AOLTV Internet Television Set-Top Box

The future of television viewing has started to change quietly with AOLTV. By plugging the set-top box into a phone line, your television you can do many of those things previously reserved for the home computer right on your TV screen.

With the wireless keyboard you can send and receive email and instant messages, participate in an online chats, get pictures, check television listings and see selected information on your favorite shows. The picture-in-picture allows you to continue watching your favorite show while you use all these AOL features.

One very cool application of AOLTV is that it enables you to play along with shows like “Street Smarts” right from your comfy armchair. But don’t expect to play along with too many shows just yet. This new type of content is just beginning to emerge and looks like the tip of the iceberg as far as interactive television is concerned. When most television shows (rather than a select few) have an interactive element, the fight over the remote or keyboard in most households promises to get intense. Sporting events with “stats on demand” alone could be enough to drive many couch potatoes off their duffs to get an AOLTV box.

If you are looking for a user friendly system for email, chat and instant messaging functions and slick looking TV listings, AOLTV will be perfect for you. Another plus side to this set-top box is that the keyboard is simple to master with many one-touch commands. Once AOLTV supports broadband (DSL or cable modem), the system will get even better. If this is the direction that AOL is heading, things will get very interesting very soon for interactive TV.

The price of the AOL box is $199 and there is a service fee of $14.95 a month for AOL members $24.95 for non-AOL members.

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