Does it strike you as a little bit late to start talks on smart TVs? Me too, but to be fair, this isn’t Chunghwa and Intel’s first time to the rodeo. Reports have the tech giants getting together for a friendly chat later in the month. I’m sure “what’s best for the consumer?” will be #1 on their agenda.

The only thing that makes me nervous is the fact that both of these guys have been on the wrong side of stuff like price-fixing and antitrust litigation. Obviously at some point the 900-lb gorillas have to get together and talk turkey, but often when they do, whatever gets left off the table ends up neglected for a long time. LCD makers setting standards, for instance, seem to have agreed not to improve their displays or lower prices too quickly.

Actually, chances are that Intel and Chunghwa have a well-established relationship and are just meeting to hammer out the details of the next step in the process — taking over the smartification of TVs. I doubt these talks will be very public, but we’ll make sure to let you know if these smoke-filled-room talks make the news.