Intel is working with PC manufacturers Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Quanta Computer and Compal Electronics to launch smart TVs in 2013, Asian electronics trade magazine DigiTimes reported Friday, citing anonymous sources at component suppliers.
Intel and HP representatives declined to comment. Representatives from the other companies did not respond to requests for comment.
Intel's new smart TV plans will focus on the user interface and include voice, gesture and facial recognition systems, according to DigiTimes.
Intel previously had been a key partner for Google's TV initiative, producing high-performance microprocessors that powered the Google TV software platform for Sony and Logitech. But in 2011, after Google TV failed to get traction, Intel scrapped that effort.
Meanwhile, Intel has visions of becoming a "virtual cable operator,” having approached media companies about a service that would offer consumers a bundle of TV channels delivered over the Internet, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year. The Journal article from March had said Intel’s Internet TV service could launch before the end of 2012.
