In addition to WebTV, other companies have leveraged breakthroughs in digital technology, fiber-optic cable and the Internet to help develop tomorrow’s information/entertainment superhighway. Some examples of recent applications and some major players in the field follow:

Microsoft Web TV Plus The WebTV Network Plus Service integrates the Internet with television. WebTV Plus enhances your television viewing experience by helping you find the shows that interest you and letting you watch them when you want. WebTV allows you to experience interactive Internet content related to the show you are watching, watch TV and surf the Internet at the same time, send enhanced e-mails, as well as search what's on TV and easily record shows. There is a monthly fee for the service as well as a one-time charge to purchase the remote or wireless keyboard.

Through the Interactive Channel, Source Media is a leading force in expanding the use of interactive cable television and the Internet. By delivering enhanced web sites and the Internet for the cable TV environment, Source Media targets the 63 million-subscriber cable TV market. The company recently signed agreements with CourtTV, Bravo and the Independent Film Channel to enable these channels to "go interactive" by providing access to the cable channel's enhanced web site from their standard broadcast channel.

Diva Systems Corps new service called Onset is giving cable subscribers on several US cable systems immediate, remote-control access to hundreds of movies, as well as PBS, HBO, National Geo and children’s programming. This system allows viewers to fast forward, rewind, pause and even bookmark a movie so that they can pick up where they left off a few hours down the road.

Tivo Inc. has created a smart set-top box that recommends shows to viewers based on their personal preferences and can also record programs for later viewing as easily as clicking a remote.

American Interactive Media (AIME) webPASSPORT Network is an Internet television service featuring branded Internet content and original programming. AIME estimates the market potential for non-PC online access to be 70.6 M US TV households, making it the next mass Web audience.

WinTV occupies one computer PCI slot and lets users watch TV (or other video sources) on a PC running MS Windows – this includes a cable-ready 125-cable tuner. WinTV supports motion and still video frame capture, offers compatibility with MS NetMeeting and receives Intercast and WaveTop transmissions of data within television signals.

Los Altos, Calif. Start-up VM Labs Inc. is pushing its own design for a set-top box that plays games and digital movies.