• by Steve Smith , Staff Writer @popeyesm, September 22, 2006

We've been patient, but when exactly are we going to get that long-promised interactive TV experience - TV shows with clickable elements that marry primetime and the Web? While you're waiting (and waiting), try the new ad units at Instant Media's broadband HDTV service I'M Interactive (im.com).

The media viewer displays pristine, full-screen high-def video. A sidebar synchronizes HTML content with products featured in the shows and the commercials. During an Aveeno spot, I clicked on a sidebar badge, which paused the video and opened Aveeno's Web site.

"Think of us like iTunes, except you can download and watch shows in HD or transfer them to your flat-panel TV," says Joe Raffetto, I'M's affiliate manager. The service's 300,000 users schedule downloads of TV shows, films, video podcasts, and music for later offline replay. The sidebar, using simple html coding, can pull in anything from sponsor microsites to live forums.