Internet TV Is Finally a Reality Show

INTERNET TV IS FINALLY A REALITY SHOW
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Cliff Edwards]
After years of build-up, it looks as if content, computers, and consumer electronics are all finally converging. So far there's been scant consumer interest in Internet TV. Indeed, two-thirds of U.S. homes that have gone to the trouble of setting up wireless networks and Ethernet routers still only use them to share Internet access and have no other devices connected -- not even printers or other PC peripherals, according to researcher In-Stat. Even though prices for such products are low, most consumers still consider it too complicated to network all their electronic gear. To make the technology as simple as possible, Sony, HP, and other vendors are finally creating software that can be used across all their devices -- be it PCs, TVs, or set-top boxes. Consumers for the first time won't have to learn new tricks for using different products from the same company. And third-party software vendors will have a common set of development tools for a particular company's products, helping speed time to market. The battle for dominance is expected to be bruising. Traditional cable and satellite companies will fight it out with Web portals like Yahoo! and Google, as well as their own content partners. "The fight to capture the expanding base of IPTV subscribers will put telecom operators on a collision course with existing pay-TV market competitors and with a new class of broadband video portals as they roll out progressively more sophisticated offerings," says Mark Kirstein, iSuppli vice-president for multimedia content and services.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2007/tc20070129_246549.htm?chan=rss_topStories_ssi_5