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Intel predicts Smart TV is the device of the future
CHIPMAKER Intel believes that the Smart TV is the electronic device of the future, in the living room anyway.
Better known for making processors for PCs and laptops, Intel also has its tiny chips inside set top boxes. The INQUIRER attended today's Intellect Consumer Electronics Conference to see what Intel had to say.
Erik Huggers, VP and MD of Intel's digital home group said, "Smart TV is the opportunity" after announcing that "making predictions is a dangerous game".
Huggers' reasons behind backing the Smart TV of the future is mostly based on the fact that the market is wide open.
Unlike markets such as the tablet market where certain players - Apple and Google - are so dominant that other players have barriers to entry, the TV market has no clear leader or winner.
Hugger' added, "The landscape in the TV market is so fragmented, everyone is doing their own thing."
He believes that we're at an "inflection point" and where there is a market worth $500bn there's reason for manufacturers to come up with the winning product or service. The tricky part is not overwhelming consumers with too much choice.
Of course, Hagger's thinks that Intel has a part to play in driving the products that will compete in the Smart TV market, whether that means working with a large well known manufacturer or smaller, lesser known firms.
He even added that his worst user experience, in the UK at least, has been Sky.
The Smart TV is already upon us, in its various forms from various manufacturers. It has arrived with 3D capabilities, web browsing and social networking and applications. Currently Samsung and LG seem to be two of the big players pushing the Smart TV to consumers.
Whether the Smart TV is the future or not, and we're not sure, Chipzilla seems to think so and no doubt it will try to bung its chips into every device possible. µ
Tags: Hardware
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Can I buy a $10 low power ARM chip to build my Smart TV from Intel? Or would I need to use a 20W iSomething XYZ and a massive heatsink and fan?
You want to link my TV to the Internet, to be hacked by the first script kiddie with an agenda ? Or do you really think I am not aware that my TV viewing habits will be sent back to whomever has hooked into my TV IP address in order to better target ads to me - sorry, serve me with ads relevant to my taste ?
Well, in a word, sir, NO.
The TV is a dumb terminal and that suits me fine, it can stay dumb.
I don't need my TV to be "smart" enough to allow you to snoop on me, all it needs to do is serve the images from the feed I direct it to.
It can already do that, it needs no more.
Ever.
The "media PC" platform initiative? No? I expect as much for this stupidity from Intel as well.
Smart TV will just be another TRACKING tool to see what everyone watches on TV and where they visit on the Internet. This way they can track what and where everyone goes to demand higher advertising dollars and higher cable rates for the most popular viewed stations and sites. Just another way for the big media Corps. to find out the most popular media addictions people have. to make sure they can squeeze the most money out you to continue to support your media addiction favorites and must haves.
But as usual Corporate providers will publicly paint some other excuse of how great it will be and how it will better serve YOU. (Rather than tell the truth it's really to better SERVE THEM $$$.)
They can't demand the most money until they are sure the sheep have proven what is the most popular channels/websites by using the Smart TV tracking data as the evidence. Just like smart phones.
The new corporate weapon DATA DATA DATA.
The TV serves today mostly as a platform to distribute stupidity, violence and propaganda to dumb and lazy people. There is absolutely nothing smart about a TV. Getting rid of the TV is smart.
Tough to argue the potential for TV to embrace more functions in the living room - communications, voice and video; gaming, IPTV, Browser based compute etc - but with Chrome books, Win8 on ARM etc I doubt Intel has the dedication to enable this market with an alternative.
Ironically, all the big CE players that neutered Intel's DLNA efforts now face huge competition from Apple, Google and Microsoft that might allow a Meego/Atom combination to bloom. Love to see a viable architectural play emerge. products