AOL TV was the name of both a thin client which uses a television for display (rather than a monitor), and the online service that supports it, both of which were launched in June 2000 to compete with WebTV.

Since the device was a dedicated web browser appliance, the cost of licensing a proprietary operating system could be avoided.

The cost of licensing a proprietary operating system is substantial for inexpensive devices.

The set top box for AOL TV was developed by NCI/Liberate using a thin client and manufactured by Philips.

[1][2][3] AOL TV discontinued sales in November 2002, although the service remained available to existing subscribers.