Smart TV Invention: Clever Idea with Endless Possibilities

The future of TV has never been brighter than right now. The combination of standard channel surfing and movie watching has been given a huge face lift to incorporate surfing the web and networking with friends and family into the equation.

Powered by the Intel "Atom" processor, combined with the Google internet surf engine and the Android OS apps which rivals iPod, iPhone and iTouch, the way you watch TV will never be the same. Until now internet connected televisions, through the use of an ethernet connection or Wi-Fi, provided basically a few functions such as streaming movies from providers like Vudu and Netflix or allow you to listen to music via Pandora. You can even connect to friends on Twitter and Facebook, but that was really the extent of it. I'm not saying that this was a bad thing, only that the way you watch TV has gotten a whole lot smarter thanks to Smart TV.

Sony and Logitech have teamed up with Google and intel to expand the dimension of internet TV. Apple is also in the development stage of its Apple TV and internet program. What you have here is a way of interacting with your television in a dramatic way. The ability to control your TV through a unique remote or voice command will allow you to access a whole new world of features and apps on your TV.

Not only will you be able to continue to download and stream movies and music, you will now have the ability to download internet applications and surf between television channels and websites as well. Videos and personal content can be viewed on your TV and have the convenience to be able to social network while watching TV or a movie at your fingertips.

There are three ways of bringing the Smart TV technology into your home or office. You can purchase a television that has Smart TV enabled. Prices for this capability range in price from roughly $599.00 for a 24" TV to $1,400 for a 46". Pricy...yes but if you are in the market for a new television, having this feature is nice addition. If you are not in the market for a new TV you may want to consider purchasing a Smart TV compatible Blu-Ray player. Smart TV compatible Blu-Ray players run about $400.00 which is a couple hundred dollars less than the cost of getting a Smart TV. The third option is to purchase the companion box which connects the internet to your TV. Logitech and Sony have developed companion boxes suited to transferring your television into Smart TV. The Logitech Revue companion box comes with a stylish and intuitive keyboard/touchpad controller to enable you experience the beauty of Smart TV for $299.99. The nice thing about this companion box is it can be connected via ethernet cable or 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi. A web cam upgrade can also be employed for an extra $30.00 or so to bring ooVoo, Net meeting and Skype into the picture...no pun intended.

As time passes, I am sure that other large companies will jump into the Smart TV market. Given the options and features provided by Smart TV, it makes no sense not to get involved. Now the Smart TV is in the infancy stage so bugs may be encountered as well as ease of operation and streamlining will probably be enhanced. Having said this, however, I think this new technological breakthrough is amazing. The ability to combine all aspects and benefits of a PC/laptop and experience it on the big screen just seems to provide the ultimate in hi-tech entertainment and enjoyment.