A Web-to-TV installation uses a variety of third-party components, typically built around a PC capable of running a browser and the most popular codecs (Flash, Windows Media Player, Real, Quicktime, etc.) and a home network.
The hardware components required for Web-to-TV can be categorized as Media PCs, Media Extenders and Video on Demand. All of these solutions provide A/V outputs for a TV and Ethernet and Wireless network adapters.
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Several companies provide media extenders including Netgear and Dlink. Advanced game consoles - Xbox 360 from Microsoft, PS3 from Sony, and the Nintendo Wii - can be configured to stream or view content delivered from a PC on the user's home network.
A new entry from ZeeVee connects to the VGA output of a home PC/server and LocalCasts (transmits) it throughout the users house over the existing coax wiring as a normal HD Dolby 5.1 channel that is directly tunable by all connected HDTV's. A unique benefit of this approach is that no additional boxes are required at each TV because only single LocalCast device is required to insert a private channel on the homes coax distribution system. In order to do this the monitor output of the PC is digitized, MPEG2 compressed, and QAM encoded all at HD resolution and in real-time. The LocalCasting PC is controlled with an RF remote or RF keyboard that includes a pointing device to provide normal interactivity with any PC application within a range suitable for the normal home. Another important benefit of this over-the-top approach is that it provides the broadest access to internet content because it supports any content or application that can be viewed on a PC.
Examples of video on demand solutions include AppleTV, the Netflix player by Roku and the movie service from Vudu.
KylinTV provides a "box" that serves a number of Chinese language web channels. The service is sold on a monthly subscription basis. Time Warner cable announced plans to offer a web to TV solution.
Sony Bravia Internet Link provides Web to TV without a PC.
Sony has also announced plans to integrate this functionality into future TVs. Several major TV suppliers have made similar claims. The advent of high performance, low cost processors from ARM and Intel will ultimately bring the Web to (every) TV.