Samsung is dragging the internet away from the family PC and out of the home office and putting it on the television set in the lounge.
The S. Korean company will announce atthe IFA industry fair in Germany that it is partnering Yahoo! to provide content for a new integrated internet access service in its televisions. Called "InfoLive", the service will provide news, finance and weather information from Yahoo!, directed from the remote control. Samsung plans to provide the service on Series 7, 8 and 9 televisions in Canada, Australia, and Singapore and in selected countries in Europe by the end of this year.
Users will be able to watch a programme while a tickertape of news items, share prices or weather forecasts runs in tandem with it. The content is accessible via an integrated Ethernet port or via Samsung's wireless LAN adapter, which connects to the viewer's broadband service.
Separately, Samsung is a partner for
a venture between Yahoo! and Intel, to develop what is being called the Widget Channel of interactive content. In due course, viewers may be able to check their eBay auction, view a friend's photos and instant message friends, all using the remote control from the comfort of their armchairs.