SAN JOSE, California -- In October of 1953, a Saturday-morning show called Winky Dink and You debuted on CBS, and in short order it captivated American children. Though the show was mostly a Howdy-Doody-like kids' variety show, it had a unique aspect: It was "interactive." Children who wanted to help Winky sent away in the mail for a Wink Dinky Kit, which was basically a pack of crayons and a piece of clear plastic. The kids then pasted the plastic to their TV screens, and when Winky got in trouble -- he'd need a ladder to climb a building or a bridge to cross over a rushing river -- the kids would draw what Winky needed on their TV screens.

Well, at the Digital Hollywood Conference occurring here this week, they're talking about bringing Winky back, 21st century style. "It's going to be huge," said Andy Beers, Microsoft's representative at the conference. "The most significant thing to happen to TV in its 60-year history."

The technology would make watching TV more like surfing the Web. You'd be able to interact with the host of a talk show, for example, or get more stats on a sports program. And you could also purchase items using your remote control.If Beers' enthusiasm is any indication, companies are eager to bring you ITV. But these are the firms making the hardware and software to do it, so naturally, they're fans of interactivity.

But do people want ITV? Well, there's the rub -- nobody here really knows. Shows such as Winky Dinky were popular at first, but after a few years kids got tired of the same draw-Winky-a-bridge episodes. For interactivity to work, it would need to transcend formulaic gimmickry -- and, well, TV isn't a medium known for its innovation.

In its early incarnations, TV was a very one-way medium. There were few channels, and you had to do a lot of work -- get off the couch, walk to the TV, turn the dial, come back -- to watch something else. Those were glory days for the networks, as one good show could hold an audience for an entire evening. Of course, things slowly changed. The remote control -- probably the most significant thing to happen to TV in its history -- made changing channels a kind of national sport, and the introduction of cable TV allowed viewers many more program choices.

And then there's the Web. Today, viewers can interact with many TV shows in real time through the Internet. And some here said that, at least for the foreseeable future, that's as interactive as TV will become. Todd Tarpley, who works on A&E's "interactive" efforts, said that many of his network's programs involve some Web element. There are, for example, Web-enabled polls for viewers to pick the best biography of the year, and Tarpley considers that a very interactive endeavor.

But what about interactive programming that doesn't use the Web? On that score, the panelists were guarded in their predictions. There are many technological hurdles to cross before most people will get ITV into their living rooms on their regular TVs, not the least of which is a large-scale deployment of the advanced "set-top boxes" that will make interactivity possible.

Deployment is occurring slowly, Tarpley said, and there would need to be five million or so people connected before he'd consider it a viable way to go.

Some attendees here are saying that given the current adverse economic conditions, there is less optimistic buzz at this conference than there was at similar shows last year. Views such as Tarpley's are representative of the majority's: Don't hold your breath, as ITV won't be here tomorrow.