This may have some bearing on LDDI, not sure. may have a more direct effect on Powerchannel.
Press Briefing
Thursday's top stories
RCA to sell WebTV receivers
Compiled by CBS MarketWatch
INDIANAPOLIS (CBS.MW) -- RCA will begin selling WebTV
receivers this fall, but executives said they will delay until next year the
rollout of a TV with built-in WebTV capabilities. With a built-in, all-in-one
product, RCA hoped to leapfrog Philips Electronics NV (PHG: news,
msgs)of the Netherlands and Japan's Sony Corp. (SNE: news, msgs), the
leading makers of WebTV receivers, in the business of connecting
televisions to the Internet. Instead, RCA, a unit of Thomson Multimedia
SA of France, will offer a stand-alone WebTV Plus receiver for $249.
RCA executives said they decided to wait until after Microsoft (MSFT:
news, msgs), owner of the WebTV technology, finishes an overhaul of
WebTV's technical structure so that it can be based on Microsoft's
Windows CE operating system. A spokeswoman for Microsoft said the
change, expected to be completed late this year, will permit the newer,
WebTV Plus devices to be upgraded to a future version of Windows CE
with interactive TV-oriented features. Today, Windows CE is primarily
used to perform the basic functions in pocket-size computers. |
