Sony Internet TV - powered by Google - will be introduced next week, and you'll have your pick of model sizes: it appears that Sony will be offering 4 different Internet TV’s – 24′, 32′, 40′, and 46′ models.
But the idea for Sony's Internet TV has been long familiar to science fiction fans. In his 1946 story A Logic Named Joe, Murray Leinster writes about an amazing television receiver that gets much more than just the usual network content:
I was servicing televisions before that guy Carson invented his trick circuit that will select any of 'steenteen million other circuits - in theory there ain't no limit...
You know the Logics set-up. You got a Logic in your house. It looks like a vision-receiver used to, only it's got keys instead of dials and you punch the keys for what you wanna get. It's hooked in to the Tank, which has the carson Circuit all fixed up with relays. Say you punch "Station SNAFU" on your Logic. Relays in the Tank take over an' whatever vision program SNAFU is telecastin' comes on your logic's screen...
But besides that, if you punch for the weather forecast or who won today's race at Hialea or who was mistress of the White House durin' Garfield's administration or what is PDQ and R sellin' for today, that comes on the screen too...
(Read more about Leinster's Carson circuit
And that is exactly what Google TV lets you do; take a look at this helpful video for more details.
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