The DtV Broadcasting System

Requirements

What do you need to use this system? The short answer is, pretty much any computer will do.

First, you need a computer. That might sound obvious, but until now, I've designed sites that are WebTV-friendly, so you wuldn't actually need a computer. But here, a computer is a must, because we're doing stuff that's a lot more complex.

It doesn't have to be a particularly new computer; I've been doing some of my testing with a computer bought in 1998.

Having said that you do need a computer, if you do have something that isn't a computer that will work, then do please let me know. It's not completely out of the question.

Secondly, for good results, you'll want broadband; DSL or cable. The system will work with dial-up, but because you don't have much bandwidth, the video will be very jerky. It's up to you - have a look at the Windmill Demo (username guest, password guest), and decide for yourself.

Your screen whould be at least 1024 by 768 pixels. If you don't know what that means, don't worry - the system will work, but you might have to do some scrolling to see things. Check out the Windmill Demo (username guest, password guest), and see for yourself.

Your computer will already have a browser; probably Internet Explorer. The system works with that. It will also work with most other browsers.

Java

You'll need Java. If you already have it, you'll see a static picture of the windmill in the box above. If all you see is a grey square, or something else that's boring and not the Windmill, then you don't have Java, or you don't have it enabled.

If you don't have it, it's a free download. My Windows 98 machines already had it, but on my Windows XP machine, I had to go get it, which took me just a few minutes. Here's how:

1. Go to www.java.com
2. Click on "Java software download" at the top of the page
3. Click the "Begin download" button
4. If you already have Java installed, it will be detected and you'll be re-directed to the main java.com page
5. If you don't have it installed, you'll be prompted once the download is complete
6. You may or may not be asked whether you'd like to "Install ActiveX" at this time - if asked, say "yes"
7. Re-boot your browser and Java should be running automatically
8. Note: If you're using IE in Windows and have a pop-up blocker, you'll need to de-activate it temporarily in order to install Java. Once the install is complete, simply re-activate your pop-up blocker and you won't notice anything different.

If you configured your Internet Explorer to block Java and/or Javascript, you'll have to unblock it, at least from my server.

Now is a good time to get signed up