Think about the companies you’d expect to pioneer new concepts for TV’s future. Sony? A major TV network maybe? Nope! It’s Wal-Mart, if you can believe it. The mass retailer has developed a new in-store TV display system that manages to tap into the internet and accomplish the monumental task of…selling you stuff.

That’s right, Wal-Mart will be stuffing it’s aisles with TVs that have custom created news and ad spots for its customers. You’ll even be able to touch and engage with these TVs via adspots. One has to wonder if a home version of such displays are really that far off. Wouldn’t it make sense to have flat panel screens that will bring to us our favorite shows based on our own personal tastes? We could use DVR and other tools at the touch of a button.

Mobile technology (and portable gaming consoles like the Nintendo DS) have all embraced the idea of touch screen technology fairly rapidly. It stands to reason then that TVs could also take advantage of touch screens in the future. Unfortunately for now, that just means watching annoying ads as we walk down the aisles shopping for groceries.