Vizio

You have good reason to be skeptical when someone says millions of ordinary television viewers are about to start surfing the Internet on the living room's electronic hearth.

We've heard that Web-on-your-TV convergence promise for more than a decade, with ambitious efforts to make it happen including AOL TV and WebTV Networks. Each time, the optimists have been wrong.

This year might be different.

Confounding its own outlook for slowing growth in the fourth quarter, Netflix said its subscriber base grew by a robust 26 percent year over year to about 9,390,000 subscribers at the close of 2008.

"In hindsight, we underestimated the positive impact of the introduction of the multifunction consumer electronics devices from LG Electronics, Samsung, Microsoft and TiVo that promote Netflix streaming," said Reed Hastings, Netflix cofounder and CEO. "The precise impact of the recession is unclear, but it is very clear that streaming is energizing our growth."

Yahoo is making a bid for Internet television. The company's Connected TV group unveiled the next generation of technology and services for Internet-connected televisions, along with a slew of partnerships that promise consumers plenty of options.

The first fruits of Yahoo's partnerships with leading consumer electronics manufacturers, which include Samsung, Sony, LG Electronics, and Vizio, is a widget-based user experience that delivers Web content to TVs. The products that tap into Yahoo's Connected TV technology will be available in the spring.