We finally managed to ditch the office computer for the day, but just as we’re settling down on the couch to catch up on our favorite shows there’s a commercial that catches our attention or an actor on screen who we know we’ve seen somewhere before. We try to shake it, but finally we give in to the fact we simply won’t be able to enjoy our sitcom until we satisfy our curiosity about which movie we saw that actor in. Our relaxation time slips by us as we wait for our computers to boot and pull up our web browsers.
Google TV
That access to information, along with all the other multimedia options the Internet has to offer, is the driving principle behind Google TV. Google aims to provide a seamless integration between television, computer and mobile devices, so what’s available through your Internet connection is also available on your television. You can search the web at any time without ever changing the channel. Better yet, you don’t need a separate service subscription. The TV interacts directly with your Cable.tv service and household Internet.
What Does This Mean for Me?
Not only is Google TV a boon for consumers, it also provides a world of opportunity for online entrepreneurs. On his blog, social media consultant Jeff Bullas declared “Google TV promises to knock down the walls between traditional broadcast studio TV and the long-tail of open video content produced by consumers.”
The ability of consumers to access your online work on their televisions could mean everything. YouTube and other video-sharing sites already pay successful video-makers for their work and since Google TV’s integrated system provides even greater consumer access to that work, profits could go up providing more video-makers with the potential to make income doing work they love.
Even those outside the video industry can benefit from such an integrated platform as well. The possibilities for social media immersion are endless. Entertainment bloggers can watch an awards show while keeping abreast of tweets and posts from other viewers or while live-blogging the event. Political writers can watch a debate and research candidate’s positions using one system. It makes information-sharing between television and cable Internet easy.
Other Perks
Google TV includes built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology, so mobile devices, like Android cell phones, can be used to search and transmit information to the TV. Since Google has also integrated Android’s voice-recognition feature, called Voice Search, so when an infomercial about hair curlers comes on after your late-night talk shows and you want to yell at the TV to change to VH1, you can, and the TV will actually do it. If you can’t remember the number of the channel, you can say what it’s called or describe what you want to watch and it will automatically tune-in to that channel.
