Posts Tagged ‘Google TV’

Google TV added another manufacturer to its roster, as product manager Rishi Chandra announced on the Google TV Blog that Vizio will incorporate the technology in its new line of TV sets and Blu-ray players, which will debut in 2011. Chandra wrote:

We’re back from the holidays and ready to get crackin’ on 2011. Last year, we launched the first version of Google TV with our partners, Sony and Logitech, and this year, we’ll continue to make the product even better for you. As we shared last month, we’re constantly iterating on Google TV, adding new features and content, improving the user experience, and fixing bugs. We are in the early stages, and the future is bright.

Today I’m excited to share that we’re kicking off the year with a new partner, Vizio, a leading TV maker in the United States. Vizio is making a new line of TVs and a Blu-ray player incorporating Google TV that will hit shelves later this year.

Also in 2011, we plan to bring developers tools for building applications specifically for the TV and living room, and we plan to bring Android Market to Google TV, so consumers can download thousands of applications to their TVs. Check back in with us periodically to see the latest from our team and partners.

Google TV released its first software update, which added an app for Netflix; added a dual-view feature that allows users to watch a show and surf the Web at the same time; added support for the Google TV Remote app in Android Market; included a movie results page; and fixed some bugs.

Product manager Larry Yang posted on the Google TV Blog:

We’ve partnered up with our friends at Netflix to upgrade the app so that you can search, browse, and watch any movie or show that is in the Netflix streaming catalog. You can even add these titles to your DVD queue if you want them mailed to you. Not sure what to watch? The new Netflix app will also give you personalized recommendations based on what you’ve watched before. Your TV is now an unlimited source of entertainment.

Google TV brings the TV and Web together in one seamless experience so you can easily watch your favorite TV show and browse your favorite Web site at the same time. With the feature, you can do things like watch Conan while tweeting about him on Twitter at the same time. Since launch, we’ve had users give us feedback that they want even more customization options for this feature, and so today, we have enhanced it to allow you to resize and move the window however you’d like.

What if you could control your TV with the power of your voice? Starting today, you can download the Google TV Remote app in Android Market. Apart from the standard TV remote options like changing channels or accessing your DVR, you can now interact with your TV in ways you never have before. For instance, try using the integrated voice search, which allows you to find your favorite shows and movies just by speaking into your phone. Or, go from small screen to big screen by sharing videos and Web sites directly from your phone to your TV.

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Revision3 is taking a shot at television, making its online video content available via platforms including Google TV, Yahoo! Connected TV, Windows Media Center, AppleTV, Boxee, and Roku, either by using those various platforms’ applications or by browsing to a TV-optimized Web site.

Shows such as Tekzilla, AppJudgment, Dan 3.0, Diggnation, Destructoid, and Film Riot are searchable via name, category, featured content, and most recent episodes, and viewers can manually search for episodes or view new content.

CEO Jim Louderback said:

We are thrilled to be able to provide users with the ability to view their favorite Revision3 shows on the best screen in the house. As online video continues to take viewing time away from traditional TV, we want to make sure that our programs look great anywhere they’re viewed, and across every screen — from the smallest one on a phone to the biggest one at home.

Northern California public broadcaster KQED took time from watching the San Francisco Giants climb to within one game of winning the World Series to update its new-media efforts, including being featured on Google TV, being listed as a featured source on the Pulse news-reading app, and having its content featured on the newly redesigned version of PBS.org.

KQED said it is the first public television station to be featured on Google TV, and its KQED Interactive division worked with Google to create a new video portal adapted for viewing KQED content on a large television screen.

Pulse is available for the iPhone, iPad, and Android platforms, and KQED is a featured source among the content from traditional sources, selected blogs, and social networks.

And as part of the PBS.org redesign, local content from member stations including KQED and auto-localization features are now seamlessly featured alongside national productions on the home page, topic pages, special features, and series sites, and PBS.org is automatically localized, allowing San Francisco Bay area visitors to view video, KQED schedule information, and content specific to the Northern California community.

What kind of experiences would we have if everyone had an Apple TV? Would it be easier for us to share videos and music?

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Google TV announced that it will give away 10,000 devices to developers so that they can optimize their content for its system.

Amanda Surya of Google TV’s developer-relations team posted on the Google TV Blog:

For users, better-looking and more interesting Web sites means that the overall Google TV experience is even better. We want to encourage a new generation of TV developers to come forward to make this vision a reality. Which is why, over the next few weeks, we’re planning to give away 10,000 Google TV devices to help developers start building for TV.

This morning, we gave away more than 3,000 Google TV devices to attendees of the Adobe MAX conference. Additionally, we’ll be reaching out to thousands of Web developers in the Google Code community to offer them a free device. Finally, if you are a professional Web developer who wants to help make the Google TV experience even better and you don’t happen to fall into one of those two groups, please submit an entry to our Google TV Web Developer Promotion and include a short summary about the type of interesting Web site your company would like to create or optimize for Google TV. We’re planning to select 2,500 winners from those entries to receive a free Google TV device.

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Earlier this month YouTube officially launched their Leanback service on Google TV, letting viewers “lean back” and watch YouTube videos on their televisions. Today, Vimeo is following suite with an announcement about their own leanback-like service – Couch Mode.

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YouTube Leanback is officially a part of Google TV, and as devices for the latter become available, users can view videos based on their subscriptions and viewing histories, which launch immediately upon selecting the Leanback option.

Product marketing manager Camille Hearst wrote on the YouTube Blog:

Back in July, we announced the launch of YouTube Leanback in beta. If you didn’t get a chance to check it out, Leanback is a new way to experience YouTube on a big screen. We named it “Leanback” so you could do just that: Kick back and, with as little effort as possible, enjoy hours upon hours of YouTube videos. When you go to www.youtube.com/leanback, you’ll note that videos start playing immediately, are always presented in full-screen and HD (when available), and you can easily browse using just the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Today, YouTube Leanback moves forward into a new role at the center of the YouTube experience on Google TV, which you’ll start seeing in U.S. stores this week. When you view Leanback on Google TV (or online), videos based on your subscriptions and viewing history will begin playing immediately. If those don’t pique your interest, Leanback offers 10 channels, updated daily, featuring popular and interesting videos in genres like Comedy, Entertainment, News, Science & Technology, How To & Style, and more. You can also watch full-length movies and TV shows rented from youtube.com in the highest quality.

Logitech recently held a conference in New York city to show off their new hardware for Google TV. In addition to a small hardware box called Revue that acts as an audio/video interface and keyboard connector, they introduced full and mini-keyboards for use with Google TV and a TV camera for HD video calling.

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When Google released its first tour of Google TV in June, people started wondering how much easier their lives would become once they could combine the wonders of a normal television set and internet video content. As Google put it, why can’t TV and the internet work together? Now there’s a new partnership: Google TV is now working together with Twitter, and the combination might work for some and will probably bother others. Read more