INTEL READY FOR INTERNET TV

 Erik Huggers, the head of Intel Media, joined Walt Mossberg onstage at AllThingsD's media conference today to confirm that the chip giant will be introducing its first internet-based TV before the year is over. By declaring it all the rumors are now over.

The company will be providing the hardware and services directly to consumers, and the device will come with a camera that can detect who is in front of the TV.Huggers said there will be services like live TV, on demad and others

He added that the set-top box will be be powered by an Intel chip and noted that the company is working with the entire television industry to figure out how to distribute live television, "catch-up TV," on-demand, and other services via the internet.Though Intel hopes to revolutionize the TV industry, the new service will resemble current cable offerings. For one, don't count on saving money with Intel's new offering. Huggers noted that Intel's push isn't a value play and won't cut a user's television bill in half.

Additionally, users will have the option to have channels dictated by intels team."What consumers want is choice, control, and convenience," Huggers said. "If bundles are done right, there's real value in that. I don't believe the industry is ready for pure a la carte."
However, Intel's history in the TV industry has been choppy, to say the least. It was early to push Google TVs and other smart TVs, with its processors powering a Sony Google TV and a Logitech Google TV set-top box. But those products were a failure, and Intel shut down its TV  business in late 2011 after failing to gain much traction.

Huggers joined Intel that same year following stints at the BBC and Microsoft. During his time at the BBC, he was on the executive board and served as director of BBC future media and technology, overseeing the company's online push and other initiatives.And during his time at Microsoft, Huggers worked in various digital media areas. While Intel stopped pushing its processors for use in smart TVs, the company clearly didn't give up on the market entirely.
Huggers noted that Intel has been building its media business for about a year. It will be interesting to see how all of this pans out, and the kind of success this new initiative will offer Intel.