Linux-Friendly, Internet-Enabled HDTVs?

mrchaotica writes "I'm in the market for a new HDTV (in the $1200-or-slightly-more range, as I won the extended-service-plan lottery and have a Sears store credit). Several of the TVs I've looked at have various 'Internet TV' features (here are Samsung's and Panasonic's). Some manufacturers appear to be rolling their own, while others are partnering with Yahoo (maybe in an attempt to create a 'standard?'). Moreover, these TVs also tend to run Linux under the hood (although their GPL compliance, such as in Panasonic's case, may leave something to be desired). Finally, it's easy to imagine these TVs being able to support video streaming services (YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, etc.) without a set-top box, but I don't know the extent to which that support actually exists. Here are my questions: 1) Is this 'Internet TV' thing going to be a big deal going forward, or just a gimmick? 2) Which manufacturers are most [open standard|Linux|hacker]-friendly? 3) Which TV models have the best support (or best potential and community backing) for this sort of thing?"

Comments

Re:Save your money

[tepples]

That, or buy a TV and a PC. Two things a media center PC can do that a net-TV or a Popcorn Hour box can't:

• Play indie games and other PC games.
• View web pages other than the widgets that the TV manufacturer approves. This way you can manage your Netflix queue.

Yes, but

[Runaway1956]

Every bloody piece of technology you own was PRODUCED with Linux, and it more than likely relies on Linux. Wanna know why? Because Linux is reliable. I maintain 38 intrusion machines, 5 extruders, and 7 sonic welders, as well as dozens of table/bench machines that rely on Linux. In the entire plant, only ONE machine runs in a Windows (NT4 SP6) environment, and it crashes frequently.

If/when you fork over half a ton of money, do you want to bring YOUR high tech gadget home, just to see a BSOD? Just for fun, Linux users can experience the BSOD. But, why?

Re:hacker-friendly HDMI-capable TV can't support H

[Nerdfest]

Just to clarify for the uninformed, that 'acronym' stands for 'HanDiCaP'.

Re:It's a TV!!

[ucblockhead]

"Full blown" computer in the sense that a 1998 era PC is a full blown computer. Yes, it may be Linux inside, but it's Linux running on 64 MB of RAM, 64 MB of Flash, and with most of /usr/bin deleted to save space Expecting it to have Samba or NFS is actually quite a bit more ignorant than the grandparent.