<s>
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
(	O
formerly	O
WebTV	B-Device
)	O
was	O
a	O
web	O
access	O
product	O
consisting	O
of	O
a	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
device	O
that	O
used	O
a	O
television	O
for	O
display	O
(	O
instead	O
of	O
using	O
a	O
computer	B-Device
monitor	I-Device
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
online	O
service	O
that	O
supported	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
device	O
design	O
and	O
service	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
WebTV	B-Device
Networks	I-Device
,	O
Inc.	O
,	O
a	O
company	O
started	O
in	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WebTV	B-Device
product	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
July	O
1996	O
and	O
later	O
released	O
on	O
September	O
18	O
,	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
1997	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
purchased	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
Corporation	O
and	O
in	O
July	O
2001	O
,	O
was	O
rebranded	O
to	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
and	O
absorbed	O
into	O
MSN	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
most	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
developed	O
in	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
were	O
positioned	O
as	O
diskless	B-Device
workstations	I-Device
for	O
corporate	O
intranets	B-General_Concept
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
was	O
positioned	O
as	O
a	O
consumer	O
product	O
,	O
primarily	O
targeting	O
those	O
looking	O
for	O
a	O
low-cost	O
alternative	O
to	O
a	O
computer	O
for	O
Internet	O
access	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WebTV	B-Device
and	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
devices	O
allowed	O
a	O
television	O
set	O
to	O
be	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
mainly	O
for	O
web	O
browsing	O
and	O
e-mail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
service	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
also	O
offered	O
its	O
own	O
exclusive	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
walled	O
garden	O
"	O
newsgroup	O
service	O
,	O
news	O
and	O
weather	O
reports	O
,	O
storage	O
for	O
user	O
bookmarks	O
(	O
Favorites	O
)	O
,	O
IRC	B-Protocol
(	O
and	O
for	O
a	O
time	O
,	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Chat	O
)	O
chatrooms	O
,	O
a	O
Page	O
Builder	O
service	O
that	O
let	O
WebTV	B-Device
users	O
create	O
and	O
host	O
webpages	O
that	O
could	O
later	O
be	O
shared	O
to	O
others	O
via	O
a	O
link	O
if	O
desired	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
play	O
background	O
music	O
from	O
a	O
predefined	O
list	O
of	O
songs	O
while	O
surfing	O
the	O
web	O
,	O
dedicated	O
sections	O
for	O
aggregated	O
content	O
covering	O
various	O
topics	O
(	O
entertainment	O
,	O
romance	O
,	O
stocks	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
)	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
few	O
years	O
after	O
Microsoft	O
bought	O
out	O
WebTV	B-Device
,	O
integration	O
with	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
and	O
Hotmail	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
setup	O
included	O
a	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
set-top	O
box	O
,	O
a	O
remote	O
,	O
a	O
network	O
connection	O
using	O
dial-up	O
,	O
or	O
with	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
Rogers	O
Interactive	O
TV	O
and	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
,	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
use	O
broadband	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
wireless	O
keyboard	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
sold	O
optionally	O
up	O
until	O
the	O
2000s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
service	O
lasted	O
for	O
18	O
years	O
,	O
shutting	O
down	O
on	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
and	O
allowing	O
subscribers	O
to	O
migrate	O
their	O
data	O
well	O
before	O
that	O
date	O
arrived	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
WebTV	B-Device
network	O
relied	O
on	O
a	O
Solaris	B-Application
backend	O
network	O
and	O
telephone	O
lines	O
to	O
deliver	O
service	O
to	O
customers	O
via	O
dial-up	O
,	O
with	O
"	O
frontend	O
servers	O
"	O
that	O
talk	O
directly	O
to	O
boxes	O
using	O
a	O
custom	O
protocol	O
,	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
Protocol	O
(	O
WTVP	O
)	O
,	O
to	O
authenticate	O
users	O
and	O
deliver	O
content	O
to	O
boxes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
a	O
completely	O
new	O
service	O
based	O
on	O
IIS	O
servers	O
and	O
regular	O
HTTP/HTTPS	O
services	O
was	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Silicon	O
Valley	O
startup	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
Networks	I-Device
was	O
founded	O
in	O
July	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WebTV	B-Device
had	O
been	O
able	O
to	O
obtain	O
the	O
space	O
for	O
very	O
low	O
rent	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
suboptimal	O
for	O
technology	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
dwarf	O
rabbit	O
reference	O
was	O
an	O
inside	O
joke	O
among	O
WebTV	B-Device
's	O
hard-working	O
engineers	O
—	O
Phil	O
Goldman	O
's	O
pet	O
house	O
rabbit	O
Bowser	O
(	O
inspiration	O
for	O
the	O
General	O
Magic	O
logo	O
)	O
was	O
often	O
found	O
roaming	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
building	O
late	O
into	O
the	O
night	O
while	O
the	O
engineers	O
were	O
working	O
—	O
although	O
WebTV	B-Device
actually	O
received	O
inquiries	O
from	O
real	O
research	O
groups	O
conducting	O
similar	O
studies	O
and	O
seeking	O
to	O
exchange	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
early	O
employees	O
of	O
Artemis	O
were	O
from	O
Apple	O
Inc	O
:	O
Andy	O
Rubin	O
,	O
creator	O
of	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
cell	I-Application
phone	I-Application
OS	O
,	O
and	O
Joe	O
Britt	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WebTV	B-Device
Networks	I-Device
 '	O
business	O
model	O
was	O
to	O
license	O
a	O
reference	O
design	O
to	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
companies	O
for	O
a	O
WebTV	B-Device
Internet	O
Terminal	O
,	O
a	O
set-top	O
box	O
that	O
attached	O
to	O
a	O
telephone	O
line	O
and	O
automatically	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
Internet	O
through	O
a	O
dial-up	B-Application
modem	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
companies	O
 '	O
income	O
was	O
derived	O
from	O
selling	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
set-top	O
