So far the joining of the Internet and TV’s has been very limited. People have cobbled together their PC’s with their TV’s to get that integration, but it is bulky and quite messy, plus it can be fiddly to use. There are a raft of Internet sites that allow for movies and TV programmes to be streamed along the World Wide Web to your PC and it’s a wonder manufacturers haven’t made the TV integration sooner.
Sony, last year released the $300 dollar Bravia Internet Video Link that connects to most Sony Bravia 2007 and 2008 models. Now there is another gadget on the block that works with both HDTV’s and analogue TV’s and at two thirds of the cost.
Netgear are set to release their ITV2000 unit this summer in the US allowing you to stream live broadcasts from Internet sites around the world direct to your TV. The unit is just a bit bigger than a pack of cards so no need to make much more space available under your TV for it.
As well as being able to stream content from sites such as YouTube, BBC.com, Eurosport.com, Yahoo and Google Videos and on-demand services amongst others, the tiny gadget can perform searches for particular topics, people and popular sites. You can even play music, videos or photos from a USB drive that plugs into it.
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