Cyber View; May 1996; Scientific American Magazine; by Browning; 1 Page(s)

Someday soon, just about everything will be networked. Television may well be next. Intercasting is a technology developed by Intel that intertwines World Wide Web pages with television broadcasts. With it, video producers can back up their real-time broadcasts with all the resources of the Internet. So a sports fan could call up batting averages to a window in the screen of a baseball game. News programs could provide reams of background analysis for those eager to look beyond the limits of a 30-second spot. And advertisers could offer viewers the chance to buy their product--or to get more information about it.

Station KGW in Portland, Ore.--the local TV station to Intel¿s Hillsboro plant, which is taking the lead in Intercast development--ran a successful demonstration last year. PC makers Gateway, Packard Bell and others promise a full range of Intercast-equipped computers over the course of 1996. The hope is that the broadcasting will begin in earnest as soon as the machines start hitting the shops.