by Zakary Venturo

Created on: October 13, 2010

Google TV is coming. Google already has an agreement with Sony to integrate Google TV into the next generation of televisions. Logitech will also be providing a set top box alternative for people who just want to add to it what they already own. This is just the start and more manufacturers are likely to follow, but what is Google TV? What can be expected from the product?

The Internet’s impact on entertainment goes without question. Today, with sites like Hulu and Netflix, getting online to stream content is becoming more common place everyday. However, the traditional cable provider is still churning out plenty of content. Home entertainment has become two different animals as a result. While both cable and the Internet might provide similar content, its this need to reconnect in two different ways that Google TV makes its bid for the living room.

Part of Google’s vision is to take both viable sources for entertainment and provide a bridge which simplifies how people interact with media. Regardless of whether the content is on the Internet or cable, all of it will entirely be at the users fingertips. Want to watch House? Whether its a feed on the web or the latest episode being broadcast by Fox, the option will be on the remote control.

Under the hood, Google TV will be running a operating system similar to Android. Already extremely successful on mobile phones, Android means developers can build apps to extend the capabilities of Google’s vision for mobile phones. Now Google is pushing another OS with the same kind of ambition. This time to extend its vision for television. Facebook, Netflix, or even the New York Times can have a dedicated application built to leverage its content in the best possible format for Google TV. Of course, there will also be a browser.

Applications will also mean games. With a full blown operating system underneath and a market for downloading apps, Google TV will be far more than a fancy DVR. In fact, the ability for applications makes it very hard to predict what to expect from the device. What Google TV can do will continue to evolve as developers imagine new uses for the home entertainment system.

What to expect from Google TV? Quite possibly it will be the device to motivate a new direction in how people interact with their media. Not just the shows they like to watch, but potentially the news they want to read, the games they wish to play, and quite possibly the ability to share these activities with those we wish. Even when sharing takes place thousands of miles apart.

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