Designing for AOL and WebTV

• AOL gives its’ users IE by default.
• AOL uses a proxy cache to reduce traffic. The first time a user accesses a given page, AOL saves a copy of that page. Then, when a second user tries to access the same page within 24 hours, AOL serves up the cached version, not the version on your server. If the page has changed, the second user (and any subsequent users) won't see the most recent version. Therefore, you should use HTTP cache-control headers to set expiration dates for your pages.
• AOL also compresses images by default. Encourage AOL users to turn off image compression. They can do so in the AOL Internet Properties dialog box.
• Keep your pages simple to keep scrolling to a minimum on your sites. You should also make sure your sites are no wider than 625 pixels to ensure that users don't have to scroll horizontally. For more information on designing AOL-compatible sites, visit AOL's Webmaster Web Site.

WebTV

• The width for a WebTV screen is 544 pixels, and height per screen is 372. Vertical scrolling is possible, but pages wider than 544 pixels will automatically be scaled to fit. To accommodate this reduced resolution, specify table widths in terms of percentages. WebTV will restrict fixed tables by wrapping or compressing them to the size it can accommodate, including any graphics. Image slicing may not display correctly due to WebTV's reformatting of tables.
• In addition, the WebTV browser converts frames into tables. Any static portion of a frame viewed in a browser will not remain static if there's a scrollbar. Back buttons will not work properly.
• WebTV users control the size of their fonts by setting up their preferences to read fonts as small, medium, or large. The only fonts they can see are Helvetica and Monaco. Television backgrounds are generally better dark, with light text.
• Navigation issues: WebTV users do not navigate using a mouse. Links are surrounded by a selection box which can be selected by keyboard or remote control arrow keys.
• Page titles for the title bar will be shortened to 35 total characters or less.
• TV screens uses different technology to generate images which results in less sharp images. White page backgrounds or large areas of red or yellow can cause blotchiness or distortion of your page.
• Forms will work if they're kept simple, with clean HTML code. Flash 1 and ColdFusion works well, but you may have difficulty with CCI, SSL, ASP, and other server-based technologies. WebTV doesn't support PDF files or Java applets.