# AOL TV

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Not to be confused with [AOL On](/source/AOL_On).

**AOL TV** was the name of both a [thin client](/source/Thin_client) which uses a [television](/source/Television) for display (rather than a [monitor](/source/Computer_display)), and the [online service](/source/Online_service) that supports it, both of which were launched in June 2000 to compete with [WebTV](/source/MSN_TV).

The product and service were developed by [America Online](/source/America_Online). While most [thin clients](/source/Thin_client) developed in the mid-1990s were positioned as diskless workstations for corporate [intranets](/source/Local_area_network), AOL TV was positioned as a consumer device for web access. Since the device was a dedicated web browser appliance, the cost of licensing a [proprietary](/source/Proprietary_Software) [operating system](/source/Operating_system) could be avoided. The cost of licensing a [proprietary](/source/Proprietary_Software) operating system is substantial for inexpensive devices.

The set top box for AOL TV was developed by NCI/Liberate using a [thin client](/source/Thin_client) and manufactured by [Philips](/source/Philips).[1][2][3]

AOL TV discontinued sales in November 2002, although the service remained available to existing subscribers.[4] The service is no longer supported by AOL and the documentation has been removed from their servers.

## References

1. Jennings, Roger (2009). [*Cloud Computing with the Windows Azure Platform*](https://books.google.com/books?id=KkwsRbTzkKQC&pg=PA8). Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publishing Inc. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-470-50638-7. LCCN 2009933376.

1. ["Liberate Technologies: Taking Strange to New Levels"](https://nerdtwilight.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/liberate-technologies-taking-strange-to-new-levels/). *Twilight in the Valley of the Nerds*. September 17, 2009.

1. Girard, Kim (January 2, 2002). ["Ellison resurrects network computer: Oracle's chief executive revives his dreams of replacing the PC by resurrecting the company that designs the scaled-down desktop systems and announcing plans to ship new models in the first quarter of next year."](http://www.cnet.com/news/ellison-resurrects-network-computer/). *[CNET](/source/CNET)*. Los Angeles: CBS Interactive Inc.

1. Hu, Jim (February 18, 2003). ["America Online confirms end of AOLTV: The Internet giant faces up to ho-hum consumer response and pulls the plug on sales of the product, giving up on its attempt to push interactive TV services."](http://news.com/2100-1023-984920.html). *[CNET](/source/CNET)*. CBS Interactive Inc. [Archived](https://archive.today/20130903125937/http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-984920.html) September 3, 2013 at the Wayback Machine.

## External links

- [The full soundtrack used by AOLTV (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAfEX5aZ_NM)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [AOL TV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL_TV) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL_TV?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.