Intel has confirmed that it is working on a television over internet service, complete with hardware to complement the concept.
Intel Media’s General Manager Erik Huggers, speaking at the Dive into Media conference in California, said that the service would be launching this year but declined to say what it would be called when it becomes real. What is known is that it won’t be Intel-branded.
The service will have “live television, catch-up television, on-demand, [and] a set of applications” as well as the hardware in the form of a set-top box, which will include a camera – possibly for use in targeted advertising – that can be deactivated if need be. The camera, like Microsoft’s Kinect, could also be used to show personalised content if it is able to recognise the viewer.
Offerings via the service don’t sound substantially different from South Africa’s current DStv bouquets, with Huggers saying that “I don’t believe that the industry is ready for a la carte.” However, Intel may be able to put a different spin on how content bundles are handled.
Intel’s newest venture is likely to launch in the States before it heads elsewhere and it will probably take some time before it lands on South African shores.
Source: The Verge