HP adds YouTube to its 'MediaSmart' HDTV

(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)

There have been various efforts to bring YouTube to the TV and other devices that bypass the computer, from Apple TV and TiVo in the living room to Archos on the road. But most of these have centered on boxes made by third parties and not the TV makers themselves.

Hewlett-Packard is trying to fill that void with its "MediaSmart" products, which include an HDTV receiver that allows viewers "to create multiple playlists from anywhere they watch TV." There's a hefty price to watch those homemade cat videos on a big screen, however, as the MediaSmart TV with built-in receiver starts at $1,900 for 42- and 46-inch 1080p LCDs.

And of course, depending on the quality of the YouTube masterpiece that's playing, you could be looking at a morass of giant pixels viewable only if you stand 20 feet away. Then again, it might be best to keep your distance anyway in case it's a next-generation Rickroll.