Five manufacturers to sell IP TVs

ACCORDING TO a report in Japan's Nihon Keizai newspaper today, at least five Japanese firms - including Sony and Matsushita (Panasonic) are expecting to be able to sell IP TV sets next year.

The other three manufacturers are Sharp, Toshiba and Hitachi. The objective is simple. A TV set makes a much easier tool for viewing the likes of streamed video and other Internet based graphics than a regular PC.

To avoid incompatibilities, the gang of five has announced its intention to set common standards for web connected TVs. The aim is to have such standards in place by as early as Q2 2007.

Nihon Keizai didn't reveal the source for this report. µ