It’s not so long away before the internet and the TV become almost the same thing. We’ll surf the web on our TV, while also subscribing to internet TV shows, buying video downloads, and watching TV broadcast over a broadband connection.
However, there is still a long way to go with TV technology, and internet technology, still somewhat incompatible with each other. There are two major issues:
- Using a TV needs to be simple and somewhat passive, whereas currently internet TV and the internet in general is a bit more complicated and somewhat active.
- The quality of internet TV is limited and not very scalable at this time.
Companies innovating with internet and TV convergence:
TiVo
TiVo is really at the forefront of creating a fluid TV experience and it has already started integrating a number of online features including video downloads, remote scheduling, and TiVoCast for watching online video blogs. Not to mention some of the other things that TiVo has in the works.
SlingMedia
SlingMedia saw innovation in allowing people to take their living room TV and DVR recordings anywhere by broadcasting them over a private channel on the internet using a Slingbox. You can see here that the company already has a good reputation for delivering a solid product with many people saying the Slingbox is worth purchasing.
The company is also developing devices which will bring the PC to the TV, such as the SlingCatcher which will allow you to view whatever is on your PCs screen on your TV over a home network.
Apple
Apple is quickly becoming one of the leading retailers of movie and TV downloads with a large number of videos available in the Apple iTunes store.
The Apple TV, expected to be released anytime soon, will link the iTunes store to the television set allowing people to seamlessly watch itunes downloads on their TV set. While the Apple TV does not have overly impressive specs or features, it does feature Apple’s renowned ease of use (see video).
Microsoft
When it comes to internet television Microsoft is very busy and has a lot up its sleeve. It is already rolling out an IPTV platform in a number of territories, and is merging the TV and PC into one with its Media Center PCs and connecting it all together with media extenders.
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