# Virgin Webplayer > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Virgin_Webplayer > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Virgin_Webplayer.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Webplayer > Source revision: 1340235744 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Discontinued Internet appliance}} {{Infobox Information appliance | name = Virgin Webplayer | logo = | image = 250px|Virgin Webplayer and infrared keyboard with added CompactFlash adapter at left | developer = [Virgin](/source/Virgin_Group) | manufacturer = [Acer](/source/Acer_(company)) | type = [Internet appliance](/source/Internet_appliance) | connectivity = [modem](/source/modem), [USB](/source/USB) | lifespan = until November 15, 2000 | media = M-Systems Disk-on-Chip 2000 (user-accessible) | os = Custom [QNX](/source/QNX)-based OS, Windows 9x (unofficial), OpenBSD (unofficial) | camera = n/a | input = Infrared keyboard with built-in trackball | power = 5V 5A [AC](/source/Alternating_current) adapter | cpu = 200 [MHz](/source/MHz) [Cyrix](/source/Cyrix) MediaGX | display = 10 in 800 × 600 [SVGA](/source/SVGA) [DSTN](/source/DSTN) LCD | touchpad = n/a }} The '''Virgin Webplayer''' is a discontinued [Internet appliance](/source/Internet_appliance) from [Virgin Group](/source/Virgin_Group). The device was intended as a standalone Internet access device, running a specialized operating system which limited it to the Virgin Connect [ISP](/source/ISP). It was discontinued on November 15, 2000. The remaining Webplayer hardware was liquidated and embraced by the [hardware hacker](/source/hardware_hacker) community. The Virgin Connect service was innovative — for $50, a user would get the Webplayer and unlimited dial-up Internet access (provided through [Prodigy](/source/Prodigy_(ISP))) for three years. However, the Webplayer displayed advertisements while the user was online. ==Hardware== The Webplayer is essentially a compact [x86](/source/x86) [PC](/source/personal_computer) and was manufactured by [Acer](/source/Acer_(company)) under contract by Boundless Technologies and is also known as the Boundless iBrow. Input came through an [infrared](/source/infrared) keyboard with an integrated [trackball](/source/trackball), and the webplayer came with a [modem](/source/modem) for connecting to the Internet. The Webplayer is powered by a 200 [MHz](/source/MHz) [Cyrix](/source/Cyrix) [MediaGX](/source/MediaGX) [CPU](/source/CPU), 64 [MB](/source/Megabyte) of [SO-DIMM](/source/SO-DIMM) [RAM](/source/RAM), and a 48 MB M-Systems ''[Disk-On-Chip](/source/Flash_memory) 2000'' for storage. It included two [USB](/source/USB) ports and contained a [Mini PCI Type IIIB](/source/Mini_PCI) slot and 44-pin [IDE](/source/Advanced_Technology_Attachment) header inside. [CompactFlash](/source/CompactFlash), [VGA](/source/VGA), and [PS/2](/source/PS%2F2_connector) keyboard and mouse headers are present on the motherboard, but the physical connector is not included. ==Hacking== After the demise of official support, the Webplayer drew the attention of computer enthusiasts. A grassroots Co-Op effort was created to purchase a lot of Webplayers from a liquidator, with over 50 members signing up. Eventually, the units were shipped out at $100 each and the hacking began. The Virgin operating system was locked to dial into Virgin Online, but a password-protected setup screen was available. A user discovered the scheme and created a utility to guess the rotating password frequently enough to allow an owner to reprogram the device to call into any ISP. However, the experience of using the Virgin OS was not what users wanted, so more serious hacking attempts quickly began. Since the Webplayer is architecturally similar to a typical x86 PC and included an IDE header, initial attention was focused on accessing the password-protected [system BIOS](/source/system_BIOS). An insider leaked the password ("schwasck") and the device was quickly converted into a full-fledged PC. Users could simply purchase a 44-pin IDE cable and hard disk drive and run any PC-compatible operating system. The next efforts included creating a version of [Microsoft Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows) that would fit in the 48 MB Disk-On-Chip device. This was quickly accomplished, with a version of [98lite](/source/98lite) widely distributed. Attempts to create a specialized [Linux](/source/Linux) distribution were less successful, since the Webplayer included specialized graphics hardware which was not well-supported at the time. Users eventually turned to the Mini-PCI slot, adding [Ethernet](/source/Ethernet) and [802.11](/source/802.11) adapters designed for notebooks. These proved far more reliable than the originally-used USB Ethernet adapters, as the Webplayer's USB hardware was not entirely stable. Other popular modifications included increasing the system RAM (it used a standard 144-pin PC100 [SO-DIMM](/source/SO-DIMM)) and [overclock](/source/overclock)ing the CPU. Some users modified the Webplayer case to accept a built-in [CD-ROM](/source/CD-ROM) drive, Ethernet ports, and Wi-Fi antennas. ==Issues== The Webplayer hardware proved to have a few stability issues: * The USB ports are somewhat unreliable with Ethernet adapters, though they seem to work well with storage and input devices * The audio system will distort unless the Line-In is muted * The display adapter is not well-supported and its [VGA](/source/VGA) modes are incomplete * The [ACPI](/source/ACPI)/[APM](/source/Advanced_Power_Management) BIOS does not work well, with suspend and resume problems common ==See also== * [Internet appliance](/source/Internet_appliance) * [i-Opener](/source/i-Opener) * [3Com Audrey](/source/3Com_Audrey) ==References== {{Commons category|Virgin Webplayer}} *{{cite web | title=Virgin Web player Hack | work=Dougpile.com | url=http://dougpile.com/computer/webplayer/webplayer.html | access-date=April 20, 2006}} *{{cite web | title=Hacking the Virgin Web player | work=larwe.com | url=https://www.larwe.com/technical/webplayer_main.html | access-date=April 20, 2006}} Category:Acer Inc. products Category:Information appliances Web player Category:Computer-related introductions in 1999 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Virgin Webplayer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Webplayer) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Webplayer?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.