Yahoo!, a website offering different Internet services, recently entered the consumer electronics market with the introduction of ‘Yahoo! Connected TV group’. The group unveiled ‘TV Widgets’, a next generation of interactive technology and services for Internet-connected televisions that is yet to be rolled-out to the market, at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

 

The Connected TV concept brings interactive widget-based user experience for TV as well as best of the Web to a wide array of living-room devices, via various TV Widgets. With this, a user can either watch Internet content such as weather forecast or stock news simultaneously while watching a TV show; or chat with friends over Internet; or share photos and video via community websites; or personalize widgets and watch a missed episode of a TV show - all on TV screen. 

 

The TV Widgets is basically powered by the Yahoo! Widget Engine, which is based on Konfabulator widget platform for PC that is re-engineered for consumer electronics devices. The engine enables developers to distribute content to millions of viewers via TV, thereby enhancing features of ‘Cinematic Internet’ via a new class of interactive applications.

 

The Cinematic Internet is Yahoo!’s (News - Alert) vision for the up-and-coming world of Internet-connected TV that combine Internet’s choice, community, and personalization with the power of television, said company.

 

In August 2008, Yahoo! and Intel together, under a partnership agreement, initiated Widget Channel - with an aim to foster innovation in the connected TV. This partnership released the Widget Development Kit (WDK), which will allow developers to create TV Widgets that utilizes a rich set of programming interfaces called the Widget Channel API. The TV Widgets development will in-turn encourages the creation of a connected TV ecosystem. The WDK will be available for CE manufacturers, advertisers and content publishers as well, said the company.

 

The Widget Development Kit utilizes some of the standard tools such as JAVASCRIPT, XML and HTML, thereby making it easy to develop. The kit also facilitates for quick deployment of TV Widgets that are based upon Internet services.

 

With the same initiative to bring connected TV ecosystem to millions of consumers, Yahoo! will be soon announcing partnerships with other consumer electronics manufacturers also including Samsung, Sony, LG Electronics (News - Alert) and VIZIO, who will be developing different line of Internet-connected television sets that are expected to be available soon, according to the sources.

 

 “Yahoo! has combined key attributes of the Internet, including openness, community, and personalization, with the power of television,” said Patrick Barry, vice president, Connected TV, Yahoo. “By creating this revolutionary new Internet experience, and combining our technology with the global distribution of major consumer electronics partners, we enable consumers to access the relevant information and content to enhance their television watching experience.”

 

Apart from Yahoo!, different content providers have already started developing different widgets that include eBay (News - Alert), MySpace, CBS, The New York Times, Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster, Showtime, USA TODAY and Twitter. Yahoo! will be offering Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Weather, Yahoo! Video, Yahoo! Finance and Flickr.