Couch Surfing Gets Smarter With TV-Web Combos
Your next TV will probably access the Net, and you face a choice of tools to simultaneously channel- and site-surf.Rebecca Freed, PCWorld.com
Sellers of consumer electronics are betting that when you buy a new TV for your family room, you'll be willing to cough up a little extra cash to be able to dash off e-mail, chat, and view the Web while curled up on the couch.
TV surfing is surfacing in a bewildering array of configurations. The delivery modes, payment models, and enabling technologies range wildly, but features and interface are fairly consistent. Don't expect to see Netscape or IE on your TV screen, though: These look like more polished versions of the TV Guide channel, emphasizing ease of navigation for the longtime couch potato. Many options from a myriad of vendors were on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.
The newest twist on "Web TV" is a design that incorporates the Internet connection hardware and browser, eliminating the need for a set-top box.
High-Definition Web Debuts
For the videophile, Ch.1 has created a platform to put the Internet into high-definition TVs. At the show Princeton Graphics Systems announced the first HDTV-capable set to use Ch.1's hardware specification and carry its service.
The AI3.6HD is a 36-inch display you can use with either dial-up or broadband Internet service. It also accepts input from VCRs and DVD players, and it is scheduled to ship in January priced at $3499. A proprietary remote incorporates a small keypad for pecking out e-mail, but the AI3.6HD is also compatible with infrared cordless keyboards. The Ch.1 interface comes with a subscription fee: You can use it with an existing ISP account for a between $10 and $14 monthly, depending on the number of users and whether the optional Web site filtering is chosen. For an additional $10 monthly, Ch.1 offers dial-up ISP accounts.
Channel-Surf on Two Mediums
Ch.1 is an offshoot of Princeton Graphics, but Princeton isn't the only manufacturer to offer Ch.1-compliant TVs. At CES, NadaPC also announced 27-inch, HDTV-ready sets that include a wireless keyboard and remote, to be available in late March. These will be priced at $199, with a 36-month subscription to NadaPC's dial-up Internet service at $21.95 per month. NadaPC plans to offer a broadband plan starting in April and announce subscription options then.
Like most of the TV-Web-browsing schemes shown during CES, Ch.1's interface emphasizes easily flipping through bookmarked Web sites with the proprietary remote, as though you're flipping TV channels. You can also quickly switch between the TV and Internet or view both at once through a picture-in-picture configuration. As with a portal, Ch.1 offers preset categories such as shopping and news that you can customize.
Do You Want Your TV With or Without the Web?
Other integrated TV-Web browser configurations are in development from familiar names in home entertainment, many of which are partnering to produce new devices. Also, the set-top box continues to draw interest from some home entertainment system leaders.
Panasonic is preparing TVs that incorporate all the hardware and software necessary to connect to the Web and send e-mail, via either an integrated 56k modem or a cable or Ethernet connection. The 27-inch and 32-inch analog (NTSC) sets come with wireless keyboards, wireless mice, and remotes. Panasonic expects the 27-inch set to sell for $549 and the 32-inch model for $849 when they hit stores this summer. Panasonic's models incorporate interactive TV hardware from TeleCruz and work with any existing ISP account.
EspriTV announced 16- and 27-inch analog sets that provide Internet access via a 133-MHz X86-class chip and a browser created by PlanetWeb, which also offers its browsing capability on the Sega Dreamcast. The EspriTV models, manufactured by Turku TV of Finland, will be available this summer with list prices of $998 for the 27-inch and $798 for the 16-inch set.
Like the other high-end Internet TVs, the EspriTV models let you simultaneously watch TV and browse the Web. Included are configurations for user profiles and logins, as well as for parental controls. These sets have inputs for dial-up and broadband connections and can be used with any ISP account, although the company's Web site lists some preferred ISPs.
Don't Discount the Set-Top Box
More along the lines of the original WebTV, Zenith has announced it is using TeleCruz hardware inside a $599, 27-inch analog TV for new Internet users. The Zenith set, which is scheduled to ship in early May, incorporates a TV portal created and maintained by Transcast, which packages selected Web sites in a portal optimized for viewing on TVs. No subscription fee is charged to access the Transcast portal. Transcast's search tool links to the whole Web, so you're not locked into viewing only the sites chosen by the service. The Zenith set comes with a wireless keyboard for navigating the portal and composing e-mail.
Adding Internet features to other TV services that typically require a set-top box is a marked trend at CES. If you're thinking about getting your TV reception via satellite service instead of cable, you'll have lots of options for adding basic e-mail and browsing to that service, and many more choices in hardware. Microsoft's UltimateTV (the successor to WebTV) will be an add-on service to DirecTV. Set-top boxes that support it are expected to be offered by both RCA and Sony. AOLTV boxes are available now for cable users and will be offered in a satellite package later this year.
Nokia also entered the interactive TV fray at CES, with its Media Terminal. Pricing will be announced when it ships at the end of this year. With a 366-MHz Celeron processor, Linux-based operating software, and a Mozilla browser, this box is designed to do more than just light Web surfing.
With a planned hard drive capacity of at least 20GB, the unit can also do TiVo-like digital video recording. It also has a USB ports and Smart Card and PC Card slots, so you can view digital camera images on your TV, and connect printers, digital cameras, and other peripherals. The Media Terminal will include MP3 player software and games.