The more powerful Microsoft TV Advanced will give the next generation of boxes more capabilities. The other two packages will only be used by your cable or satellite company. Only if interactive TV takes off, and if Microsoft becomes a major player. Industry observers have talked about interactive television for years, but its success is hardly a given. Current offerings, which let some subscribers play along with Jeopardy or research The Weather Channel, haven't caught fire.
Some reasons have more to do with furniture than technology.
It's that one program that everyone suddenly needs. But no one's sure what that will be, or how it will appeal to people who already know what they want from that big box in the living room. The winner will probably add to the existing television experience. It's by a company with the unlikely name of The Kiss Principle. Through it, you can chat with other viewers while watching a program, commenting on what you see.