Two Way TV - product photos of 1997's hottest gadget

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) actually look like:

Pretty much the same as every other Digital TV STB of the era. A featureless grey slab. Here's a closer view.

How was it all connected? Here's the rear of the box:

Aerial in and out - I assume it had a digital decoder in it, but could pass the analogue channels through to the TV.

Stereo out, for plugging in to your sound system.

SCART in and out. I assume that let you connect your VCR or games console in pass-through mode.

Keyboard looks like a PS/2 port - which would have been the standard at the time. Comms and Remove Receiver both appear to be 8 pin serial connectors.

Finally, there's a standard telephone port for connecting to the dial-up service which makes it all work.

So, you've plugged in all the wires, how do you actually play the games? The unit comes with two controllers - one red and one blue.

The four buttons (triangle, square, circle, lozenge) were for answering on-screen questions. There's an up and down scroller in the middle and a help button above it. I don't know what the large grey circle does.

But what's the peculiar button on the coloured background? That's an early cursor control! Commercially available touchscreens were still in their infancy. This physical controller allowed you to position a digital cursor on screen. Nifty!

Also in the box was a TV guide:

A getting started leaflet:

There's also a service manual:

I don't know what the difference was between SD2044 and SD2044N. Do you?

How much would this amazing interactive experience cost you? I've no idea about the upfront payment for the kit, but there's a Direct Debit form for the monthly subscription.

That's about £14 in today's money.

So there you have it! A snapshot of 1997's vision of the future. From my understanding, the box was never a hit with the public. Two Way TV pivoted to other forms of interactive content like premium-rate phone-ins before going bust in 2003.

If you have any more memories of the service, or interesting photos, please leave a comment or get in touch with me.