RIYADH, 1 June 2004 — A device enabling users to surf the web directly through their TV is creating waves in the capital.
"It's the world's first Internet TV system that can be used without a computer," Mohammed Yousuf Ahmad, a channel developer of TV-Net, told Arab News. He said it not only facilitates access to the Internet but also has several other applications including full e-mail with attachments, instant messaging, electronic programming guides (EPG), chatrooms, games and educational software, besides word processing and photo editing tools.
TV-Net could extend the reach of the Internet to the large segment of the population that has no Internet facilities. According to the latest official statistics, the number of Internet users in the Kingdom stands at around 700,000.
The device is simple to use. All that is required is to connect the device (through a Scart socket) to any TV set and the telephone line by a standard telephone cable. The surfing is done through an infrared keyboard.
A feature of the keyboard is that it includes 18 "hot" keysâ that can be programmed to provide dedicated links to the sponsor's sites. Thus one of the hot links could be connected to the user's bank (for Internet banking), a second to news, a third to the TV guide, a fourth to shopping, and so on.
The Dwalej educational program, one of the hot links on the key board, comes online instantly, providing access to the Saudi curricula.
On the news side, one of the hot links is directly connected to SaudiNet for news from wire services. SMS can be sent by activating the particular hot link. The shopping directory provides a list of items for sale and their price range.
"We have entered into a partnership with SaudiNet for the Arabized browser," Yousuf said, adding that plans are under way to launch the Arabized version of TV-Net in Egypt, a huge potential market. This will be followed by the DSL version for high-speed access.
The DSL version would also make it possible to have options like video streaming (to watch video online), downloads, printer port, and USB port (to connect an external camera). It is also possible to get hot-linked to a cookery website for a complete recipe on Eastern or Western cuisine. Similarly, one of the hot links connects the user to jobs online and for payment of utility bills, among a host of other features.