Internet TV is something that has been promised fairly regularly and consistently over a period of time and some small insteps have been made, but news from Samsung and Yahoo indicates that some (although depressingly few) decent movements have been made towards an integrated single Internet TV solution. The snappily titled LE40B650 from Samsung, which is already available, combines Internet widgets into your televisual entertainment and all with just the click of a button on your remote. There is a bit of a problem, at the moment, but one that we’re hoping will be fixed soon enough.
The service, currently called Internet@TV is a scheme being delivered by a partnership between Samsung and Yahoo and when you click the Internet@TV button your chosen widgets will be displayed along the widget bar at the bottom of the TV screen. This means you’ll be able to look at the weather, news headlines, and even view YouTube and Flickr updates without having to mess about with the PC and Internet.
The big problem is that there are currently only 4 widgets available, which is a pretty poor showing, but the technology is still in development and once it matures past infancy it’s likely that you’ll be able to get many more. Presumably that will include updates from just about every social networking website, as well as email, and other Internet technology delivered right at the bottom of Lost and Prison Break episodes – sweet.
Oh, and the TV itself is a pretty slick piece of kit too, so it’s looking pretty good.
