Apple has been reportedly in talks with U.S. cable operators about allowing viewers to use an Apple TV device as a set-top box for live television , the Wall Street Journal reported today. Time Warner Cable Inc among the cable networks that the iPhone maker is in talks with, but it has not yet reached a deal, the "people familiar with the matter" told The Wall Street Journal.

Apple already sells a $99 set-top box called Apple TV that streams Netflix and other content.

It has not been confirmed if the set-top box would use the same hardware as Apple TV or an upgraded box, the newspaper said.

The technology might be embedded in a television, the sources told the Journal.

Apple did not provide any comment.