box	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WebTV	B-Device
's	O
income	O
was	O
derived	O
from	O
operating	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
Service	O
,	O
the	O
Internet-based	O
service	O
to	O
which	O
the	O
set-top	O
boxes	O
connected	O
and	O
for	O
which	O
it	O
collected	O
a	O
fee	O
from	O
WebTV	B-Device
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
provided	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
HTML-based	O
email	O
,	O
and	O
proxied	B-Application
websites	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
reformatted	O
by	O
the	O
service	O
before	O
they	O
were	O
sent	O
to	O
set-top	O
box	O
,	O
to	O
make	O
them	O
display	O
more	O
efficiently	O
on	O
a	O
television	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WebTV	B-Device
closed	O
its	O
first	O
round	O
of	O
financing	O
,	O
US$1	O
,	O
500	O
,	O
000	O
,	O
from	O
Marvin	O
Davis	O
in	O
September	O
1995	O
,	O
which	O
it	O
used	O
to	O
develop	O
its	O
prototype	O
set-top	O
box	O
,	O
using	O
proprietary	O
hardware	O
and	O
firmware	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
WebTV	B-Device
leveraged	O
their	O
limited	O
startup	O
funds	O
by	O
licensing	O
a	O
reference	O
design	O
for	O
the	O
appliance	O
to	O
Sony	O
and	O
Philips	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
other	O
companies	O
would	O
also	O
become	O
licensees	O
and	O
WebTV	B-Device
would	O
profit	O
on	O
the	O
monthly	O
service	O
fees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
spring	O
of	O
1996	O
WebTV	B-Device
Networks	I-Device
employed	O
approximately	O
70	O
people	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
them	O
finishing	O
their	O
senior	O
year	O
at	O
nearby	O
Stanford	O
University	O
,	O
or	O
former	O
employees	O
of	O
either	O
Apple	O
Computer	O
or	O
General	O
Magic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WebTV	B-Device
had	O
started	O
negotiating	O
with	O
Sony	O
to	O
manufacture	O
and	O
distribute	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
set-top	O
box	O
,	O
but	O
negotiations	O
had	O
taken	O
much	O
longer	O
than	O
WebTV	B-Device
had	O
expected	O
,	O
and	O
WebTV	B-Device
had	O
used	O
up	O
its	O
initial	O
funding	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
Sony	O
had	O
insisted	O
upon	O
exclusive	O
distribution	O
rights	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
year	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
had	O
no	O
other	O
distribution	O
partner	O
in	O
place	O
,	O
and	O
just	O
before	O
WebTV	B-Device
was	O
to	O
close	O
venture	O
capital	O
financing	O
from	O
Brentwood	O
Associates	O
,	O
Sony	O
sent	O
WebTV	B-Device
a	O
certified	O
letter	O
stating	O
it	O
had	O
decided	O
not	O
to	O
proceed	O
with	O
WebTV	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
critical	O
juncture	O
for	O
WebTV	B-Device
,	O
because	O
the	O
Brentwood	O
financing	O
had	O
been	O
predicated	O
on	O
the	O
expectation	O
of	O
a	O
future	O
relationship	O
with	O
Sony	O
,	O
and	O
if	O
Brentwood	O
had	O
decided	O
to	O
not	O
proceed	O
with	O
the	O
financing	O
after	O
being	O
told	O
that	O
Sony	O
had	O
backed	O
out	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
would	O
have	O
gone	O
bankrupt	O
and	O
Perlman	O
would	O
have	O
lost	O
everything	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
Brentwood	O
decided	O
to	O
proceed	O
with	O
the	O
financing	O
despite	O
losing	O
Sony	O
's	O
involvement	O
,	O
and	O
further	O
financing	O
from	O
Paul	O
Allen	O
's	O
Vulcan	B-Application
Ventures	I-Application
soon	O
followed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WebTV	B-Device
then	O
proceeded	O
to	O
close	O
a	O
non-exclusive	O
WebTV	B-Device
set-top	O
box	O
distribution	O
deal	O
with	O
Philips	O
,	O
which	O
provided	O
competitive	O
pressure	O
causing	O
Sony	O
to	O
change	O
its	O
mind	O
,	O
to	O
resume	O
its	O
relationship	O
with	O
WebTV	B-Device
and	O
also	O
to	O
distribute	O
WebTV	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
WebTV	B-Device
was	O
announced	O
on	O
July	O
10	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
generating	O
a	O
large	O
wave	O
of	O
press	O
attention	O
as	O
not	O
only	O
the	O
first	O
television-based	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
consumer-electronics	O
device	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web	O
without	O
a	O
personal	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WebTV	B-Device
was	O
launched	O
on	O
September	O
18	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
within	O
one	O
year	O
after	O
its	O
first	O
round	O
of	O
financing	O
,	O
with	O
WebTV	B-Device
set-top	O
boxes	O
in	O
stores	O
from	O
Sony	O
and	O
Philips	O
,	O
and	O
WebTV	B-Device
's	O
online	O
service	O
running	O
from	O
servers	O
in	O
its	O
tiny	O
office	O
,	O
still	O
based	O
in	O
the	O
former	O
BMW	O
dealership	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
price	O
for	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
set-top	O
box	O
was	O
US$349	O
for	O
the	O
Sony	O
version	O
and	O
US$329	O
for	O
the	O
Philips	O
version	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
wireless	O
keyboard	O
available	O
for	O
about	O
an	O
extra	O
US$50	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
was	O
little	O
difference	O
between	O
the	O
first	O
Sony	O
and	O
the	O
Philips	O
WebTV	B-Device
set-top	O
boxes	O
,	O
except	O
for	O
the	O
housing	O
and	O
packaging	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WebTV	B-Device
set-top	O
box	O
had	O
very	O
limited	O
processing	O
and	O
memory	O
resources	O
(	O
just	O
a	O
112MHz	O
MIPS	B-Device
CPU	B-General_Concept
,	O
2	O
megabytes	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
2	O
megabytes	O
of	O
ROM	B-Device
,	O
1	O
megabyte	O
of	O
Flash	B-Device
memory	I-Device
)	O
and	O
the	O
device	O
relied	O
upon	O
a	O
connection	O
through	O
a	O
33.6	O
kbit/s	O
dialup	O
modem	B-Application
to	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
Service	O
,	O
where	O
powerful	O
servers	O
provide	O
back-end	O
support	O
to	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
set-top	O
boxes	O
to	O
support	O
a	O
full	O
Web-browsing	O
and	O
email	O
experience	O
for	O
the	O
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
April	O
1997	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
had	O
only	O
56,000	O
subscribers	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
pace	O
of	O
subscriber	O
growth	O
accelerated	O
after	O
that	O
,	O
achieving	O
150,000	O
subscribers	O
by	O
Autumn	O
1997	O
,	O
about	O
325,000	O
subscribers	O
by	O
April	O
1998	O
and	O
about	O
800,000	O
subscribers	O
by	O
May	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WebTV	B-Device
