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Google TV Announced With Intel, Sony, and Logitech
MojoKid writes "Google's own I/O conference in California is wrapping up today, but not before the company goes out with a serious bang. Google just announced something that has been rumored for a while now: Google TV. Basically, Google is taking the Apple TV concept, but going way overboard by introducing apps, screen customization, and channel searching. Following Google's own announcement, Intel stepped in to provide some backbone to the story. Google is obviously using the big players to move Google TV forward, with Intel, DISH Network, Best Buy, and Adobe firmly on board. Google TV itself is based on Android, runs the Google Chrome browser, and will allow users to access all of their usual TV channels as well as a world of Internet and cloud-based information and applications, including Adobe Flash-based content."
Probably 90% of people on Slashdot have a computer hooked up to their TV, one way or another. But more mainstream options are still limited to things like AppleTV. Hopefully this Google offering helps make the usability level low enough that the technologically challenges masses will start to get some of the same benefits. Maybe it will hurt the entrenched content providers enough and provide enough of a market that we will be able to purchase shows ala carte at reasonable prices over the internet; without all the middle men taking our money.
They have developed an IP-based method of communicating with the TV hardware itself. That will be open-sourced, along with the rest of it, in 2011. It combines internet media with traditional TV channels, seamlessly. I watched the stream, and it looked pretty interesting. How many adverts they can throw at you, however, remains to be seen.
Can't wait to watch grass grow on 100+ plasma/LCD's at your local big box store.
Hulk SMASH Celiac Disease
But what will the TV Networks and Cable Providers do about it? Cell phone companies have slaughtered Android and TV networks/cable providers think that even though you are -paying- for TV you still need to be shown tons and tons of ads. So the question remains whether this will remain untouched or if it will be corrupted like Android has been by the TV networks and cable providers?
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
Famous last words...
If a man isn't willing to take some risk for his opinions, either his opinions are no good or he's no good
Not so fast, there... they've developed an IP-based method of communicating with special software/hardware that needs to be integrated into production TVs for us to use it, to which Sony has already committed. You'll need to buy a new TV to take advantage of it, or perhaps there will be an option to buy a set-top box.
In short, this just puts a limited functionality web browser with a custom interface in your TV. For most of us geeks, it's inferior to the setups we already have... But for my mom, for example, this would be great. With GoogleTV, she can view all the LOLcats she wants from the comfort of her living room sofa.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
First off, they are launching (Logitech) a set top box along side the Sony TV.
Secondly, I'd suggest actually looking into it. It looks quite powerful and packs a lot more than I think you're giving credit for. It's not just a browser on the TV... Check this out: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/live-from-the-google-i-o-2010-day-2-keynote/
If a man isn't willing to take some risk for his opinions, either his opinions are no good or he's no good
they lost me at "DISH"...
Before you can return to your show, see if you can PuNcH tHe MoNkEy and win $500!!!11!!!1
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
90% or more of internet video (99.999% if you count porn) would be unusable without Adobe on board. The entire point of the project is to combine internet and television content into the same package. Without Adobe, Google TV is little more than a glorified DVR.
My other sig is clever.
Google stated today that too many people are having trouble deciding what to watch. Wrong.
People are watching "monkees washing cats" videos on You Tube because that's more intriguing than the crap on broadcast TV.
It looks like the networks will still schedule all the shows I like at the same time on the same night, forcing me to choose which ones to ignore. Don't be stupid. Let me decide what to watch and when; then we can talk.
How about this? Schedule first-run when your generic focus groups tell you, then leave it available so real people can watch whenever we get around to it. I have better things to do than schedule my life around you.
If it's really open, you'll be able to take out the ads. Not that such behavior is desirable from their PoV of course, but if a user can't do it, then the process will have to be hopelessly crippled and closed at some point. So we'll see about this "open source."
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Best Buy
I instantly thought this was a horrible idea right here. I can't trust anything they do. After all of the Internet horror stories, stories from my relatives, and even in my own family about the terrible things that can happen when Best Buy is involved, I can't trust them with this.
Best Buy employee: This is the all new Google TV. It allows real-time web 2.0 synergy between your living room and the Internet. ...Say what?
Me: Um... what?
Employee: It's like TV but combined with the Internet with apps and stuff.
Me: Awesome! How much does it cost?
Employee: We sell the regular model by itself for X dollars, but that isn't certified with us.
Me: Oh, it isn't?
Employee: Yeah, it might not work with your TV unless you pay $150 more for our Geek Squad(tm) service. They set it up, put apps on it for you, and make sure everything works.
Me: I'm a computer nerd, I can set it up myself. Thanks anyways!
Employee: If you buy it without our service then you don't get [insert feature here]. You either have to use Geek Squad(tm) or buy this $100 gold-plated cable.
Me: *looks at box* But the box says that I get that feature without having to buy anything.
Employee: Yeah, but you need these cables to have it look decent.
Me: I have some old ones at home I can use. Thank you for helping!
Employee: We're out of regular Google TVs.
