Yahoo has just launched the Go for TV service, allowing computers to record television programs similar to a digital video recorder (DVR). Users can also play DVDs, music, photos, and other content through this software.
Yahoo Go for TV operates only on Windows computers with at least 20 GB of free storage to save programs, 512 MB of RAM, and a 1 GHz processor. Users will also need to purchase a TV card and a cable connection to the TV screen. The service offers a data transfer speed of 1.5 Mb/second.
The Go for TV software interacts with several other Yahoo media products such as Launchcast – a subscription music and radio service – and Flickr – a leading photo sharing platform.
Currently, TV cards are relatively inexpensive compared to spending hundreds of USD on DVD players and DVRs. Therefore, many television companies believe that combining TV and computers is a good way to reach consumers.
Recently, Microsoft reported that the Windows XP Media Center software is outselling the standard version of the operating system, while Hewlett-Packard announced last year the development of a technology that allows high definition (HD) TV viewing directly on personal computers. Meanwhile, last week, Yahoo acquired video, photo, and music integration technology for digital home entertainment systems from Meedio (Houston, USA).
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