achieved	O
profitability	O
by	O
Spring	O
1998	O
,	O
and	O
grossed	O
over	O
US	O
$1.3	O
billion	O
in	O
revenue	O
through	O
its	O
first	O
8	O
years	O
of	O
operation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2005	O
WebTV	B-Device
was	O
still	O
grossing	O
US$150	O
million	O
per	O
year	O
in	O
revenue	O
with	O
65%	O
gross	O
margin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
WebTV	B-Device
utilized	O
strong	O
encryption	O
,	O
specifically	O
the	O
128-bit	O
encryption	O
(	O
not	O
SSL	O
)	O
used	O
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
its	O
proprietary	O
service	O
,	O
upon	O
launch	O
in	O
1996	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
was	O
classified	O
as	O
"	O
munitions	O
"	O
(	O
a	O
military	O
weapon	O
)	O
by	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
government	O
and	O
was	O
therefore	O
barred	O
from	O
export	O
under	O
United	O
States	O
security	O
laws	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
WebTV	B-Device
was	O
widely	O
distributed	O
in	O
consumer	O
electronic	O
stores	O
under	O
the	O
Sony	O
and	O
Philips	O
brands	O
for	O
only	O
US$325	O
,	O
its	O
munitions	O
classification	O
was	O
used	O
to	O
argue	O
that	O
the	O
US	O
should	O
no	O
longer	O
consider	O
devices	O
incorporating	O
strong	O
encryption	O
to	O
be	O
munitions	O
,	O
and	O
should	O
permit	O
their	O
export	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
years	O
later	O
,	O
in	O
October	O
1998	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
obtained	O
a	O
special	O
exemption	O
permitting	O
its	O
export	O
,	O
despite	O
the	O
strong	O
encryption	O
,	O
and	O
shortly	O
thereafter	O
,	O
laws	O
concerning	O
export	O
of	O
cryptography	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
were	O
changed	O
to	O
generally	O
permit	O
the	O
export	O
of	O
strong	O
encryption	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
the	O
initial	O
WebTV	B-Device
sales	O
had	O
been	O
modest	O
,	O
Mundie	O
expressed	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
was	O
impressed	O
with	O
WebTV	B-Device
and	O
saw	O
significant	O
potential	O
both	O
in	O
WebTV	B-Device
's	O
product	O
offering	O
and	O
in	O
applying	O
the	O
technology	O
to	O
other	O
Microsoft	O
consumer	O
and	O
video	O
product	O
offerings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
offered	O
to	O
acquire	O
WebTV	B-Device
,	O
build	O
a	O
Microsoft	O
campus	O
in	O
Silicon	O
Valley	O
around	O
WebTV	B-Device
,	O
and	O
establish	O
WebTV	B-Device
as	O
a	O
Microsoft	O
division	O
to	O
develop	O
television-based	O
products	O
and	O
services	O
,	O
with	O
Perlman	O
as	O
the	O
division	O
's	O
president	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gates	O
called	O
Perlman	O
at	O
his	O
home	O
on	O
Easter	O
Sunday	O
in	O
March	O
1997	O
,	O
and	O
Perlman	O
described	O
to	O
Gates	O
WebTV	B-Device
's	O
next	O
generation	O
products	O
in	O
development	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
be	O
the	O
first	O
consumer	O
devices	O
to	O
incorporate	O
hard	B-Device
disks	I-Device
,	O
including	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
Plus	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
Digital	B-Application
Video	I-Application
Recorders	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gates	O
 '	O
interest	O
was	O
piqued	O
,	O
and	O
negotiations	O
between	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
WebTV	B-Device
rapidly	O
proceeded	O
to	O
closure	O
,	O
with	O
both	O
sides	O
working	O
around	O
the	O
clock	O
to	O
get	O
the	O
deal	O
done	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
6	O
,	O
1997	O
,	O
20	O
months	O
after	O
WebTV	B-Device
's	O
founding	O
,	O
and	O
only	O
six	O
weeks	O
after	O
negotiations	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
began	O
,	O
during	O
a	O
scheduled	O
speech	O
at	O
the	O
National	O
Association	O
of	O
Broadcasters	O
conference	O
in	O
Las	O
Vegas	O
,	O
Nevada	O
,	O
Craig	O
Mundie	O
announced	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
acquired	O
WebTV	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
acquisition	O
price	O
was	O
US$503	O
million	O
,	O
but	O
WebTV	B-Device
was	O
so	O
young	O
a	O
company	O
that	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
employees	O
 '	O
stock	O
options	O
had	O
yet	O
to	O
be	O
vested	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subsequent	O
to	O
the	O
acquisition	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
became	O
a	O
Silicon	O
Valley-based	O
division	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
with	O
Steve	O
Perlman	O
as	O
its	O
president	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WebTV	B-Device
division	O
began	O
developing	O
most	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
television-based	O
products	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
first	O
satellite	O
Digital	B-Application
Video	I-Application
Recorders	I-Application
(	O
the	O
DishPlayer	O
for	O
EchoStar	O
's	O
Dish	O
Network	O
and	O
UltimateTV	O
for	O
DirecTV	O
)	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
cable	O
TV	O
products	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
hardware	O
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Mediaroom	B-Application
IPTV	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2001	O
,	O
six	O
years	O
after	O
WebTV	B-Device
's	O
founding	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
rebranded	O
WebTV	B-Device
as	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Contracts	O
were	O
terminated	O
with	O
all	O
other	O
licensed	O
manufacturers	O
of	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
hardware	O
except	O
RCA	O
,	O
leaving	O
them	O
as	O
the	O
sole	O
manufacturer	O
of	O
further	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Promotion	O
of	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
brand	O
ended	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
client	O
was	O
subsidized	O
hardware	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
had	O
always	O
required	O
individual	O
subscriptions	O
for	O
each	O
box	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
the	O
subsidies	O
ended	O
,	O
MSN	B-Protocol
started	O
offering	O
free	O
use	O
of	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
boxes	O
to	O
their	O
computer	O
users	O
who	O
subscribed	O
to	O
MSN	B-Protocol
as	O
an	O
incentive	O
not	O
to	O
depart	O
for	O
discount	O
dialup	O
ISPs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
initiative	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
broadband	O
implementation	O