Me:
Employee: We only have our pre-specialized models. They have everything already set up by Geek Squad(tm) so you don't have to bother.
Me: I'd much rather bother.
Employee: Trust me, it's horrible without our service. Are you sure?
Me: *sigh* Fine, I'll buy it.
Employee: Thank you for shopping at Best Buy!
*I get home and set it up*
Me: Okay, ready to try out my new Google TV! Wait... what's this? The box never said anything about "free trials" to all of these programs. Why is the interface so slow? Oh, it's all of these other things that came pre-installed. Of course. Why is this acting all weird? *looks in settings* These settings aren't what the defaults were in the manual! Ugh... *Google TV crashes* What the crap! Okay, screw this, I'm returning it.
*goes back to best buy*
Me: Excuse me, I'd like to return this obviously faulty Google TV.
Employee: Did you install it?
Me: Yes, how else would I know it is faulty?
Employee: It seems you used unqualified cables. I'm afraid you can't return it.
Me: Unqualifi- No, no, no! You can't void my ability to return this because I didn't use those $100 cables! That doesn't make sense!
Employee: Rules are rules, sir. Have a nice day.
I could go on but you can imagine the horror.
"Our country is not nearly so overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the broadminded." -Archbishop Fulton Sheen
"No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame."
I suspect the point will be efficiency and convenience, which will be true for technophobes and technophiles alike.
... and one that changes on occasion!), remembering which shows are on which websites, or even remembering what time a given show plays. They just tell the device "these are the shows I like watching" and it takes care of the rest.
Think of Google search. "All" it did was make finding things more efficient--but that represented a dramatic improvement in the experience of using the web. Or Gmail--we all had email beforehand, but it provided a much better interface. (Obviously not everyone will agree that the Gmail interface is good, but my point is just that lots of people do like that interface, and thus switched to Gmail.)
If GoogleTV just makes it simpler/more-efficient to watch TV, then that's a sufficient improvement. That is "the point". The idea seems to be that instead of deciding "I want to watch this show at some point, better set it to record on my DVR" or deciding "Oh, that show is starting soon, better head to my TV" or "that show I like is on Hulu, I think, let me go find it"... the GoogleTV will deal will all those details. You will just type in the name of the show you want to watch, and it will get that show for you (either scheduling the DVR, or switching to the channel, or loading the appropriate website, or whatever). This frees the user from having to navigate the arcane TV listings (which are, even in this day and age, just a numerical list!
One can immediately think of other useful things such a box could do (auto-loading the next episode if available, recommending new shows based on ones you already like, etc.). Of course these are all things that the user could do themselves with some effort. But the idea is to reduce the effort, and make the user experience better. (Really, that's what all of technology is: mechanizing labor, automating tedious tasks, hiding away complexity... in a sense these all amount to refining a person's user experience with respect to a given task/action.)
Of course I have no idea if GoogleTV will do all of this in a smooth and effective way. It might suck. But there is at least the potential to come up with something useful. Something that most people would indeed like to have...
And the first of these is by getting in bed with the major cable networks and offering an ala carte subscription service. I can get the big 4 over the air. If I can stream Comedy Central, Sci Fi, Cartoon Network, and Discovery I'd gladly pay them a little of the money that I was paying for hundreds of channels I didn't care about with cable. What do you say, Google? You're the only one who has the backbone to even attempt this. I'll even buy a stupidly overpriced box to buy into it. My only concern is that they'll pack so much content into this that I'll never want to turn off my Plasma...and that would get kinda pricey.
Wise men say, "Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza."
Bandwidth is really all I need now.
For most of us geeks, it's inferior to the setups we already have... But for my mom, for example, this would be great. With GoogleTV, she can view all the LOLcats she wants from the comfort of her living room sofa.
Meanwhile, Microsoft wonders why they bothered to buy WebTV in 1997 and then clearly not capitalize on it...
It doesn't hurt to be nice.
Define "a computer."
The consensus in recent articles about iPad and Splashtop is that one way to tell the difference between a "computer" and an "appliance" is that a computer can run a compiler. This includes desktops, laptops, and servers but excludes an iPad and a cable box.
Most DVRs contain pretty much all the components of a modern day computer
Dedicated DVRs made by TiVo also contain one component that makes them not a computer: verification of the digitally signed boot loader.
Imagine a beowulf cluster of GoogleTVs.
If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
And the first of these is by getting in bed with the major cable networks and offering an ala carte subscription service. I can get the big 4 over the air. If I can stream Comedy Central, Sci Fi, Cartoon Network, and Discovery I'd gladly pay them a little of the money that I was paying for hundreds of channels I didn't care about with cable
Ala carte channels is an obsolete idea already even though it never existed. It only made sense after digital cable but before widespread On Demand. The same reasons you reject bundling of channels can be extended to why I should reject bundling of shows into channels. If I'm streaming, the whole notion of "channel" is an artificial construct.
Look at hulu for example, you can browse by channel, but it's rare that you'd want to.