It seems to be the Holy Grail for many major tech companies: bringing their products to the living room and specifically to the TV set. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have created a back door solution with their various game consoles that have added lots of extra media features. Google has been trying to push its Google TV OS to TV makers and set-top boxes with limited success for the past couple of years. Of course, Apple has been selling its Apple TV set-top box for a few years and there are tons of hints it may launch its own TV set.
Now there are rumors that Intel has been developing its own set-top box for televisions that could be combined with a cable TV-like service. The rumors began a few days ago, with some websites claiming that Intel would reveal the first details at CES 2013 next week. However, GigaOM claims, via unnamed sources, that Intel won"t be making any such announcements at CES.
The story also claims that Intel will sell its set-top box on its website and via other retailers, and will also offer a number of cable TV networks that could be accessed via the box. Furthermore, GigaOM also claims that the Intel TV service could also be streamed to other PCs, tablets and smartphones.
So when will this product launch? The article claims that a limited beta could start in March. It also claims that Intel has spent at least $100 million on this project, and possibly more than that, as of six months ago. It remains to be seen if Intel"s efforts will be any more successful than Google TV and Apple TV.
Source: GigaOM | Image via Intel