San Francisco — Google TV, which floundered badly in its inaugural year, is said to be giving its Google TV operating system another push and it may get that from consumers if LG Electronics unveils a television running Google TV’s updated software. According to a recent report by Bloomberg, apparently LG is looking to bridge that gap left by Logitech and unfurls a television set that is based on Google TV at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2012.
This fresh partnership with LG comes right after Google TV’s efforts with Logitech crumbled. According to Bloomberg, quoting unnamed sources have informed that this would be the first LG TV with Google TV. LG is the world’s second largest television manufacturer and with their association with Google in unveiling a Google TV, which would help Google in building their Internet features on television sets. The report goes on to state that both parties in question have declined to comment on the launch of the new television.
LG to team up with Google to launch Google TV
In Dec. 2010, Logitech launched the Logitech Revue set-top box running Google TV. The application functioned inferiorly, and just last week Logitech CEO Guerrino De Luca called the device a mistake, saying it burdened the company with $100 million in operating profits. Google TV still has a ongoing partnership with Sony.
In an Oct. blog post disclosing the Google TV update, Google indicated at new partnerships: “We look forward in the coming months to announcing new software updates as well as new devices on new chipsets from multiple hardware partners.”
The Google TV OS attempts to impart the wealth of video content on the Internet to traditional TVs. It is still a work in progress. With the Google TV update, the brand aims to put emphasis on four areas of improvements which are keeping it simple, making it easy to find something worth watching, making YouTube better on TV and bringing more apps to TV.
Moving forward, an LG-branded TV could help Google’s ambitious effort to bring Internet content to your television, an undertaking that has botched up to garner consumer interest since its launch. More good timing: Samsung is also in talks with Google to design Google TV hardware, according to Bloomberg.
Moreover, quoting two unnamed sources close to the matter, Bloomberg reports that LG’s new television would operate the Google TV software, which received a major update two weeks ago. The new version adds support for Android apps optimized for HDTV sets, and a revamped interface that is reportedly easier to navigate.
In addition, the report also indicates that the new Google TV device, which would be LG’s first, will be rolled out at the January 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The internet search giant Google could use a boost for its TV devices, which face significant competition in the set-top box and streaming television space.
Nevertheless, soon after Google TV’s launch in October 2010, major TV networks blocked video streaming from their websites to Google TV devices. And reviewers complained that Google TV’s software was corrupt and slow, and that set-top and remote control devices built for the ambitious Internet-to-TV platform were clunky, underpowered, and pricey.
Finally, the big question is whether Google and its hardware partners will get it right this time. Let us wait and watch to find out at CES.