RCA/MSN TV 2 Internet and Media Player
Sadly, you get what you pay for
I recently had the opportunity to play with the latest MSNTV terminal and I was not impressed. Years ago, I had the WebTV Classic and then purchased the Plus. Both of the boxes I owned were quality hardware and were made by Sony. They served me well, until I bought an Apple G4 iMac about 2 1/2 years ago and I immediately terminated my WebTV account. <br /> <br />Alas, the fit and finish of this RCA hardware \\"upgrade\\" is junk and the MSN service leaves a lot to be desired. <br /> <br />Much has been made in some of the reviews that MSNTV is immune to viruses, Trojan horses, worms and the like. All true. What has been ignored is that the comparison is between MSNTV and a PC running Windows. There are alternatives to Microsoft's Windows and one is Apple computers....no viruses, no Trojan horses, no worms. And no Windows. (Instead, years ago produced OS X for its Apple computers, based on Unix and widely regarded as the best operating system available.) <br /> <br />As has been mentioned by others, comparing a computer with MSNTV is unfair. Yes, MSNTV is adequate if all you are going to do is surf the internet, send email and you don't mind the inferior display on your TV set. And real computers cost more. A lot more. <br /> <br />But if you have the financial resources, MSNTV is not the answer and I would suggest taking a look at the latest G5 iMac, if you want quality both in hardware and software without any limitations. (You may want to check the Amazon reviews for Apple computers. Amazon is currently offering a nice discount and will likely do so again in the future.) <br /> <br />With MSNTV, you cannot download any software of your choosing. You are stuck with whatever features MSNTV offers you. With a Mac, there are thousands of software programs available, much of it free, to enhance your use of the Mac. (I have, for example, a free stock ticker and a free news ticker on my screen constantly updating, multiple RSS feeds and a live \\"wallpaper\\" of planet earth ina Mercator projection complete with the weather displayed all over the world along with earthquake and volcano indicators and positions of satellites....with the \\"wallpaper\\" updated every 15 minutes.)  <br /> <br />Just as no one I know has ever switched back from broadband to dial-up, no one I know who has had an Apple computer has ever considered switching from an Apple computer to MSNTV.  <br /> <br />There has got to be a reason.