What's on TV? Connections to Internet
Now that football's behind us, I find it easy to leave the television switched off. For real entertainment, I can just log on to YouTube and enjoy an uncensored recording of movie star Christian Bale's spectacular temper tantrum. Try doing that with your TV.
Oh, wait a minute - you can. It's getting easier by the day to connect your TV to the Internet. For instance, the latest video-game consoles - Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, Nintendo Co.'s Wii, and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 - let you hook up and download all sorts of online news and entertainment. Now TV makers are moving to cut out the middleman and make Internet access a standard feature of future sets. Sharp Electronics Corp. makes a number of flat-panel TVs that allow direct but limited access to the Internet. I tried a $1,400 46-inch that features a built-in Ethernet port for plugging into a home broadband router. Too bad Wi-Fi wireless access was not an option.
The Sharp TV offers a set of "widgets," mini-Internet sites that display snippets of news and weather information. Punch in a ZIP code or city name, and the TV will warn you of the next inbound snowstorm. You can get headlines from MSNBC and up-to-date Nasdaq stock market quotes.
Still, it's a pretty skimpy set of offerings. There's no full-fledged Web browser, so you can't visit any site you choose. Then again, that's not such a bad thing. Who wants to surf the Internet with a TV remote or keep a full-size wireless keyboard under the sofa?
But then, where are the news video clips from MSNBC or anyplace else? There aren't any. The Sharp sets don't support Internet video or audio - just still images and a few headlines, from a depressingly sparse collection of sources. Give Sharp credit for rushing to put Internet on its sets, but it will need to add more content to make the effort worthwhile.
Sony's also working on TVs with built-in Internet, but in the meantime, it's come up with the Bravia Internet Link. It's a $300 box that bolts onto a variety of Sony flat-panel TV sets, and connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi or an Ethernet wire. We tried it on a Sony 40-incher that retails for around $1,800, but the Internet Link will also work with less expensive Sony sets.
The Bravia Internet Link delivers a lot more Internet. As with the Sharp set, you don't get a traditional Web browser and can only visit a group of preselected Internet services. But Sony gives you lots to choose from. YouTube? Of course. But also Amazon.com's video-on-demand service, where you can rent thousands of TV shows and movies for instant viewing.
And there's plenty more on tap. Watch recent episodes of shows from the CBS and CW TV networks, video blogs at Blip.tv, cooking videos from the foodie website Epicurious, plus news, sports, and weather from Yahoo, including video clips of important events.
It's a shame that most of the available Internet video is in standard definition, or worse. But a few channels offer high-definition videos, at 780-pixel resolution. Sony says streaming videos at the highest 1,080-pixel resolution would require broadband speeds of about 10 million bits per second, far higher than what is found in most US households. But 780-pixel video needs a consistent two megabits per second. That can be a problem for DSL broadband subscribers, but should be well within range for the typical cable modem user. Of course, if someone else in the house is using the Internet connection, your video quality could suffer.
In all, Bravia Internet Link provides a good online experience. But it's still far short of what it might be. There's no integration between the Internet content and TV programming. You basically shut down the telly to visit Yahoo, for instance.
What's needed is a way to watch TV and skim the Internet simultaneously. You could get news headlines and stock quotes in a corner of the screen while watching a basketball game. Besides, millions of people blog in real time about their favorite shows. Best-selling humorist Dave Barry, for instance, writes a snide minute-by-minute commentary on every episode of the TV series "24." Today, I read along on my laptop, but I'd rather see his snarky musings on the big screen.
Yahoo's working on just such a concept, along with TV makers Sony, Vizio, Samsung, and LG. This year, it will roll out sets with built-in online capability and embedded Yahoo software. The system, called Yahoo Connected TV, will feature a variety of widget programs that will serve up Internet content in on-screen sidebars that won't interrupt your TV viewing.
You'll be able to visit a friend's MySpace page or see if you're top bidder in an eBay auction. Widgets could feature content linked to specific TV shows - Dave Barry's musings on "24," perhaps, or an autopsy how-to guide for fans of the various "CSI" detective shows. And of course, you'll have access to popular Internet video services.
My brief test of Yahoo Connected TV during last month's Consumer Electronics Show has convinced me that most new TVs will be Internet-capable in a few years. Maybe the next time Christian Bale throws a fit, I'll be able to enjoy it on my living room sofa, instead of crouching over a keyboard.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com. 