Intel today launched a system-on-a-chip (SoC) for digital television, and said it has partnered with Yahoo in building software that brings the Web to the TV screen.

Media Processor CE 3100, launched at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, is the first of a family of SoCs for consumer electronics, a market that Intel is aggressively trying to corner and own the majority of the market share.

The CE 3100 offers more than just TV, and is adaptable to other consumer electronics, such as high-definition DVD players and cable set-top boxes. The SoC includes Intel’s new media processor, formerly codenamed Canmore that handles HD video, home-theater quality audio and 3D graphics. Consumer electronics makers Samsung Electronics and Toshiba will be among the first companies to use the new technology.

Intel claims its offering is better for software developers, since they can use the same tools available for building applications for Intel’s other x86 processors commonly found in the PC world. Intel plans to ship CE 3100 next month.

Yahoo is among the first companies to build software on top of the new SoC.