Top companies team up for PC-TV, etc.........
Media, tech firms think digital
By Jim Davis
Staff Writer, CNET NEWS.COM
July 28, 1998, 12:35 p.m. PT
Some of the most influential media and technology
companies are collaborating to create the
technological underpinnings for a coming wave of
TVs that will combine standard programming with
Internet content, and Microsoft appears to be just
one of many small fish in a big pond.
Media companies including Disney, CNN, and
NBC have teamed up with Intel, Microsoft,
CableLabs, and others to work on harmonizing
technology for combining Internet content with
television programming, according to a joint
announcement made today.
The companies have formed an organization, called
Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATEF),
which will promote the use of standardized
technology, allowing content providers to design
interactive content for delivery through cable,
satellite, or digital TV platforms.
Due to the market's relative immaturity and lack of
strong consumer interest, the oft-cited convergence
of PC technologies with consumer electronics
devices is far from being fully realized, but the
group's work could pave the way for everything
from handheld video players to digital set-top
boxes to finally arrive en masse.
More...........
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