Like the idea of high-definition TV? So, it seems, does Yahoo Japan, which reportedly intends to launch an Internet portal serving HD-ready TVs. And there are a couple points of interest even for those of us who live outside Japan.
Yahoo Japan Prepares HDTV Portal
The first of these is the speed of the whole project; the launch is due to occur “as early as the current fiscal year,” according to HDTV UK. Also, “Yahoo aims to acquire one million users per month by the end of 2008.” If this quick release and early success occur as anticipated, Yahoo would probably be eager to expand the program.
Furthermore, “the company is working with Sharp to jointly develop display technology for large screen televisions that’s compatible with high-definition video.” An expansion or continuation could also take place here if all goes well.
There are some problems, however. A minor one: the portal won’t be offering television shows and movies from the get-go; instead, HDTV UK reports, “[t]he portal will initially offer services that provide information using still images and text including maps, restaurant information and rankings of book sales.” The good stuff will follow later.
But a more serious issue is the “portability” of the system. Compared to the U.S., Japan enjoys vastly faster and cheaper broadband service. Until we can catch up, introducing Yahoo’s HDTV portal in America might not make much sense.
