Videotron, Montreal, a broadband cable and Internet service provider, has signed a deal with PowerTV and Scientific-Atlanta to offer TV-based e-mail to its 1.6 million customers.
Videotron is offering PowerTV's SofaMAIL e-mail service via Scientific-Atlanta's Explorer set-top boxes and digital network. Consumers are now able to access e-mail through their televisions using a wireless keyboard to type e-mail addresses and retrieve messages.
Consumers can continue watching a television program in the upper right corner of the television screen while reading and composing e-mail messages. Also, consumers are able to receive and view digital photographs attached to incoming e-mail.
PowerTV, Cupertino, CA, is a developer of software applications and services for digital interactive cable television for more than 6 million set-top boxes. Scientific Atlanta, Lawrenceville, GA, is a provider of digital interactive set-top boxes
