchased and returned the GrandTec GHV-2000 Hi-wire Multi-format VGA To HDtv Adapter, as well as the far superior AverKey 300 Gold by AverMedia. Both were just not really usable for searching the Internet on your TV. The text is just too hard to read. (It killed me to have to return AverKey, which would have definitely been a keeper, with better TV text readability.)
We considered the TView Gold, by Focus, but didn't purchase it presuming its text on TV is likely poor like the other units. (Unlike the other units, it does require computer software. The packaging doesn't list that its compatible with Windows XP, which is the main reason we didn't give it a try. It does state that it works with Windows 2000 and Windows ME.)
We have since given up on trying to use a PC to TV converter. As much as we didn't want to go the route of a subscription service, we bought the MSN TV 2 box, keyboard and remote instead. It's a nice unit that displays Internet text on the TV better.
The MSN TV 2 setup easily auto-detected our Comcast broadband internet and Microsoft router, so we were up and running in a blink. (I made about 5 calls to MSN TV; nobody could confirm that my router was compatible. I was concerned because MS quit making it a few years ago. If that's your situation, rest assured that the router will work with it.)
MSN TV 2 will also give you access to your computer photo files if you're networked, and some music and video content on your computer if it's in the right format for Windows Media Player (the only player that works with the unit). You can access these things even without being signed in to your MSN TV 2 service all the time.
Unfortunately, even though you may be on a network, it doesn't allow you to do everything you could do from your computer; dang! Paying a monthly subscription, having limited computer access, and the fact that the PageBuilder web page builder is no longer included (was part of the earlier WebTV/MSNTV model), is really the only downside to going the way of the MSN TV 2.
This has been a very frustrating experience to resolve. Our WebTV/MSN TV (predecessor to MSN TV 2) box died a month ago, and we had to make a decision about whether to continue to have the convenience of Internet on our TV, factoring in that MSN TV boxes are no longer being made. We'd hoped for complete computer/TV capability, which we have determined is not possible at this time.
After a month to research, buy, test and return a number of products, we've concluded that MSN TV 2 is really the best option until someone manufacturer's full computer to TV capability with substantially enhanced Internet text readability.