of	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2004	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
include	O
offline	O
viewing	O
of	O
media	O
(	O
so	O
long	O
as	O
a	O
user	O
was	O
already	O
logged	O
in	O
)	O
,	O
audio	O
and	O
video	O
streaming	O
(	O
broadband	O
only	O
)	O
,	O
Adobe	O
Reader	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
viewing	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
documents	O
(	O
namely	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Word	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Windows	O
Media	O
Player	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
access	O
Windows	O
computers	O
on	O
a	O
home	O
network	O
to	O
function	O
as	O
a	O
media	O
player	O
,	O
and	O
even	O
the	O
ability	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
mouse	O
,	O
although	O
that	O
was	O
most	O
likely	O
unintentional	O
at	O
first	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
also	O
kept	O
some	O
key	O
features	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
generation	O
of	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
its	O
MIDI	O
engine	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
play	O
background	O
music	O
while	O
surfing	O
the	O
web	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
used	O
a	O
different	O
online	O
service	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
offered	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
services	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
chatrooms	O
,	O
instant	O
messaging	B-Protocol
,	O
weather	O
,	O
news	O
,	O
aggregated	O
"	O
info	O
centers	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
newsgroups	O
,	O
and	O
like	O
that	O
service	O
,	O
still	O
required	O
a	O
subscription	O
to	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
inexpensive	O
devices	O
,	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
licensing	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
is	O
substantial	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
actualizing	O
a	O
sunk	O
cost	O
,	O
and	O
when	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
model	O
,	O
they	O
adopted	O
standard	O
PC	O
architecture	O
and	O
used	O
a	O
customized	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
CE	I-Operating_System
as	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allowed	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
to	O
more	O
easily	O
and	O
inexpensively	O
keep	O
current	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
late	O
2009	O
,	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
hardware	O
was	O
no	O
longer	O
being	O
sold	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
although	O
service	O
continued	O
for	O
existing	O
users	O
for	O
the	O
next	O
four	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Attempting	O
to	O
go	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
Buy	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
"	O
section	O
on	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
website	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
resulted	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
message	O
being	O
shown	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Sorry	O
,	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
hardware	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
available	O
for	O
purchase	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
continues	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
subscription	O
service	O
for	O
existing	O
WebTV	B-Device
and	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
customers.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
1	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
an	O
email	O
was	O
sent	O
out	O
to	O
subscribers	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
service	O
would	O
be	O
shutting	O
down	O
on	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
that	O
time	O
,	O
subscribers	O
were	O
advised	O
to	O
convert	O
any	O
accounts	O
on	O
the	O
first-generation	O
service	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
accounts	O
and	O
to	O
migrate	O
any	O
favorites	O
and	O
other	O
data	O
they	O
had	O
on	O
their	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
accounts	O
to	O
SkyDrive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2013	O
finally	O
arrived	O
,	O
the	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
service	O
fully	O
closed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Existing	O
customers	O
were	O
offered	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Dial-Up	O
Internet	O
Access	O
accounts	O
with	O
a	O
promotion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
set-top	O
box	O
was	O
a	O
dedicated	O
web-browsing	O
appliance	O
that	O
did	O
not	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
standard	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
licensing	O
an	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
could	O
be	O
avoided	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
first	O
generation	O
boxes	O
featured	O
a	O
64-bit	O
MIPS	B-Device
RISC	B-Architecture
CPU	B-General_Concept
,	O
boot	O
ROM	B-Device
and	O
flash	B-Device
ROM	I-Device
storage	O
for	O
all	O
Classic	O
and	O
New	O
Plus	O
models	O
,	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
a	O
smart	O
card	O
reader	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
n't	O
significantly	O
utilized	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
that	O
ran	O
on	O
the	O
set-top	O
box	O
was	O
compatible	O
with	O
both	O
Netscape	B-Protocol
Navigator	I-Protocol
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Internet	I-Application
Explorer	I-Application
standards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
WebTV	B-Device
Classic	I-Device
set-top	O
boxes	O
from	O
Sony	O
and	O
Philips	O
had	O
a	O
33.6k	O
modem	B-Application
,	O
and	O
2MB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
boot	O
ROM	B-Device
,	O
and	O
flash	B-Device
ROM	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
models	O
had	O
56k	O
modems	B-Application
and	O
increased	O
ROM/RAM	O
capacity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WebTV	B-Device
set-top	O
boxes	O
leveraged	O
the	O
service	O
's	O
server-side	O
caching	O
proxy	O
which	O
reformatted	O
and	O
compressed	O
web	O
pages	O
before	O
sending	O
them	O
to	O
the	O
box	O
,	O
a	O
feature	O
generally	O
unavailable	O
to	O
dial-up	O
ISP	O
users	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
and	O
as	O
such	O
,	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
by	O
WebTV	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
