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It’s safe to say that Internet video will show up soon in many American living rooms. How, and when, is an open question. Users with high-end PCs can take the do-it-yourself approach of cabling the PC’s video and sound systems to the television set. Here are some of the other solutions on the market |
Advanced Technetix
Product: Access Key
Marketed to: Network providers and end users
Access Key set-top boxes connect the television with the PC. Users can play Internet video (including high-definition video), play online games, listen to music, make VoIP calls, videoconference, run computing applications, store data and more.
Akimbo
Product: RCA Akimbo Player
Marketed to: End users
The Akimbo Player is a set-top box connecting a broadband modem or home network to the television. It gives users access to the Akimbo Service, a selection of video programs and new and old movies from Movielink. The Akimbo Service can also be accessed through Media Center PCs.
Alcatel-Lucent
Product: My Own TV
Marketed to: Telecom operators
My Own TV software lets users upload movies and photos from the PC to the operator’s network and share them with selected viewers, who access the content on a dedicated television channel.
Amino
Product: AmiNET125i
Marketed to: Network providers
Amino’s set-top box connects the television to both the video service and the wireless home network. In addition to playing television channels, it provides the user with access to Internet content. Amino says network providers can use it either for branded, walled garden and aggregated content portals, or for free-to-view niche and minority content.
Apple Computer
Product: iTV
Marketed to: End users
As of press time, the details of Apple’s iTV player (and even its final name) have not been revealed. Apple has said it plans to sell a set-top box that will connect the PC and TV, allowing customers to watch content on television that they have downloaded to the PC from iTunes online store.
Digeo
Product: Moxi Media Center for Cable
Marketed to: Cable providers
Digeo’s set-top box connects the television, cable service and home network. In addition to playing cable television channels and performing DVR functions, it can play photos and music from networked PCs on the television.
ICTV
Product: Active Video Distribution Network
Marketed to: Network providers and content owners
AVDN software delivers broadband video to cable, IPTV and mobile viewers with any type of set-top box or handset.
Intel
Product: Viiv technology
Marketed to: PC manufacturers/end users
Viiv-enabled PCs are multimedia PCs optimized for entertainment and designed to be connected to the television.
ITVN
Product: ITVN service
Marketed to: End users
ITVN markets subscriptions to a variety of broadband television channels and provides subscribers with a free set-top box that connects the television to the broadband modem or wireless home network.
MediaREADY
Product: MediaREADY MC
Marketed to: End users
MediaREADY’s set-top box includes DVR functions, plays CDs and DVDs, and streams PC and Internet content to the television screen. (See article for details.)
Microsoft
Product: Windows XP Media Center
Marketed to: End users
Windows XP Media Center runs on Media Center PCs made by several vendors. Media Center PCs have set-top box functionality in addition to PC functionality. Several interfaces connect to the television so that any Internet content can be viewed on the television.
NeuLion
Product: NeuLion IPTV Platform
Marketed to: Content aggregators
Neulion supplies IPTV hardware/software platform to content aggregators and set-top boxes to their subscribers. Set-top boxes connect broadband modem with television. Subscribers have access only to the Internet content they have subscribed to. (See article for details.)
Siemens
Product: Gigaset HD series
Marketed to: Telecom operators
Siemens’ set-top boxes connect the television to both the video service and the broadband modem. In addition to playing television channels and performing DVR functions, they provide the user with access to Internet content.
TiVo
Product: TiVoCast
Marketed to: End users
TiVo supplies a line of digital video recorders that can be connected via broadband. Subscribers with these broadband-connected DVRs have free access to the TiVoCast service, which makes selected Internet video content available on the television screen.
