Network appliance for enhanced television services

摘要

Enhanced television services are delivered and presented on a network appliance without the need for an enhanced-content enabled television set or set-top box. The enhanced content is decoupled from the television signal (or radio signal), allowing for the presentation of the enhanced content alone on a stand-alone network appliance. The network appliance may be a handheld computing device (e.g. a "palm" computing device), a tablette, a remote control with a display or a digital cellular phone handset with a display. The network appliance is enabled for Internet or Intranet access and is also provided with an infrared transmitter so as to operate as a remote control for a television (or radio) having an infrared beam receiver. Through use of the network appliance, the viewer would be presented with the same enhanced content on the network appliance as would be presented to the viewer if an enhanced content enabled television or set-top box (or radio) were being used.