But efforts over the years, from Web TV to the media-center PCs, have failed to catch on with consumers.
The industry is betting it's time for the Internet to be built into the TV. (Will be the other way around, in my humble opinion.)
"This is the first time it feels like everything is coming together that needs to be there" to make so-called Cinematic Web a reality, says Patrick Barry, vice president of digital home and desktop products at Yahoo's Connected TV division.
Some say that as early as January, consumers will be able to buy TVs, set-top boxes, DVD players, and even remote controls that can surf the Web, access related content, and even buy products seen on television shows -- all with one or two clicks of the remote control.
Yahoo and Intel have been working for two years to build a platform for Internet TV that won't seem intrusive to the viewer. They will rely on content providers to create applications for Internet TV, but consumers could see things like the ability to download movies, buy goods, track stocks or sports teams, and get news updates.
Eric Kim, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Home Center, said the semiconductor is being priced to hit the "sweet spot" of consumer electronic products.
This isn't the first time technology pundits have hyped Internet TV.
Microsoft and even Intel have touted media-center PCs, which are basically servers that act as a hub to send all your digital media to your TV. What's different this time around, said executives and industry watchers, is widespread adoption of broadband Internet access, coupled with content on the Internet that people actually want to watch.
It doesn't hurt that U.S. households by February will have to have TVs capable of handling the digital signal, not to mention the fact that consumers are multitasking when watching their favorite shows and sporting events.
"The Consumer Electronics Association has research that almost half of Americans watched Internet while the Super Bowl was on" according to Richard Doherty, research director at market research company Envisioneering. He thinks this time around the technology companies will be successful to turn iTV into a mass market.
I couldn't agree more!!!
