Google announced a few days ago it had teamed up with Intel, Sony and Logitech to release the Google TV platform which should be available towards the end of the year as a set-top box to connect to existing TVs or as a built-in feature for new TV sets and Blu-Ray players.
I for one I am very excited about this latest development and I believe Google TV is set to revolutionise the way we watch TV and use the internet. Frankly, I have been waiting for this for a long time and I never understood why this wasn’t possible. Sure there were a few companies that offered some form of web on TV but none of those ever felt like the full web on TV experience. With Google TV I have a good feeling about it.
Furthermore, rumour has it Apple is about to release a significant upgrade to the Apple TV platform and with a much cheaper price tag of just $99 US. My guess is that unless Apple starts manufacturing TV sets, in which case it might be able to capture some of it die hard Apple fans, Apple TV does not stand a chance against Google TV especially with so many big names behind it such as Sony, Logitech, Intel, Adobe and off course Google. The fact that Google TV would come embedded into new TV sets and Blu-Ray players produced by Sony and possibly also in the next generation PlayStation consoles gives Google TV a big advantage over all the other web on TV options out there.
What is more, the Google TV platform is built on the Open Source Android operating system allowing developers and businesses to easily develop apps for it which would further bolster its up take.
What I am curious to find out and I haven’t heard much about is how storage would work for these devices as surely not everyone can afford the bandwidth to stream high quality videos online. Even if the set-top box came with built in storage I can’t image the built-in TV and Blue-Ray players coming with huge chunks of storage. Perhaps there would be an option to add external memory. We would have to wait and see.
One has to wonder what implications Google TV would have on the industry. Sure it would be great to watch YouTube videos on TV and switch back and forth between TV and the web but what about the home entertainment industry in general? How would it be impacted by all this? The most obvious is that TV manufacturers would have to incorporate Google TV into new TV sets but also the Television Networks and Cable companies are likely to be hit hard as this is bound to draw viewers away from traditional TV especially during lucrative commercial breaks. Viewers are also less likely to want to pay for cable TV when they can easily get most of the cable TV programs online on demand. Movie rental companies might also find that people are opting to stream movies online instead of renting.
All of this change within the industry could lead to demands for stricter laws on the availability of pirated content online. YouTube for example might be forced to ensure that all content uploaded to its site are licensed. It is also foreseeable that cable and TV Networks would move towards providing on demand TV online.
One thing is for sure, if Google TV takes off it is likely to have a huge impact not just on what we watch in your living rooms but on the entire industry in general.
Excuse me but I have to go and get some Google shares ☺
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Excellent post dude. Will definitely be looking forward to this Google TV