Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

The Wall Street Journal

Internet-Ready TVs Usher Web Into Living Room

The Wall Street JournalAfter more than a decade of disappointment, the goal of marrying television and the Internet seems finally to be picking up steam. A key factor in the push are new TV sets that have networking connections built directly into them, requiring no additional set-top boxes for getting online. Meanwhile, many consumers are finding more attractive entertainment and information choices on the Internet -- and have already set up data networks for their PCs and laptops that can also help move that content to their TV sets.

Over the past year, Panasonic Corp., Sharp Corp. and Samsung have come out with HD TVs that can access services such as Google Inc.'s YouTube and Picasa photo albums, along with online weather forecasts and stock tickers. Kurt Scherf, an analyst with Parks Associates, estimates the number of Web-enabled TV sets will grow to 14% of the projected 26 million-28 million TV sets to be sold in the U.S. in 2012 from 1% last year.

From the article, "Internet-Ready TVs Usher Web Into Living Room" by NICK WINGFIELD and DON CLARK

Previously In The News

The Race to Build Command Centers for Smart Homes

Though some big names like Apple and Google aren’t exhibiting at CES, hundreds of smart-home hardware makers are. Examples include Blossom, a startup offering a new smart sprinkler controller t...

Silicon Valley Races to Make TV the Next Frontier for Apps

Technological advances, including faster processors, are fueling hopes that TVs and set-top boxes can do much more. For starters, Nvidia's Mr. Huang and others say, they can help bring gaming to a...

Changing the Channel on Apple TV

Still, an Apple-branded television has been one of the most persistent rumors floating around the consumer-electronics industry, as well as the investment community. The most glaring example came M...

Is Now the Time to Buy a 4K TV Set?

But supporters argue that a 4K television set, given its ability to improve current HD picture quality, among other reasons, is a better purchase even at today's prices than a large-screen HDTV, wh...