Google plans to launch a TV platform

 

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Posted on 18 Mar 2010 at 16:54

The next shift of web to TV is coming soon in a big way. Google, Intel and Sony have joined forces to develop a TV venture that would bring web content to the living room, reports the New York Times.

Google will work with Intel and Sony to produce televisions and set-top boxes that would allow users to access web apps like Twitter or Picasa photo site and even search functions through their TV's remote control. The three companies have also reined in Logitech, which produces a remote control with a tiny keyboard.

The New York Times says that TV technology would run on Intel’s Atom chips used primarily for laptops. More specifically, we suspect it'll use the Intel Atom CE 4100 processor released last year, which is designed specifically for internet-connected consumer electronics devices.

Google plans to use its Android operating system for smartphones and will open it up to software developers. Reports say that Google plans to deliver a toolkit to outside programmers within the next couple months and products could appear in the market as early as this summer.

Even though there are already some televisions and set-top boxes that display web content, they're inherently limited in their capabilities. Google hopes to change that with a better internet experience via its Android operating system - we can imagine one button search being a key point for the internet giant. With the explosion of phone-based apps and soon to come tablet based apps, the potential for Internet television is huge. Remaining in Google tradition the Google's TV software will be open source at its core.

With TVs that can access video congregating sites like YouTube, Hulu and Netflix cable and satellite providers will have even steeper competition.

Details of the new platform remain under negotiation and haven't been finalised. The New York Times said that Google, Intel and Logitech declined to comment, while a Sony spokesperson said they were unfamiliar with the alliance.

Author: Tracey Breese