While Microsoft is moving further and further into the universe of digital television with its IPTV Mediaroom platform, Yahoo is closely following it by serving a side-dish of Internet to traditional television via Samsung TVs. In this regard, Yahoo and Samsung Electronics have announced a partnership designed to marry Samsung's 2009 HDTV products with the Yahoo Widget Engine. The new TV Widget service from Yahoo, labeled "Internet@TV - Content Service," will be made available only on select models of Samsung's 2009 flat-panel HDTV line-up, with neither company naming the products.
"As a leader in developing innovative technology platforms to provide indispensable Internet services to millions of users, Yahoo is excited to be working with Samsung to enhance consumers' television viewing experience by bringing the best of the Web to their televisions," Patrick Barry, vice president of Connected TV at Yahoo, revealed. "Through this partnership, we can combine the Internet benefits of user choice and personalization with Samsung's leading product innovation and global reach, to deliver a new experience to users around the world."
According to Yahoo, the adaptation of its Widget Engine for Samsung will permit users to extend the now traditional TV experience to new limits. The TV Widgets will bring to Samsung 2009 HDTVs not only a new level of interaction, but also the possibility for individuals to enjoy additional services and Internet content via their TV sets. Yahoo revealed that lightweight Javascript and XML applications would also be used for much more than serving content, and would additionally deliver community features, offering the necessary infrastructure for users to build social networks. The Internet@TV - Content Service will be accessible through HDTVs connected to home networks.
"Samsung has been a proven innovator in Internet-enabled TV technology for some time now, offering the ground-breaking InfoLink service last year in 2008. There's no denying that the easy-to-use, one-touch of the remote control service successfully provides information simply and effectively," Boo-Keun Yoon, executive vice president of the Visual Display Division at Samsung Electronics, said. He continued, "The collaboration with Yahoo lets viewers go one step further. This new interface allows them to interact and connect with many of their favorite Web services on a personal level. It's frankly way beyond just passively watching broadcasts, and is, no doubt, the future of TV."
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