Yahoo, Intel revisit the WebTV era

Complementing the TV with content from the Internet sounds like a blast to the past, judging by what Yahoo and Intel announced today.


TV Widgets? Really?

Yodal Anecdotal says it's so:

Everyone loves their TVs. So much so that over 37 million units were sold in North America in 2007. But how much more would you love your TV if you could monitor your eBay auctions, keep tabs on the 5-day weather forecast, and check the score of the Giants game — all at the same time you are watching the new season of “ER”?

I don't know, I'm sitting at my computer, I can see the TV from here but it's not on right now. If I want to see how the Mets are doing while Greatest American Dog is on, I'm probably going to hit a bookmark in the browser while a commercial is on (sorry sponsors.)

The display Yahoo and Intel have in mind for the Widget Channel, a vision they call the Cinematic Internet, brings widget content to the bottom of the TV screen. After all, someone may have a critically important picture of their cat to share while you're waiting for the Weather Channel to tell you if a tornado is on the way out of town or not.

There's the perquisite amount of speculation on Techmeme about this latest foray into your living room. I can give you a simple breakdown of this, and it has to do with something at hand - your remote.

Television endures due to its simplicity. Turn it on, change the channel, lower the volume when the commercials begin. It's passive, and aside from having complex remotes or multiple remotes for different entertainment devices, there's no challenge to watching The Office.

People may be ready for this extra bit of interactivity with their television. But TV-based web initiatives never seem to gain a lot of ground. Like a lot of Yahoo investors after the failed Microsoft takeover bid, one has to wonder what Jerry Yang and company were thinking here.

I have to admit, 'Cinematic Internet' is kind of a catchy name.