Mahwah, N.J. — Sharp Electronics said it has signed a deal with NBC Universal (NBCU) to bring its content in the form of text and pictures to Aquos Net-connected TVs.
The announcement came from its company headquarters, here, hours before its CEDIA Expo press conference in Denver today, which it is expected to use to announce additions to its Aquos LCD TV and Blu-ray lines.
Sharp said consumers using Sharp Aquos LCD TVs equipped with Aquos Net capability will have access to a variety of Web-based content from NBCU’s content portfolio.
Aquos Net is a gateway, available through the Ethernet jack on the television, to several services, including independently supplied Web-based content, Sharp said.
Beginning this month with entertainment news from “Access Hollywood” and extending throughout the year to include iVillage’s Astrology.com horoscopes and various other NBCU network news and sports brands, Aquos Net TV viewers will be able to view this content in onscreen “widgets” as news items and in either split-screen or full-screen mode. The first of these available widgets, containing “Access Hollywood” content, will offer the most recent entertainment headlines. Selecting the NBCU widget will open a Web page to the most recent breaking entertainment news and associated images. Applications for CNBC and MSNBC will also be developed.
Currently available through Aquos Net is content from Weatherbug, Nasdaq, Accedo Broadband for games such as blackjack and Sudoku, UCLICK to follow daily comic strips, and Aquos Gallery, which provides users with high-resolution 1080p images of scenery and nature, Sharp said.