web	O
browsing	O
purposes	O
,	O
given	O
WebTV	B-Device
's	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
software	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
no	O
need	O
for	O
a	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
,	O
but	O
by	O
putting	O
the	O
browser	B-Application
in	O
non-volatile	B-General_Concept
memory	I-General_Concept
,	O
upgrades	O
could	O
be	O
downloaded	O
from	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
service	O
onto	O
the	O
set-top	O
box	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WebTV	B-Device
set-top	O
box	O
was	O
designed	O
so	O
that	O
at	O
a	O
specified	O
time	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
check	O
to	O
see	O
if	O
there	O
was	O
any	O
email	O
waiting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
model	O
featured	O
a	O
TV	O
tuner	O
to	O
allow	O
watching	O
television	O
in	O
a	O
PIP	O
(	O
Picture-In-Picture	O
)	O
window	O
,	O
allowed	O
one	O
to	O
capture	O
video	O
stills	O
from	O
the	O
tuner	O
or	O
composite	O
inputs	O
as	O
a	O
JPEG	O
that	O
could	O
then	O
be	O
uploaded	O
to	O
a	O
WebTV	B-Device
discussion	O
post	O
,	O
email	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
"	O
scrapbook	O
"	O
on	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
account	O
for	O
later	O
use	O
,	O
and	O
included	O
a	O
video	O
tuner	O
that	O
allowed	O
one	O
to	O
schedule	O
a	O
VCR	O
in	O
a	O
manner	O
like	O
TiVo	B-Application
allowed	O
several	O
years	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Plus	O
also	O
included	O
a	O
56k	O
modem	B-Application
,	O
support	O
for	O
ATVEF	O
,	O
a	O
technology	O
that	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
download	O
special	O
script-laden	O
pages	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
television	O
shows	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
original	O
models	O
,	O
had	O
a	O
1.1	O
GB	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
for	O
storage	O
in	O
place	O
of	O
the	O
ROM	B-Device
chips	I-Device
used	O
in	O
the	O
previous	O
Classic	O
models	O
,	O
mainly	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
accommodate	O
large	O
nightly	O
downloads	O
of	O
television	O
schedules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
Fall	O
1998	O
,	O
plans	O
for	O
a	O
"	O
Derby	O
"	O
revision	O
of	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
Plus	O
were	O
announced	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
rumored	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
faster	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
and	O
more	O
memory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
early	O
1999	O
,	O
only	O
one	O
Derby	O
unit	O
was	O
produced	O
by	O
Sony	O
as	O
a	O
revision	O
of	O
their	O
INT-W200	O
Plus	O
model	O
,	O
but	O
no	O
substantial	O
changes	O
were	O
made	O
to	O
the	O
hardware	O
outside	O
of	O
the	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
being	O
upgraded	O
with	O
no	O
change	O
in	O
clock	O
speed	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
modem	B-Application
being	O
changed	O
to	O
a	O
softmodem	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
chip	O
prices	O
dropped	O
,	O
later	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
Plus	O
used	O
an	O
M-Systems	O
DiskOnChip	O
flash	B-Device
ROM	I-Device
instead	O
,	O
alongside	O
increasing	O
RAM	B-Architecture
capacity	O
to	O
16MB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WebTV	B-Device
produced	O
reference	O
designs	O
of	O
models	O
incorporating	O
a	O
disk-based	O
personal	B-Application
video	I-Application
recorder	I-Application
and	O
a	O
satellite	O
tuner	O
for	O
EchoStar	O
's	O
Dish	O
Network	O
(	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
the	O
DishPlayer	O
)	O
and	O
for	O
DirecTV	O
(	O
called	O
UltimateTV	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2001	O
,	O
EchoStar	O
sued	O
Microsoft	O
for	O
failing	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
DishPlayer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
EchoStar	O
's	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
Microsoft	O
was	O
in	O
process	O
,	O
DirecTV	O
(	O
presumptively	O
acquired	O
and	O
controlled	O
by	O
EchoStar	O
)	O
dropped	O
UltimateTV	O
(	O
thus	O
ending	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
satellite	O
product	O
initiatives	O
)	O
and	O
picked	O
TiVo	B-Application
's	O
DirecTV	O
product	O
as	O
its	O
only	O
Digital	B-Application
Video	I-Application
Recorder	I-Application
offering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
ease-of-use	O
design	O
consideration	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
early	O
decided	O
to	O
reformat	O
pages	O
rather	O
than	O
have	O
users	O
doing	O
sideways	O
scrolling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
entry-level	O
PCs	O
evolved	O
from	O
VGA	B-Protocol
resolution	O
of	O
640x480	O
to	O
SVGA	O
resolution	O
of	O
800x600	O
,	O
and	O
web	O
site	O
dimensions	O
followed	O
suit	O
,	O
reformatting	O
the	O
PC-sized	O
web	O
pages	O
to	O
fit	O
the	O
560-pixel	O
width	O
of	O
a	O
United	O
States	O
NTSC	O
television	O
screen	O
became	O
less	O
satisfactory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WebTV	B-Device
browser	B-Application
also	O
translated	O
HTML	O
frames	O
as	O
tables	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
avoid	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
a	O
mouse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
had	O
a	O
small	O
run	O
starting	O
around	O
late	O
1997	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
couple	O
"	O
Classic	O
"	O
Japanese	O
units	O
being	O
released	O
with	O
hard	B-Device
drives	I-Device
and	O
two	O
times	O
more	O
RAM	B-Architecture
than	O
American	O
Classic	O
and	O
Old	O
Plus	O
units	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Spring	O
of	O
1999	O
,	O
allowed	O
customers	O
to	O
choose	O
the	O
option	O
of	O
utilizing	O
Sega	O
's	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
video	O
game	O
console	O
,	O
which	O
came	O
with	O
a	O
built-in	O
modem	B-Application
,	O
to	O
access	O
WebTV	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
possible	O
as	O
Sega	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
collaborated	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
technology	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
,	O
using	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
CE	I-Operating_System
abstraction	O
layer	O
supported	O
on	O
the	O
console	O
and	O
what	O
's	O
believed	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
2.0	I-Protocol
