What to Expect from the New Google TV

Ever since the Sega Channel brought us interactive TV, the TV viewing public has been clamoring for more quality, interactive TV. With the big push towards the internet and everything being online, it was only a matter of time before the two were combined and interactive TV was taken to a whole new level. After other internet mega-corporations failed at this venture, Google has decided to give it a try. The big question is: why does Google think they can succeed where others have failed? While that has yet to be proven, there may be some merit to this assumption. Here is a look at what the new Google TV system has to offer and what you can look to expect. There is some good to the new set up, but it is not without a downside. While there may be a lot of content, there will also be the famous Google Ads rearing their ugly head.

One thing that Google has mastered is timing. Their entrance into the world of television is no exception. With the huge push to digital and HD, many people are scooping up new sets daily. With most of the country in the market for a new TV and the attitude that only the one with the longest list of features will do, Google is ready to strike. Sony has partnered with Google on this venture and has incorporated Google compatibility with many of the sets on the market. If you have purchased a Sony TV in the last couple months, chances are that you have a Google compatible set already. With everyone going to the new connections and hookups that HD and digital have brought, Google has the rest of you covered with their separate internet TV box. If you have an internet compatible TV, chances are, you will at least try the internet functionality once. This is where Google's timing is impeccable. They will be at the forefront of this market at a time when people are more willing to give it a chance.

So what will it be like? You can expect it to be super convenient and it will break the limitations that other cable and satellite providers have. Bringing the internet to your television will allow you to download movies, games, and just about any Droid compatible app straight to your television. That is correct; Droid applications. This thing is powered by Droid with the Google Chrome browser. Google is currently creating applications for all smart phone platforms to work as a remote control with their control box as well. This means that you can sit back and use your Blackberry/iPhone/Google phone/Droid phone/whatever other smartphone as a remote with a fully functioning keyboard interface. This will not be like Apple TV where you are limited to the iTunes videos. You will have full roam of the internet. You can watch any video or episode that exists on the internet. From Netflix to TV Guide and everything in between, you will be able to get content from anywhere. With a 4 Gig hard drive on the Google box, you can download a movie and watch it in high definition on your Samsung or Sony television. Don't have one of those? Just grab the Logitech box. With HD outputs, USB ports, and WiFi, I am sure you can connect it to something in your home.

This surge of content is just the beginning. Since Google is partnered with Droid, Best Buy, and Dish on this venture, you can be sure there are no limits on the available video feeds. If that were not enough, they have also listed some pointers, challenges, and opportunities for web developers to create content that is specifically compatible and designed with the Google TV in mind. There will be cloud computing solutions to save disk space, and all sorts of file sharing and applications to make this a truly outstanding experience. That is not all. With the use of a web cam, you can now video conference in 720p. Got Skype? You can now experience the world of "The Jetsons" (if you don't know who they are, smack yourself and then Google classic cartoons). Word of advice though, do not install a TV in the shower. You may end up like George when Mr. Spacely calls at the most inopportune times.

So there you have the good. Limitless video feed, superior functionality, and a high-def video phone make this more than superior to anything that has preceded it, but there is always a downside. One needs to look no further than a Google search to see this. Ads, ads, and more ads may be the downfall of this platform. Google has released very little information about this project and most of the information comes from the companies they have partnered with. One thing that they have released is a laundry list of advertisers and the plethora of ways that you too can advertise on Google TV. While they do recognize the need to keep commercials short and spaced apart, these rules may only apply to the designers. In a list of design tips to optimize your site for TV, they point out this fact. This is likely due to the fact that they already plan on dousing the viewer with hours of advertisements and don't want yours to get in the way (even though most of us use Google Ad Words on our sites anyways). Let's face it, the only reason they are doing this is to grab a chunk of the $70 billion television advertising industry. If they can get more than that, I am sure they won't complain. The only upside is that, currently, Google tends to lean more towards banner ads. I can live with silent commercials at the bottom of the screen. After all, if anyone has seen TNT, TBS, or any other network in the past decade, you get those anyways. Maybe now they will be something I could actually watch or use, instead of ads for shows I won't watch anyways.

This all really boils down to getting some pure, unlimited awesomeness at the cost of a couple extra commercials. While I am not a huge fan of interruptions, it might be worth it at first. The early commercials may even rival the Super Bowl commercials. Hopefully, they limit it to some banner ads that run along the bottom or top of the screen. If that is the case, it may be no different than network television anyways. If they can deliver the content they are bragging about and the truly limitless access that the internet has to offer, I can't wait to watch my A-Team and Hawaii Five-O reruns from Hulu, or my Pirate Bay movies on my new Sony plasma screen that I may someday actually buy (maybe). Only time will tell and the time looks to be this fall according to Logitech and Sony.

Sources:

Google TV Detailed

Logitech Google TV Box Embarrasses Apple TV

Google Premieres Web Television Gamble