ZillionTV promises unlimited TV through targeted ads

Beta testing for ZillionTV is currently under way, the streaming service closely follows the model Roku took with its own set-top box, but applies it to commercial television.

Users pay a one-time fee to activate the ZillionTV set top box and remote, and then hook it up to their broadband connection to begin streaming content. The service then offers viewing tiers: the free, ad-subsidized tier, the rental tier, and the "buy to own" tier. The ad-subsidized tier features interactive ads targeted to the user's preferences. Before watching subsidized programming, for example, the user could have to select the ads they'd most like to see, the ads are also affected by the user's location, viewing habits, and demographics.

Currently, content comes from 20th Century Fox Television, Walt Disney Studios, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.

Users can inquire about beta testing on the ZillionTV site. The service is being rolled out throughout 2009, but is limited by ISP bandwidth caps, so there is no guarantee that certain areas will ever have access to ZillionTV.