The Next Generation of Web-Enabled TVs

Valerie Thomson

European and Japanese TV manufacturers such as Thomson, Metec, Daewoo, Sanyo, Philips, Nokia, and Sharp recently showed the latest versions of their Web-enabled TVs. Although slightly different, all feature powerful mainstream processors such as the ARM 7500 or Pentium, 33.6-Kbps modem, easy-to-use software for e-mail, as well as a Web browser. They also share list prices of DM 6000 and up.

Simultaneous viewing of Web pages and TV programs (called "picture-in-picture"), infrared keyboards, and ports for printers and mice seem to be the essential components of this generation of devices. However, unlike Nokia's prototype set-top box called Mediamaster, none of these TV hybrids incl udes an Ethernet card for directly accessing an interactive cable service.

The model built by OEM Metec (Karlsbad, Germany) is one of the few that integrates a complete Windows PC in a TV set, without the need for a separate set-top box. It is based on a Pentium 133 or 166 processor and has a 1.2-GB hard drive and is expandable to 32 MB of RAM. It also includes a sound card, CD-ROM drive, and an ISDN card or a modem. The unit can be upgraded to function as a videoconferencing system with a wireless microphone, camera, and associated software. However, there's no special user interface for TV viewers who are not computer-literate. It's simply Windows 95 on your television.

Thomson Multimedia (Boulogne, France), on the other hand, is billing its new set-top box as a consumer network computer (NC). This unit has a 33.6-Kbps modem, plus smartcard and PC Card slots. The box is multimedia-ready, supporting Virtual Reality Modeling Language, RealVideo, Shockwave, and videoconferencing.

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Web-enabled TV sets for your living room.