Google TV has not been a hit in its base territory, which might have forced it to move out of U.S. and try regions away from it. Google TV is now moving in UK and it looks better than ever before. The search engine giant has planned a launch which would be a new era for the ‘Internet TV’. The service included would give users an option to search their screen in a similar way as one does on the web. This would integrate Internet with one’s television, so that one can use both these options t the same time.
This would let users view content which are on the catch-up services such as ITV Player and BBC iPlayer directly on their TV sets. UK will see the launch in a span of six months and as usual one will get access to it with the help of a special set-top box.
One would hear an announcement soon which would have Eric Schmidt, Google’s executive chairman outlining his vision. This would happen when at the Edinburgh Television Festival where he would lecture for this year’s MacTaggart. The focus for the announcement from the Chairman is expected to be related to how they are trying to increase the usage of Internet while watching TV at the same time. An example for this would be when one watches a show like The X Factor. The viewers tend to make a switch to Twitter to know about the online reaction.
Google on its part stated that now Google TV would allow users to make a defined search which could be for the TV content or the Internet. The search is just a ‘single click’ for the users. Switching over for the users will not even be a hassle as one does not have to adjust cables for viewing TV or the Internet.
Another interesting attraction included by Google is that a user will be able to use iPhones and smartphones as an option for a remote control. This might be a liked option as one can change channels with their smartphones and iPhones and even conduct searches with the help of their voice to speak out the search.
Again, Google pushed in yet another home-grown feature for Google TV, which is YouTube’s special version. Here videos can be viewed by a user in high definition.
Its failure in U.S. if recalled, it can be a problem for Google TV’s dream run in UK. This is because Google TV has been not able to gain popularity with the people in the U.S. Cost was one of the factors which prevented users from buying Google TV set-top boxes. With a price set at £157, Google TV set-top box was way too expensive as compared to Apple TV, which costs £100 for a set-top box. Apple TV even allowed its users to rent TV programmes and films. There was even an option to directly watch shows via the net to their TV sets. Some criticized it for being a hassle to use it. Again, most of the services Google had on offer via this product, was being offered already by its competitors.