Chris Barrie
The transformation of the television set from humble programme provider to multi- purpose information hub has continued with the announcement that the box will soon be able to make and receive your telephone calls.
As if 200 channels of programming combined with interactive services such as shopping and gambling were not enough, development engineers are now working on combining the TV and the telephone so that couch potatos can watch TV, telephone a friend and see the friend on-screen at the same time.
Andrew Wallace, marketing director of Pace Micro Technology, said the telephone’s functions would one day be copied on to the TV. Householders could see who was calling, and video conferencing would be made easier.
The cost of offering these services could also fall, as the cable companies will transmit the voice telephony over the Internet.
The developments will flow from an agreement struck by Cisco Systems, one of the world’s largest suppliers of Internet systems, and Pace, maker of set-top decoder boxes needed to convert today’s analogue TV sets into digital receivers.
With Cisco, Pace will develop a set- top decoder that handles TV programmes, Internet data and telephony services. Householders will plug their phones into the set-top box instead of the conventional wall- mounted jack.