Back in the late 1990s, I did a brief stint of work experience at the BBC. One of the most memorable moments was sitting in on a meeting about early forms of Interactive TV. I saw a demo of "Two Way TV". A flimsy grey box which (somehow) integrated with your OnDigital TV Box and connected to a server via a modem. If you were watching "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" you could play along at home, send in your answers in realtime, and win REAL CASH PRIZES!!! An anonymous benefactor read my blog post about the tech, had a pootle through their loft, and found one of the trial boxes they'd been sent in June 1997. With their kind permission, here are some photos of the future we never got. The unit came in a chunky box with enough logos to convince you it was safe to plug in to the phone network. Flipping it over, we see a little more of the tech-specs and a defunct barcode (5033936000023 for anyone searching) and product number (SD2044N). Mmmm! NICAM! So, what did the Set Top Box (STB)…
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