lawson@ssdvx2.mdcbbs.com (Jim Lawson) (06/04/91)
I have discovered that my cable service offers a data service called "X*Press", It looks like a one-way data feed over the existing cable line to your home computer. Does anyone have input on this? Thx, -- Jim Lawson Opinions expressed here are my own !! Address: Lawson@ssdvx2.mdcbbs.com
andyp@treehouse.UUCP (Andy Peterman) (06/05/91)
In article <1991Jun4.071157.1@ssdvx2.mdcbbs.com> lawson@ssdvx2.mdcbbs.com (Jim Lawson) writes: >I have discovered that my cable service offers a data service called >"X*Press", It looks like a one-way data feed over the existing cable line to >your home computer. > >Does anyone have input on this? I use to use the X*Press service until I moved out of the cable area two years ago. They convert a subcarrier from one of the satellite transponders to an unused frequncy (in our area it was about 80 Mhz). You buy a converter box that simply receives the FM modulated carrier and spits out 9600 baud of text data out of an RS232 jack on the back. You get software for your computer (IBM, Mac, Atari, Amiga) that listens to this data stream and separates news articles and stock quotations. I used the Mac software from a few years ago and it was quite capable, although the interface was terrible (ported from something else) and VERY slow. I still have the box, but found that I can't use it directly with satellite. A much more expensive box is available for that. --- Andy Peterman | Everything you know treehouse!andyp@gvgpsa.gvg.tek.com | is wrong! (916) 273-4569 | FST
andrew@calvin.doc.ca (Andrew Patrick) (06/06/91)
In article <1991Jun4.071157.1@ssdvx2.mdcbbs.com> lawson@ssdvx2.mdcbbs.com (Jim Lawson) writes: >I have discovered that my cable service offers a data service called >"X*Press", It looks like a one-way data feed over the existing cable line to >your home computer. > >Does anyone have input on this? I have an article describing an X*Press decoder for the Amiga. I would love to hear more about this service. -- Andrew Patrick, Ph.D. Department of Communications, Ottawa, CANADA andrew@calvin.doc.CA "The interface IS the program."
scott@skypod.guild.org (Scott Campbell) (06/06/91)
In article <1991Jun4.071157.1@ssdvx2.mdcbbs.com> lawson@ssdvx2.mdcbbs.com (Jim Lawson) writes: >I have discovered that my cable service offers a data service called >"X*Press", It looks like a one-way data feed over the existing cable line to >your home computer. > >Does anyone have input on this? I used to it here but the local cable company cancelled it due to lack of interest a year or so ago... What you get is a decoder box that feeds news and stock quotes into your computer at 9600 baud. The stock quotes were 15 minutes delayed. The news was straight off the major wires around the world (including ones from the USSR, China, Japan, etc.). There was generally about a 10-15 delay between an event and it showing up on your computer (ie. baseball scores would be 1-2 innings behind) Major articles would be repeated several times a day so if you miss it it will come back. The major problem I had with it was that the software (for DOS) really had problems -- most importantly, it fed the news into memory and would fill up in less than an hour. New news would be dumped until you deleted the news that you had (alot like cnews does :-(() A friend of mine was writing software to run under unix for it. Then Rogers went and cancelled the service. Hope that's some help scott -- Scott J.M. Campbell scott@skypod.guild.org Skypod Communications Inc. ..!gatech!dscatl!daysinns!skypod!scott 1001 Bay Street, Suite 1210 ..!uunet!utai!lsuc!becker!skypod!scott Toronto, Ont. (416) 924-4059 ..!epas.utoronto.ca!nyama!skypod!scott