The Japanese electronics manufacturers are seeking to produce TVs that are capable of hooking up to the Internet at broadband speeds, without the need for extra hardware, like a set-top box.
The technology behind the group’s common standards will be based on a Linux operating system, and the standards are expected to be ready in Spring 2007. Products could come later that year.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Sony and Panasonic’s parent company Matsushita are the lead shareholders in the consortium, each with a 35 percent stake, with the other companies holding 10 percent each.
Some experts predict this alliance of the TV giants could ultimately remove the need for extra hardware, and potentially eliminate the need for IPTV providers to sell such hardware to their customers.
According to InformiTV.com, “Multimedia Home Platform specification, the basis for the OpenCable Application Platform specification formally adopted by the American cable industry, was intended to provide just such a standard, but its adoption has been frustrated by wrangling over technology and licensing.”
Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai reported that the proposed Internet TVs will feature a remote control to access the Internet, and also will eliminate the need for a special keyboard to access content and other value-added services.
