Every day, I wake up and ask myself:  Why can’t TV be more like the web? Why can’t it be interactive? Why can’t it be social? Why can’t I get the Internet on my TV?

Ok, this isn’t the first thought I have, but I’ve definitely been thinking a lot about interactive TV. Just recently, I saw that Yahoo is delivering Samsung HDTVs that use Yahoo!’s Widget Engine. What are TV Widgets? They are tiny applications that allow some form of interactive web content that enhances the TV viewing experience.

Only select Samsung’s 2009 flat-panel HDTV lines will support the new TV Widget service, called “Internet@TV - Content Service.”  The Samsung HDTVs will include an Ethernet port and allow for a Wi-Fi connection via a USB dongle. (What a weird world we live in when dongle and widget are actual tech words.)

Applications that will be enabled on TVs include a bunch of Yahoo! properties like Weather, News Finance and Flickr. Developers can also use the Widget Development Kit (WDK) to create almost anything to the TV. (I wonder if anyone will build some Google widgets, hmm.)

Overall, I was really happy to read that Yahoo’s Widgets would enable streaming video, like YouTube.  It’s clearly a step in the right direction, and these kinds of Internet/TV hybrids will be the norm in the future.

What sucks is that this is not a standard; it’s Yahoo’s approach to TV widgets. Will programmers and content companies get behind it? Will they only want to deliver to Samsung HDTV sets? Clearly, Yahoo! sees this as a first step to signing on more TV manufacturers, however it’s too early to know what consumers will do with this.

My feeling is that Yahoo’s TV widgets are  a great idea, but they won’t have much of an impact with anyone (consumers, advertisers, content owners, developers, etc.) because there will likely be slow adoption of broadband-enabled sets, and in particular, Samsung TV sets. Once Yahoo! signs up more TV manufacturers, it may be more compelling.

One thing I keep wondering is: What would Google do with broadband-enabled TV?

LG announced a new TV with the ability to stream movies from NetFlix without a set-top box. Essentially, the TV comes with an Ethernet connection and Linux operating system to run applications and stream content right to the TV.

Other TV manufacturers, like Sony, have said they will include Ethernet ports into their sets, but this is the first time that any application has been enabled directly into a TV set.

According to Gizmodo, the TV sets will cost about $200 to $300 more than similar TVs without NetFlix streaming. That’s rather interesting since you can buy the Roku NetFlix Player for $99. I imagine the disparity is because Roku is taking a loss on every Roku box they sell, and are making money from NetFlix somehow.

The other downside is that the LG TV sets will probably not have Wi-Fi. If that’s the case, you’ll need to run an Ethernet cable into your living room and connect it to your TV. (Actually, I’ve already done this because of the set-top box clutter, but that’s another story.)  The Roku box comes with an Ethernet port, but also comes with Wi-Fi.  If you’re into high quality video, you should probably connect with the Ethernet cable, because quality via Wi-Fi isn’t as good. There’s a longer start buffer, and seeking to different parts of the show is also very slow.

In effect, the only advantage to these broadband enabled TVs is avoiding another set-top box. That’s a noble goal, but it’s not very compelling or earth-shattering to most users. Another box vs. another $300 for your TV.

GigaOm has a post about Broadband TV, as he calls it, but he’s looking at it from NetFlix’s point of view.  And he makes a pretty good point about NetFlix. First of all, NetFlix already has the main ingredients to success as a primary VOD supplier. They have agreements with Hollywood, and they also have the technology to deliver movies over broadband connections.  Plus there’s the stand-alone Roku NetFLix Player box, and now broadband TVs.  So NetFlix needs to weather the storm now, and wait until the world (and technology) catches on to Internet-delivered entertainment into the home.

Eventually, I believe all HDTVs will be broadband enabled, so this is a good start.It’s a good bet that set-top boxes will disappear eventually, but not for a very long time.  Hopefully, future HDTVs will have broadband connections and an open source TV platform for running and creating applications. Imagine what creative applications we can experience on our TV screens. Imagine all the Internet companies that would rush to create applications. There would be Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, Google–anything on the web delivered to the TV. Think about the iPhone App model, except on the TV screen.

Interesting eh?

A survey by some company called Ensequence found that TV viewers want to interact with their TVs. In fact, 70% said that they would consider signing up to another TV provider if they offered advanced interactivity at no extra charge. Apparently, people aren’t just talking back to their TVs–they’re searching on-screen guides, viewing on-demand programming or using DVRs.

• 72% of viewers watching reality shows want the opportunity to interact with TV
• 65% said the same of sporting events
• 66% wanted to interact with commercials.

People should get ready for interactivity because it’s coming via IPTV–that’s essentially TV broadcasts delivered over managed IP networks.  Here in the U.S., AT&T and Verizon have been rolling out IPTV services around the country. Verizon’s FiOS TV service is rolling out fiber to customer homes and now has over 1 million subscribers, which is pretty good for a new TV provider. However Verizon is just using IP for their VOD, not for broadcast TV. Essentially, Verizon is just using cable-type delivery for broadcast. AT&T’s U-Verse, on the other hand is using IP for both broadcast TV and VOD.

Adding IP to TV essentially means bringing the Internet to your TV. Imagine a future where viewers will be able to get scrolling tickers, interactive commercials, e-mail on TV, multiple video angles of a sporting event, phone calls on TV screens, and lots more. That’s the promise of IPTV, however neither AT&T or Verizon have added much interactivity yet.

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