The Idiot Box gets some brains

This is the cutting edge,a TV and a PC rolled into one

This is the cutting edge,a TV and a PC rolled into one
The television set is getting a quiet makeover. First,it shed loads of flab for its new slim and trim look. Now,attempts are being made to breathe some sense to it,to let you do more than watch soaps and game shows; and perhaps to prove that it would be wrong to still call it the Idiot Box.
The latest endeavour in this regard has been made by VU Technologies. While some companies have come out with computers that can tune television channels,this company has done the reverse and made a TV that doubles up as a full-fledged computer. It has married a sleek LCD TV with a Personal Computer,and named it the VU Intelligent TV.

Well,I dont know about intelligence,because it doesnt control your room temperature or switch off automatically by sensing long absence of body heat. But yes,VU Intelligent TV is still a very smart product. This is a TV that also allows you to surf the Net,download movies or videos from YouTube,catch up with friends on Facebook,Orkut,Twitter,GTalk etc,all on a big 40 or 46 inch screen.

TWO-IN-ONE
The VU Intelligent TV is bound to surprise you for what it has managed to doto fit an efficient and fast computer inside an LCD panel,and that too without making it cumbersome. If you are someone who likes to multi-task,this will make your life easier.
The most interesting part is that you can simply use this LCD machine as a TV or a computer,or both. If you want to work on the computer and keep a tab on the cricket match alongside,just activate the picture-in-picture PIP mode and watch TV simultaneously. If your priorities change after some time,just swap the two functions and the TV show will become the main display while the computer will go in the PIP mode. You can also give equal space to both on the screen.

WIRELESS
The VU Intelligent TV needs very few wires to function and this gives it a neat and clean look. Compared to a PC system it appears almost wire-free. There is just one power cable,one Ethernet LAN connection wire you can use Wi-Fi instead and a cable or DTH connection wire. The keyboard,too,is wireless as it connects via radio frequency RF,and has a touchpad mouse on it,allowing you to use the computer from any corner of your houseit has a range of 40 feet.

THE COMPUTER
The computer part of the TV is the real surprise,without which this is just another good LCD TV. VU has incorporated a complete computer into the body of an LCD TV without much visible changes. To activate the Intelligent TV or computer mode,one just has to press a red button at the back and select the VGA source.
Empowered by a VuTION engine,the computer is quick. It comes with 160 GB hard disk drive which can be extended up to 1 TB,Intel Atom 1.60 GHz processor ,1 GB RAM and the Window XP Home operative system. To access the Internet,you can either use LAN or a Wi-Fi connection. Besides,it also has software like DivX player and recorder,iTunes and VLC Player installed.
The computer system is excellent and allows you to do everything you would on a regular laptop or PC. But since it lacks a UPS backup,keep saving you documents if you are in a power-cut prone area. Also,it might take a while to get used to the split mouse on wireless keyboardtouchpad roller on the right and click buttons on the left.

THE TV
The VU Intelligent TV is an equally good LCD TV. The seventh generation-make TV is full HD high-definition capable. It has a resolution of 1920215;1080 pixels with 1080p progressive scanning and 16.7 million colours,and has response time of 5 ms ensuring a good viewing experience while watching regular channels or movies on the DVD player.

DO MORE
Here is what else you can do with an intelligent TV.
Download: You can download free movies,songs,pictures,etc on this TV just like any other PC,and watch it on the big screen. However,sometimes even the high quality video from the Internet might disappoint and look hazy on an LCD. So ensure you download only good quality stuff.

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Play games: The unit allows you to download and play your favourite PC games directly on the LCD TV. Moreover,it can connect external games too.
Chat: Unlike your PC/laptops,here you can chat online,do social networking,check out pictures on Flickr on the big screen. However,if you are on to some secret chatting with someone special,then better watch out. Your secrets are on a big screen.
There are four USB ports given at the back of the TV which you can use to view saved digital media files like pictures or videos. The remote has dedicates keys to make life easier.

The VU Intelligent TV is available in 40 and 46 inches and priced at Rs 69,990 and Rs 89,990.