Surf the web in the ad breaks

By CHRIS BARTON

While Sky and TVNZ dither, ihug has trumped its would-be competitors by bringing convergence to the living room right now - with Surfboard, a set-top box that lets users surf the web and send e-mail via their TV.

The product brings low-cost net access - $699 for the gear plus an ihug account starting at $10 a month - without the need for a PC. But there is a downside - TV set-top clutter. It's something we are all going to face as more of our TV signals become digital and the TV transforms from goggle box to two-way communication appliance.

Our TV set now has three boxes around it - a video recorder, a Sky decoder and ihug's Surfboard. We also have a new techno fear. If a wire falls out, or the TV has to be moved, no one knows how to reconnect the terrifying tangle of cables behind our set.

It's also going to get worse. Early next year, Sky Digital promises to activate the wire that goes from its set-top box to a newly installed phone jack by the TV. Through it we are promised the ability to send e-mail, plus a host of other interactive features.

During Sunday's league world cup final between Australia and New Zealand, we were advised to "press the red button" on the remote to see some new features. Unfortunately, we couldn't because our phone jack is not installed properly.

Some time next year, we may also see the fruits of the TVNZ-Telstra deal - another set-top box offering e-mail, web surfing and the ability to buy pizza direct from an on-screen ad. Can't wait.

But no one really seems to have thought of the consumer. It's bad enough now. One remote to watch One and TV2 and another to watch TV3 and 4 along with Sky's 40-something digital channels. When TVNZ introduces its set-top box, that will be another remote and even more wires. Be very afraid.

Meanwhile we have Surfboard - essentially a modem disguised as a set-top box which makes it possible to surf web pages on your TV. The package includes a nifty infra-red keyboard for navigating around the screen.

It is supposed to be very simple to set up. But knowing about the fearful bird's-nest of wires emanating from our existing gear, I asked for someone to walk me through it. Mostly, it was straightforward. Put batteries in the remote keyboard, plug the set-top box into the power and plug the telephone wire into the wall phone jack. We tried to use the jack Sky had installed but got no dial tone. Fortunately Surfboard comes with a long wire, so we ran it behind the couch and up the hall to the next nearest jack. Messy, but it worked.

Even the ihug guy was a bit perplexed by our TV set-up - mainly because the TV is very old (more than 10 years) and everything runs through the video.

Two more wires make the final connection - a set of red, white and yellow video and audio wires and an "S-video" wire. The manual has plenty of diagrams to ease you through these manoeuvres. But I'm not sure I would have managed on my own. I'm very technically challenged in the art of TV and video connections.

The ihug guy said a video set-up does make it more complicated, but with newer TVs it's a breeze.

Once the wires were in place, we set the TV channel to the one tuned for watching videos, turned Surfboard's power on and up popped the opening screen. This is how web appliances should be - instantly on, rather than having to wait for the "boot-up" sequence of a PC.

The keyboard with inbuilt mouse button is quickly mastered. Click on any of the menu items and the set-top box dials out - just like a PC's modem. Once you have entered password and log-in details (you need do this only once), you're surfing.

What's it like? Surprisingly good. Reading text on a TV is often not a great experience because the resolution is so much less than that of a PC screen. But the Surfboard box does a great job of making text legible. It even has a zoom to magnify text for those with failing eyesight.

My 9-year-old took to Surfboard with no trouble - immediately bypassing the preselected sites grouped under menu headings like News/sport, Leisure and Play. Using the "go to" button, Monika was off to visit her favourite sites and send e-mail from her Hotmail account. She could have also used the product's rudimentary e-mail software, which provides an ihug e-mail account.

Surfboard lets users cruise the web while watching TV. On our TV we could pick up the four main channels, but not Sky while connected to the net. This multi-tasking is experienced with the "picture in picture" metaphor - with either the TV in a smaller window in one corner and the net screen in the foreground, or vice versa.

The idea is that when the ads come on, you quickly jump on the net and send some e-mail. Or maybe you have been watching a programme and want more information. All the answers are only a few clicks away. Convergence in action.

Now if only they could do something about the set-top box clutter.

Believe it or not the topic is one of the recommendations of the present telecommunications inquiry - only it is called "Sky's conditional access system" which shrouds the issue in gobbledegook.

If any one in Government is listening, what consumers really want is one set-top box, as few wires as possible and the freedom to buy whichever TV/web service they choose.