browser	B-Application
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Security	O
was	O
always	O
an	O
issue	O
with	O
the	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
around	O
1998	O
,	O
self-proclaimed	O
WebTV	B-Device
hackers	O
quickly	O
figured	O
out	O
ways	O
to	O
exploit	O
the	O
service	O
's	O
poor	O
security	O
with	O
these	O
vulnerable	O
URLs	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
many	O
things	O
which	O
include	O
but	O
are	O
n't	O
limited	O
to	O
:	O
access	O
to	O
internal	O
sections	O
of	O
the	O
production	O
WebTV	B-Device
service	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
Tricks	O
,	O
"	O
which	O
hosted	O
several	O
pages	O
designed	O
to	O
troubleshoot	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
box	O
and	O
service	O
;	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
remotely	O
change	O
the	O
settings	O
of	O
a	O
subscriber	O
's	O
box	O
;	O
or	O
even	O
remotely	O
performing	O
actions	O
on	O
any	O
account	O
,	O
including	O
deleting	O
them	O
,	O
which	O
the	O
service	O
did	O
not	O
verify	O
on	O
whether	O
the	O
requests	O
were	O
coming	O
from	O
the	O
account	O
holder	O
or	O
not	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
"	O
hackers	O
"	O
even	O
found	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
internal	O
WebTV	B-Device
services	O
and	O
discovered	O
WebTV	B-Device
content	O
that	O
was	O
previously	O
unknown	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
Doom	O
for	O
WebTV	B-Device
Plus	O
units	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
downloaded	O
from	O
one	O
of	O
these	O
services	O
at	O
one	O
point	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
WebTV	B-Device
hacking	O
started	O
to	O
pick	O
up	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
Networks	I-Device
had	O
tried	O
their	O
hardest	O
to	O
keep	O
these	O
rogue	O
users	O
back	O
on	O
the	O
production	O
service	O
,	O
and	O
even	O
going	O
as	O
far	O
as	O
terminating	O
people	O
involved	O
with	O
any	O
unauthorized	O
usage	O
of	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
service	O
,	O
regardless	O
of	O
their	O
motives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
notable	O
of	O
these	O
terminations	O
is	O
of	O
WebTV	B-Device
user	O
Matt	O
Squadere	O
,	O
known	O
by	O
his	O
internet	O
handle	O
MattMan69	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
well	O
known	O
for	O
having	O
his	O
and	O
others	O
access	O
terminated	O
without	O
warning	O
due	O
to	O
connecting	O
to	O
the	O
internal	O
WebTV	B-Device
services	O
"	O
TestDrive	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Weekly	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
possible	O
from	O
accessing	O
the	O
Tricks	O
section	O
of	O
WebTV	B-Device
with	O
a	O
password	O
that	O
was	O
shared	O
around	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Matt	O
was	O
specifically	O
terminated	O
when	O
he	O
accessed	O
TestDrive	O
a	O
second	O
time	O
and	O
reported	O
it	O
to	O
WebTV	B-Device
Networks	I-Device
 '	O
1-800	O
number	O
,	O
which	O
he	O
was	O
initially	O
rewarded	O
for	O
with	O
a	O
WebTV	B-Device
shirt	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
had	O
its	O
privacy	O
policy	O
changed	O
without	O
warning	O
subscribers	O
prior	O
to	O
doing	O
so	O
,	O
which	O
legally	O
gave	O
them	O
the	O
right	O
to	O
terminate	O
any	O
user	O
for	O
any	O
reason	O
without	O
making	O
it	O
necessary	O
to	O
warn	O
them	O
as	O
to	O
what	O
they	O
've	O
done	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
caused	O
a	O
massive	O
uproar	O
from	O
subscribers	O
towards	O
WebTV	B-Device
Networks	I-Device
regarding	O
their	O
fairness	O
and	O
ethics	O
with	O
their	O
legal	O
agreements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
Tricks	O
incident	O
,	O
it	O
appears	O
that	O
future	O
WebTV	B-Device
hacking	O
endeavors	O
were	O
kept	O
secret	O
between	O
those	O
well	O
known	O
in	O
the	O
hacking	O
scene	O
and	O
were	O
not	O
reported	O
to	O
WebTV	B-Device
Networks	I-Device
directly	O
,	O
supposedly	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
keep	O
using	O
already	O
discovered	O
methods	O
that	O
were	O
not	O
already	O
nicked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
included	O
any	O
findings	O
on	O
the	O
more	O
technical	O
workings	O
of	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
service	O
,	O
including	O
protocol	O
security	O
and	O
service	O
URLs	O
that	O
were	O
still	O
exploitable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
remaining	O
hacks	O
were	O
also	O
used	O
to	O
target	O
unsuspecting	O
WebTV	B-Device
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
example	O
of	O
this	O
,	O
which	O
concerns	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
have	O
unauthorized	O
access	O
to	O
one	O
's	O
WebTV	B-Device
account	O
,	O
has	O
been	O
documented	O
on	O
the	O
"	O
Tricks/Hacks	O
Archive	O
"	O
section	O
of	O
Matt	O
Squadere	O
's	O
current	O
site	O
,	O
"	O
WebTV	B-Device
MsnTV	B-Device
Secret	O
Pics	O
"	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
I	O
would	O
look	O
for	O
those	O
punks	O
that	O
liked	O
to	O
talk	O
sh*t	O
,	O
you	O
know	O
the	O
ones	O
that	O
swore	O
up	O
and	O
down	O
that	O
they	O
could	O
hack	O
your	O
account	O
of	O
fry	O
your	O
webtv	B-Device
unit	O
but	O
in	O
reality	O
they	O
could	O
n't	O
even	O
access	O
the	O
home	O
page	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
I	O
would	O
also	O
target	O
those	O
lamers	O
that	O
thought	O
they	O
were	O
cool	O
cause	O
they	O
knew	O
how	O
to	O
send	O
a	O
e-mail	O
bomb	O
that	O
could	O
power	O
off	O
your	O
webtv	B-Device
box	O
and	O
thought	O
they	O
were	O
king	O
shit	O
,	O
lmao	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
was	O
also	O
victim	O
to	O
a	O
virus	O
written	O
in	O
July	O
2002	O
by	O
43	O
year	O
old	O
David	O
Jeansonne	O
dubbed	O
"	O
NEAT	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
changed	O
the	O
local	O
dial-up	O
access	O
number	O
on	O
victims	O
 '	O
boxes	O
to	O
911	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
number	O
would	O
be	O
dialed	O
the	O
next	O
time	O
the	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
box	O
had	O
to	O
dial	O
in	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
sent	O
to	O
18	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
users	O
through	O
an	O
attachment	O
in	O
an	O
email	O
with	O
the	O
subject	O
"	O
NEAT	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
disguised	O
itself	O
by	O
showing	O
an	O
interface	O
for	O
a	O
"	O
tool	O
"	O
that	O
could	O
change	O
the	O
colors	O
and	O
fonts	O
of	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
user	O
