When MMW caught up with the folks at Intel last month at CES 2013 in Las Vegas, it was clear that big developments were on the horizon for this year.
This morning, one of the hush-hush projects on Intel’s drawing board officially leaped into the headlines as it prepares to leap into our living rooms.
Making the admission this morning at an AllThingsD’s media conference, Erik Huggers, head of Intel Media, told Walt Mossberg that Intel is planning to introduce an Internet-based TV service and box (powered by an Intel chip ) sometime in 2013.
Intel will be providing the hardware and services directly to consumers, and the box will come with a camera that can detect who is in front of the TV. Huggers declined to provide many details — including the service’s name and programming partners — but he said the service will allow users to watch live TV, on demand, and other offerings
“For the first time, we will deliver … a new consumer electronics product that people will buy from Intel through a new brand,” Huggers explained, according to CNET.
From what we gather, it doesn’t appear that users or subscribers of the service will have the option to pick and choose specific channels. Instead, bundled packages will likely be made available.
“What consumers want is choice, control, and convenience,” Huggers asserts. “If bundles are bundled right, there’s real value in that. … I don’t believe the industry is ready for pure a la carte.”
