Neon lights up TVs with Internet access Pentium chip used in set-top box.(Neon Technology)(Company Business and Marketing)

Neon Technology has announced a television set-top box for high-speed Internet access, featuring an Intel Pentium MMX chip, as part of a trend toward non-PC-based information appliances.

Designed around an embedded version of the Intel processor -- previously found mainly in PCs -- the Neon set-top box offers support for fast Internet access via both Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line and Ethernet connections, the companies said. The system was announced at Comdex, in Las Vegas, earlier this month.

By integrating an Intel processor and chip set, the Neon set-top box will provide desktop PC-like performance and quality in a living room environment, according …