ICTV main competitors are Worldgate and Microsoft WebTV. ICTV is famous for selling Pizzas.
Their partners are Amino (2004), Flying Rhinoceros (On The Farm).
What happen if a Taiwanese Juice company succesfully sell Pegasos II based STB and ICTV ask Amiga Inc to port AmigaAnywhere to the STB?
From News.com:
ICTV differentiates itself from its competitors by putting most of the computing power in the central office, or the head end, of the cable network. With ICTV, the set-top box merely decodes the images sent over the cable network. Even the individual keystrokes are sent over the network to the Intel-based computers for processing. Using this approach, ICTV asserts that it can offer better Internet compatibility--such as being able to run plug-ins--than most of the advanced set-top boxes because its computers use Intel chips. ICTV also claims it can offer a lower cost because its system can run on relatively modest cable boxes. Unlike some other interactive TV software, ICTV's system does not alter the graphics of Web sites. ICTV senior vice president Michael Collette acknowledges that this approach means some Web pages look rather poor given the lower resolution of a television, compared with a computer. However, he anticipates portals and other Web sites will want to create TV-specific content once there is a significant market. Collette estimates that the cost of installing a simple system, which offers email and basic interactive services such as instant access to local news and weather, costs cable companies $25 to $35 per subscriber. A more powerful system allowing for full Web surfing costs in the range of $75 to $100 per subscriber, but Collette said it should generate $20 to $30 per subscriber per month in revenue from monthly fees, advertising and e-commerce commissions.
