Google TV: Pros and Cons

As if being the leading Internet search company was not enough, Google has decided to venture into an entirely new territory-the television content business. With the release of Google TV, the company is following the footsteps of fellow tech giant Apple in attempting to merge television and the Internet into one single platform. But unlike Apple TV, which uses the Internet solely to stream and deliver contents to the TV screen, Google TV aims to take a step further by essentially turning one's TV into a multimedia computer. In this article, I will discuss the pros and cons of Google TV and examine whether or not the software deserves the attention it is getting.

The idea of Google TV is to transform one's TV set into the ultimate media center, where users can watch TV shows and movies, play games, surf the web, perform video chat, and send tweets to friends. Moreover, all of these activities would be performed using a specially designed remote control. While this is certainly ambitious, early impressions of Google TV indicate the product will be able to live up to these lofty goals.

Web browsing on TV is one of the major pros of Google TV. Yet, this is not a novel thing. Users of gaming consoles such as PS3 and Nintendo Wii have long been able to surf the web on TV. Additionally, many TV sets already have built-in web browsing software. However, these platforms lack serious browsing capabilities and are often difficult to navigate. Google TV (co-developed by Google, Logitech, Sony, and Intel) is set to support unlimited and uncomplicated web surfing. Users will be able to access thousands of popular websites, many of which are optimized for Google TV. Since the software supports Flash, web users will also be able to watch online videos and contents.

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Will Google TV replace cable and satellite TV? The answer is no. You will still need to keep your TV subscriptions to watch your favorite shows. Google TV is a software platform and not a TV service provider. However, contents from online video providers like Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand will be made available for a fee. In short, the aim of Google TV is not to directly compete with cable and satellite TV but to create a new experience for users of both TV and the Internet.

While Google TV certainly has many good attributes, it also has its share of potential cons. One probable problem is the fact that most web pages are optimized for viewing up close and on a computer screen. Viewing web pages from a distance and on a bigger screen is unlikely to be a pleasant experience. Even though there are some web pages designed specifically for Google TV, the number of these sites is only a fraction of the total websites on the World Wide Web. The result is, regrettably, an imperfect web experience.

Another potential drawback is the consumer's belief that web browsing should be restricted to only computers. Many people view TV watching as the ultimate experience and anything that distracts them from it is unwanted. This is why Apple did not include web browsing capability with Apple TV. Google realizes this drawback as well, but the company is willing to accept short-term risks in favor of long-term rewards.

Does Google TV deserve the attention it is getting? While the software won't immediately change the way people use and watch TV, it does set the course for future TV experience. Google TV is the first significant attempt to combine TV viewing and web browsing into one single platform. As more and more people are using the Internet to watch videos and contents, Google's vision is certainly not without merits and may bring about big benefits in the future.