GE Wants Internet Capable TVs Without a PC

GE have announced that they are forming a new sub-company called General Displays & Technologies LLC (GDT).

This company is a new joint venture with Tatung.

The new company will concentrate on designing and marketing new HDTVs.

The difference between this company and parent GE is that there will be a huge emphasis on the Internet capabilities of the TVs.

These will be “premium’ units and the company is hoping to release their first offerings as early as spring next year.

The idea of the new concept TVs is that they will miss out the middle man, in that they will not need to be hooked up to a PC to have Internet capabilities.

The internet signal will come either down the cable or from a satellite, depending on the TV service the customer is using.

The company say that the new units will have features such as Internet Protocol TV (IPTV).

Their ultimate aim is a thoroughly customised TV, which the customer chooses for themselves with the help of widgets they can download to the TV.

NBC Universal entertainment company, best known for its US TV network NBC, will also be working with the company to produce an open platform that will deliver digital content directly through the television rather than via a PC.

Of course the new system will allow the viewing of web content and all the possibilities that go with it, such as social bookmarking and so on.

The companyies feel the time is right, as the cost of LCD and plasma TVs has fallen to the point that nearly all new TV sales in the US are now flat screen.

This means that to set themselves apart GE want a product that offers something different from the crowd.

Story link: GE Wants Internet Capable TVs Without a PC