Happy New Year! For some of us, nothing kicks off a new year like the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This year, we’re excited about the buzz at the event, what it means for the future, for you and for Qwest.

One of the big stories we saw at CES this year was the convergence of the Internet and TV and the products that bring the two together.

Qwest believes that the Internet is the backbone of this trend. In fact, the New York Times article “To Connect to the Internet, Just Turn on Your TV,” (Jan. 11, 2009) said, “If there was one overarching theme from the Consumer Electronics Show here last week, it was that absolutely every device in our lives is becoming a computer connected to the Internet.”

Some of the TV innovations that are incorporating Internet connectivity include:

• the ability to stream HD movies directly into your home via your Internet connection with embedded movie-rental and download capabilities into TVs;
• an Internet set-top device that allows viewers to watch online video on their TV screen instead of their computer
• a device that will let you watch what is on your DVR at home on a computer across the country.

As the trend toward Internet and TV integration continues, the same New York Times article predicted that “increasingly what will differentiate one TV from another is the software it runs and the Internet services it connects to.”

We agree – and with our Fiber-Optic Fast Internet and reliable network, we believe that Qwest is poised to deliver the Internet experience needed to power these innovations.   

Did any online community members attend CES? Where do you see the trends going?

- Travis Leo

Product Director, Qwest High-Speed Internet