interface	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
originally	O
written	O
by	O
WebTV	B-Device
hacker	O
HACKERREAMER	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
first	O
generation	O
of	O
the	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
service	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
protocol	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
service	O
communication	O
was	O
WTVP	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
WebTV	B-Device
Protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WTVP	O
is	O
a	O
TCP-based	O
protocol	O
that	O
is	O
essentially	O
a	O
proprietary	O
version	O
of	O
HTTP	B-Protocol
1.0	I-Protocol
with	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
serve	O
both	O
standard	O
web	O
content	O
and	O
specialized	O
service	O
content	O
to	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
introduced	O
its	O
own	O
protocol	O
extensions	O
,	O
which	O
include	O
but	O
are	O
n't	O
limited	O
to	O
128-bit	O
RC4-based	O
message	O
encryption	O
,	O
ticket-based	O
authorization	O
,	O
proprietary	O
challenge	O
–	O
response	O
authentication	O
to	O
both	O
verify	O
clients	O
logging	O
in	O
to	O
the	O
service	O
and	O
to	O
supply	O
them	O
session	O
keys	O
used	O
for	O
message	O
encryption	O
,	O
and	O
persistent	O
connections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
protocol	O
was	O
supported	O
by	O
all	O
first-generation	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
devices	O
and	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
release	O
of	O
WebTV	B-Device
up	O
until	O
the	O
September	O
2013	O
discontinuation	O
of	O
the	O
entire	O
service	O
(	O
March	O
2002	O
for	O
those	O
in	O
Japan	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WTVP	O
had	O
extremely	O
minimal	O
documentation	O
back	O
in	O
WebTV	B-Device
's	O
prime	O
and	O
only	O
by	O
2019	O
,	O
6	O
whole	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
service	O
shut	O
down	O
,	O
did	O
more	O
attempts	O
to	O
document	O
it	O
crop	O
up	O
,	O
although	O
not	O
by	O
much	O
initially	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
first	O
done	O
by	O
releasing	O
a	O
third	O
party	O
proof-of-concept	O
WebTV	B-Device
server	O
dubbed	O
the	O
"	O
WebTV	B-Device
Server	O
Emulator	O
,	O
"	O
which	O
only	O
implemented	O
the	O
bare	O
minimum	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
and	O
did	O
n't	O
properly	O
document	O
a	O
whole	O
lot	O
about	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2021	O
,	O
there	O
has	O
been	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
further	O
explore	O
the	O
WTVP	O
protocol	O
in	O
a	O
more	O
detailed	O
and	O
concise	O
fashion	O
along	O
with	O
other	O
technical	O
parts	O
of	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
with	O
the	O
"	O
WebTV	B-Device
Wiki	O
"	O
project	O
,	O
run	O
by	O
someone	O
outside	O
WebTV	B-Device
staff	O
and	O
its	O
hacking	O
scene	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
have	O
also	O
since	O
been	O
open-source	B-Application
software	I-Application
projects	O
available	O
started	O
by	O
others	O
that	O
aim	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
working	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
service	O
while	O
documenting	O
as	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
protocols	O
as	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
sufficient	O
resources	O
on	O
any	O
technical	O
WebTV	B-Device
information	O
and	O
not	O
many	O
people	O
showing	O
enough	O
interest	O
to	O
figure	O
out	O
how	O
the	O
service	O
as	O
a	O
whole	O
worked	O
and	O
share	O
their	O
findings	O
publicly	O
,	O
though	O
,	O
progress	O
on	O
overall	O
documentation	O
on	O
these	O
protocols	O
has	O
been	O
very	O
slow	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
protocol	O
believed	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
original	O
service	O
is	O
dubbed	O
"	O
Mail	O
Notify	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
UDP-based	O
protocol	O
that	O
is	O
believed	O
to	O
have	O
taken	O
part	O
in	O
delivering	O
e-mail	O
notifications	O
to	O
WebTV	B-Device
boxes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
existence	O
has	O
only	O
been	O
confirmed	O
in	O
a	O
leaked	O
Microsoft	O
document	O
and	O
it	O
is	O
likely	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
just	O
a	O
backend	O
component	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
WebTV	B-Device
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
's	O
service	O
was	O
completely	O
separate	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
one	O
and	O
ran	O
on	O
completely	O
different	O
infrastructure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
partly	O
because	O
when	O
it	O
released	O
,	O
people	O
already	O
into	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
hacking	O
started	O
losing	O
interest	O
and	O
some	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
was	O
not	O
worth	O
putting	O
time	O
into	O
hacking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
on	O
recent	O
efforts	O
to	O
reverse	O
engineer	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
service	O
and	O
the	O
little	O
information	O
that	O
has	O
been	O
disclosed	O
by	O
the	O
very	O
few	O
people	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
hacking	O
scene	O
that	O
stuck	O
around	O
for	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
was	O
a	O
standard	O
HTTP/S	O
web	O
service	O
that	O
ran	O
on	O
IIS	O
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
services	O
such	O
as	O
Mail	O
,	O
Discuss	O
,	O
and	O
Chat	O
were	O
accessed	O
from	O
a	O
trusted	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
service	O
domain	O
via	O
HTTPS	B-Protocol
and	O
would	O
run	O
JavaScript	B-Language
that	O
made	O
use	O
of	O
AJAX	B-Device
and	O
proprietary	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
ActiveX	B-Application
controls	I-Application
to	O
do	O
things	O
such	O
as	O
write	O
user	O
settings	O
to	O
the	O
box	O
or	O
talk	O
to	O
other	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Services	O
for	O
login	O
and	O
checking	O
mail	O
would	O
send	O
JavaScript	B-Language
commands	O
to	O
boxes	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
then	O
execute	O
the	O
script	O
in	O
a	O
trusted	O
browser	B-Application
context	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
scripts	O
also	O
made	O
use	O
of	O
proprietary	O
ActiveX	B-Application
controls	I-Application
to	O
tell	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
boxes	O
what	O
to	O
do	O
and	O
give	O
it	O
the	O
necessary	O
data	O
it	O
