Sega Saturn NetLink Info
The Sega Saturn Net Link Web browser uses new image
processing and text display technologies to give Web content a
crisp, clean look and prevent picture flicker on the TV screen. The
browser's proprietary technology compensates for the reduced line
count of television screens, compared to the display capabilities of
computer monitors, to ensure clear visibility for informational and
entertainment Web activities.
"Home" base for Sega Saturn Net Link users will be the Net Link
city on Planet Oasis, a 20-block 3D "Internet city" complete with a
movie cineplex, airport, financial district, museums, and even a
shuttle launch pad, as well as a boat-lined canal, and cars and buses
on the streets. Users can click on the neighborhood of their choice
to find up to 15 different sites they can explore in that content
region. More than 225 informative and commercial sites are
accessible in city neighborhoods, including the Smithsonian, the
Youth Hall of Fame, Gatorade Sports Drink, Disney Online and
Specialized Bikes. The city will expand to include more custom
features, such as virtual user apartments, user home pages,
city-wide telephone service and other "citizen" programs.
Once Sega Saturn Net Link users venture beyond the limits of the Net Link city, they will take a ride on the Net Link Web browser. The browser was designed specifically for TV display with features that make Web browsing, email and other Internet activities simple and fun. Text is clear and readable on the TV screen due to anti-aliasing technology that smoothes and shades the areas around letters. Custom image processing techniques reduce "flicker" on pictures and graphics and produce bright, accurate colors. The browser supports all HTML 2.0 and most HTML 3.0 extensions and can play AU, AIFF and WAV audio files. It supports POP3 and SMTP email standards so users can send and receive email from anywhere on the Internet.
Sega Saturn Net Link suggested retail price $99.99 –that includes a 28.8Kbps speed modem cartridge that plugs into the Sega Saturn, a phone cord and a CD containing the Web browser and Net Link City interface.
Also avaliable are the Sega Saturn Mouse SRP $24.99 and Net Link keyboard PS/2 adapter SRP $19.99
The Sega Saturn Net Link Bundle at an SRP of $249.99 will combine the Sega Saturn, the modem/browser package, a custom Sega Saturn keyboard and the hit arcade game "Sega Rally Championship™."
It comes with a Free Month access to the Internet from Concentric Net But If you already subscribe to the Internet. You can use your existing Account on the NetLink. The NetLink is compatable with SLIP/PPP. And will accept your current account.
An easy-to-use-screen keyboard can be accessed for text input using the Sega Saturn control pad or Sega Saturn mouse. This "software" keyboard offers shortcuts to commands such as "www." and ".com," which reduces on-screen keystrokes. Users can also interact with the browser via a standard keyboard attached to the Sega Saturn with a low-cost Sega keyboard PS/2 adapter.
Users have complete freedom of movement with their cursor on each page, unlike other TV Internet systems that restrict movement to hightlighted parts of pages. Web pages load all at once, text first, so users can begin scrollling uninterrupted through the entire site before all graphics appear. Sites can be stored in available bookmark files.
The browser features an extensive parental control function offering 15 categories of restrictions and several gradations in each category. In all, more than 170,000 rated sites reside on the server and are constantly updated to parents can customize the type and level of restrictions they want to enact.
A translucent tool bar and a pop-up command compass allow users to access the browser's navigation controls; both can be hidden to allow unobstructed visibility of content on screen. Cursor movement is fast, smooth and unrestricted, with capabilities to scroll up and down as well as side to side. The browser's "magnifying glass" gives users three levels of enlargement to view detailed images or small text.
Sega plans to offer upgrades to the browser supporting technologies like VRML and standard audio features in the future.
The Sega Saturn Net Link search engine and navigational network consists of TV-display versions of Excite Search and Excite Reviews, featuring custom sub-directories and indexes created by Excite. Excite designed the search interface to be fun as well as functional, with non-traditional colors, layouts, fonts, and graphics. Sega Saturn Net Link users will have access to Excite Reviews, which are written by a team of professional journalists who preview more than 100,000 Web sites.