Well, it’s official. Google TV will be making its way to a living room near you later this fall. Announced at Google IO 2010, there were more than enough details given to get a sense of the seismic shift coming, not only for how you interact with TV, but also how you interact with media across the board.
With the goal of spending “Less time finding…more time watching”, Google and its posse of partners are reinventing how we experience videos, images, games, music, Android apps, and more…all through the TV.
Want to watch an episode of House you missed? Search for it on a Google TV and you’ll likely see results ranging from what’s currently playing on TV, future showings, online episodes (e.g. Hulu, Amazon), the official House website and more.
You will also be able to view the internet on your TV. Watching a show and you can’t remember what else the actor was in? Then just shrink the movie to a smaller window (picture in picture) and go to imdb.com on your TV. Want to play a flash game you found on miniclip.com? Flash player is included. Google stressed that they feel users expected flash player to be included and consequently made it a priority go down a different path than Apple did.
Making the experience even more powerful, content on the web can now tie back to your TV, DVR and more. Visiting your favorite band’s website when you learn of a special show featuring the band? If the website has chosen to list and setup the Google TV program (and they will), then you can simply click the record button on their website and you’ll be shown the normal DVR options for that particular program.
And the fun doesn’t stop there. Google is also bringing Android applications to your TV. That means your favorite games, radio stations and other applications can be downloaded straight to your TV.
Here are some additional details:
- Netflix app (not known whether its built in or not)
- Bookmarking capabilities including websites and channels
- Wi-Fi/internet card
- Intel Atom processor, GPU and audio card
- Keyboard input
- Option to use Android phone or tablet as a remote(s)
- Revised market with TV in mind
- Built-in Chrome browser
- Working with Sony, Logitech, Intel, Adobe, Best Buy and others
For some first glance images, check out the following:
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/05/20/google-tv-gets-official/