Comments on: Yahoo’s Internet TV Widget Platform

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:32:30 +0000

I bet Vizio’s will be a lower price! and I can’t wait to see them out

By: George

George — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:22:27 +0000

Yahoo Widgets has major memory leaks on the PC desktop. If they are using the same platform for the TV, I’m worried that these widgets are going to crash my TV. Perhaps they feel that people don’t keep their TVs on for significant lengths of time so that the increasing memory usage bugs in Yahoo Widgets are not a problem.

By: Dave Zatz

Dave Zatz — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:05:58 +0000

As long as it’s built into boxes we already have or boxes we want (like a Blu-ray player or cable box, as you say), it’s fine. But enough of these dedicated Vudu-esque boxes.

By the way, I also swung by Intel’s booth and spoke to Glenn Cochran of the Digital Home Group – shot some pics. Will have to hit that at some point as well, including their reference design for a tru2way cable DVR (which was branded Samsung, as well as some unbranded stuff and models destined for or deployed in Europe).

By: Art Vandalay

Art Vandalay — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:03:21 +0000

This internet/tv convergence is going to found in ’set top boxes’ much more often than built directly into a tv. So you wouldn’t need a new or special HDTV for the product.
Future blu-ray players, cable boxes, tivo/dvr boxes etc will have this tech incorporated. (this is basically what intel showed off)

By: John G

John G — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:33:22 +0000

I’ll keep my Tivo! – Yahoo – thanks though for thinking of this, but I just purchased a new TV, it’s going to be a while before I would even consider this feature as something I would need. I’ll have it on my Tivo long before I would buy a new TV.

John G.

By: Hogues

Hogues — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:53:30 +0000

If you could squeeze a PVR into a tru2way tv with internet video, that would truly be boxless nirvana. I can’t wait.

By: Dave Zatz

Dave Zatz — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:27:50 +0000

Todd, xdreamwalker is correct. Without an Internet-connected television you don't have many options to run this. It may be possible some existing or older TVs could receive firmware updates, but in terms of manufacturers allocating resources I bet most will want you to buy new TVs. Yahoo and Intel have also demo-ed a little prototype (?) box. I suppose that could be offered as a retail accessory to "retrofit" existing television, but I'm not sure if it's headed to market (and by whom). I'm pretty fired up, but the well rounded Vizio model (802.11n, Netflix, QWERTY remote) isn't schedule to drop until this summer. I'm hoping a unified platform like this accelerates Internet video into the living room. And can you imagine a tru2way HDTV with this? It could be boxless Nirvana... Interestingly, the consolidated Yahoo Connected Home unit also displays the Y! TiVo HME apps. Although this new widget engine/bar would be so much better.

By: xdreamwalker

xdreamwalker — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:20:41 +0000

@Todd, if you did not have an internet connected TV, like me, then you would need some sort of hardware box. For me, that box is a computer, but this solution takes out the need for another STB.
To me this sure does look nice.