What’s next? DVDs that lets you surf

Next on the consumer electronics Most Wanted list? A DVD player that lets you

surf the Internet on your TV.

Playing DVD movies requires a vast amount of computing power. Now, at least

two companies, Samsung Electronics America and Dallas-based Internet service

provider Eisa.com announced plans to sell a DVD player that includes the ability

to connect to the Internet and display Web pages, e-mail and other online

content on a standard television.

Eisa said it would charge just $99 for the DVD player. But, the consumer has

to sign up for two years of Internet access service at $23.99 a month. Samsung,

meanwhile said it would launch a $499 DVD player that will enable people to play

games and access the Internet.

Analysts said the prospects for the devices were not all that great at this

point. They point to Microsoft’s WebTV service that has failed to attract a

large subscriber base. And, Samsung and Eisa will compete with Net-connected

game consoles from Sega, televisions from Philips, cable and satellite set-tops,

and digital video recorders from TiVo and ReplayTV.

Others point out that DVD sales of 771,000 in the first two months of the

year (and projected to reach 6.5 million this year), are another 230 per cent

over sales volume a year ago. Systems with added Internet features may be

attractive to a significant portion of the DVD market.