needed	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
service	O
list	O
to	O
use	O
on	O
an	O
active	O
session	O
or	O
if	O
it	O
received	O
new	O
mail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
's	O
also	O
believed	O
XML	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
formats	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
service	O
,	O
although	O
this	O
cannot	O
be	O
100%	O
confirmed	O
right	O
now	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brand	O
Model	O
Type	O
Connectivity	O
RAM	B-Architecture
ROM	B-Device
Storage	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
Latest	O
Firmware	B-Application
Version	O
Notes	O
Sony	O
INT-W100	O
Classic	O
V.34	O
modem	B-Application
2	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
(	O
Flash	B-Device
ROM	I-Device
)	O
R4640	B-Device
@	O
112	O
MHz	O
2.5.9.1mpeg	O
2.5.9.1print	O
Model	O
originally	O
used	O
R4640	B-Device
CPU	B-General_Concept
from	O
IDT	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
late	O
1998	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
switched	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
manufacturers	O
for	O
the	O
Classic	O
from	O
IDT	O
to	O
NKK	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Philips	O
Magnavox	O
MAT960	O
Classic	O
V.34	O
modem	B-Application
2	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
(	O
Flash	B-Device
ROM	I-Device
)	O
R4640	B-Device
@	O
112	O
MHz	O
2.5.9.1mpeg	O
2.5.9.1print	O
Model	O
originally	O
used	O
R4640	B-Device
CPU	B-General_Concept
from	O
IDT	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
late	O
1998	O
,	O
WebTV	B-Device
switched	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
manufacturers	O
for	O
the	O
Classic	O
from	O
IDT	O
to	O
NKK	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
INT-W200	O
Plus	O
V.90	O
modem	B-Application
8	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
1.1	O
GB	O
(	O
HDD	O
)	O
R4640	B-Device
@	O
167	O
MHz	O
2.9.1	O
Philips	O
Magnavox	O
MAT972	O
Plus	O
V.90	O
modem	B-Application
8	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
1.1	O
GB	O
(	O
HDD	O
)	O
R4640	B-Device
@	O
167	O
MHz	O
2.9.1	O
Believed	O
to	O
have	O
had	O
a	O
Derby	O
(	O
softmodem	O
)	O
revision	O
made	O
around	O
1998	O
Samsung	B-Application
SIS-100	O
Plus	O
V.90	O
8	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
1.1	O
GB	O
(	O
HDD	O
)	O
R4640	B-Device
@	O
167	O
MHz	O
2.9.1	O
Mitsubishi	O
WB-2000	O
Plus	O
V.90	O
8	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
1.1	O
GB	O
(	O
HDD	O
)	O
R4640	B-Device
@	O
167	O
MHz(? )	O
</s>
<s>
2.9.1	O
Sony	O
INT-WJ200	O
Classic	O
(	O
Japan	O
)	O
V.90	O
8	O
MB	O
4	O
MB	O
1.1	O
GB	O
(	O
HDD	O
)	O
R4640(? )	O
</s>
<s>
Fujitsu	O
F993000	O
Possibly	O
Classic	O
model	O
(	O
contains	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
)	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
INT-W150	O
New	O
Classic	O
V.90	O
8	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
(	O
Flash	B-Device
ROM	I-Device
)	O
R5230	O
@	O
150	O
MHz	O
2.9.1	O
Philips	O
Magnavox	O
MAT965	O
New	O
Classic	O
V.90	O
8	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
(	O
Flash	B-Device
ROM	I-Device
)	O
RM5230	O
@	O
150	O
MHz	O
2.9.1	O
RCA	O
RW2100	O
New	O
Classic	O
V.90	O
8	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
(	O
Flash	B-Device
ROM	I-Device
)	O
R5230	O
@	O
150	O
MHz	O
2.9.1	O
RCA	O
RW2110	O
New	O
Plus	O
V.90	O
softmodem	O
16	O
MB	O
8	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
R5230	O
@	O
167	O
MHz	O
2.9.1	O
Sony	O
INT-W250	O
New	O
Plus	O
V.90	O
softmodem	O
16	O
MB	O
8	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
R5230	O
@	O
167	O
MHz	O
2.9.1	O
Philips	O
Magnavox	O
MAT976	O
New	O
Plus	O
V.90	O
softmodem	O
16	O
MB	O
8	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
R5230	O
@	O
167	O
MHz	O
2.9.1	O
RCA	O
RM2100	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
(	O
New	O
Classic	O
)	O
V.90	O
8	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
4	O
MB	O
(	O
Flash	B-Device
ROM	I-Device
)	O
RM5230	O
@	O
150	O
MHz	O
2.9.1	O
RCA	O
DWD490RE	O
UltimateTV	O
V.90	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
40	O
GB	O
(	O
HDD	O
)	O
RM5231	O
@	O
250	O
MHz	O
RCA	O
RM4100	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
V.90	O
,	O
Ethernet	O
,	O
Wi-Fi	O
(	O
via	O
supported	O
USB	O
wireless	O
adapters	O
)	O
128	O
MB	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
64	O
MB	O
(	O
CompactFlash	B-Device
)	O
Intel	B-Device
Celeron	I-Device
@	O
733	O
MHz	O
5.6.7021.0	O
KVH	O
Industries	O
TracNet	O
100	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
EVDO	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
Brand	O
Model	O
Type	O
Connectivity	O
RAM	B-Architecture
ROM	B-Device
Storage	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
speed	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
Latest	O
Firmware	B-Application
Version	O
Notes	O
Mitsubishi	O
WB-2001	O
Plus	O
V.90	O
8	O
MB	O
2	O
MB	O
1.1	O
GB	O
(	O
HDD	O
)	O
167	O
MHz	O
R4640	B-Device
2.9.1	O
Listed	O
on	O
official	O
Microsoft	O
WebTV	B-Device
site	O
in	O
2000	O
,	O
but	O
no	O
substantial	O
evidence	O
confirming	O
its	O
existence	O
is	O
currently	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RCA	O
RM4100	O
(	O
2	O
)	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
V.90/Ethernet	O
256	O
MB	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2006	O
,	O
Chris	O
Wade	O
analyzed	O
the	O
proprietary	O
BIOS	B-Operating_System
of	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
set	O
top	O
box	O
,	O
and	O
created	O
a	O
sophisticated	O
memory	O
patch	O
which	O
allowed	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
flashed	O
and	O
used	O
to	O
boot	O
Linux	B-Application
on	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
open-source	B-Application
solution	O
to	O
enabling	O
TV	O
output	O
on	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
and	O
similar	O
devices	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
in	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
also	O
recorded	O
attempts	O
to	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
unused	O
IDE	O
pins	O
on	O
the	O
MSN	B-Device
TV	I-Device
2	O
's	O
motherboard	O
and	O
supply	O
a	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
,	O
most	O
likely	O
to	O
add	O
extra	O
storage	O
beyond	O
the	O
64MB	O
given	O
by	O
the	O
default	O
CompactFlash	B-Device
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Outside	O
of	O
these	O
attempts	O
,	O
though	O
,	O
not	O
much	O
has	O
been	O
done	O
in	O
the	O
realm	O
of	O
hacking	O
the	O
WebTV/MSN	O
TV	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
