February 18, 2008
Connecting the Net with your TV set
Buyers of this year's most advanced televisions might notice a curious new feature -- a little jack that connects the sets directly to the Internet. The Los Angeles Times reports.
For now, the capabilities are modest. Viewers can't surf the Web as they can on their computers, but they can use their remote controls to get updated local weather forecasts, personalized stock quotes, on-demand access to a handful of TV shows such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and thousands of YouTube.
But the Web connections could eventually upend the way TV programs have been distributed for decades. The goal is to one day replace every set-top device -- cable boxes, TiVos, media center computers, stereos and game consoles -- so all you need is a TV set that does it all, via the Internet.
As broadband gets faster, TVs get more powerful and entertainment companies put more content online, viewers might be able to call up any show, movie, song or amateur video at any time without needing local TV stations or cable subscriptions."
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