Google TV Armed With More Entertainment Options - neeleyhaddide

Google at its I/O conference is emphasizing its growing number of music, movies, and TV shows procurable for Android tablets and smartphones through its Play store, and those amusement options wish be available along Google TV devices in the future, the company said this week.

Users who own Google TV boxes wish be able to stream moving-picture show content from the Google Bring store in the next few months, the company wrote a blog entry. Users testament be able to rent a film along a lozenge OR smartphone, which can then also be viewed on televisions via Google TV.

Google TV is software available in set-top boxes and TVs and tries to clear the challenge of bringing classic TV and Cyberspace functionality closer. For example, when inquiring for a specific movie, Google TV jointly lists results from broadcast, DVR and the Internet. A TV set bottom besides be used to breaker the Internet, run Android applications, or to stream movies from websites such as Netflix operating theater YouTube.

Users will be fit to access 100,000 movies and Boob tube content through Google TV, wrote Catherine Liang, product marketing manager and Ossama Alami, developer relations manager, in the blog entry. The feature will be available in the forthcoming months.

Earlier this week, Sony and Vizio introduced companion set-top boxes with the current Google TV software. Sony is taking orders for the Cyberspace Player with Google TV, which is priced at US$199. Vizio introduced the CO-Star box, which is $99. LG earlier this year introduced new TVs with the Google TV software.

The new devices from Vizio and Sony scat a s-multiplication of Google TV software system, a espouse-equal to original software in 2022 for devices running happening Intel chips. The altered software is a reboot from the first version of Google TV, which was well-advised a failure as initial devices like Logitech's Revue set-top box and Sony's Net TV did not find comprehensive acceptance. Intel also scaled down production of chips for Google TV devices, with ARM-based chip makers like Marvell now filling the null. A lot of the products shown at the Computex deal out show up in Taipei earlier this month are based on ARM processor designs, with software development kits provided by the chips companies.

More partners will be offering Google TV devices in the coming months, Google aforesaid. The a la mode interlingual rendition of Google TV is based on Android 3.2, which is encode-named Honeycomb. Google TV software supported Humanoid 4.0, code-named Icecream Sandwich, is on the guideline, a Google spokesman same on Friday.

There are more or less companies already offering TVs or set-top boxes with customized versions of Android 4.0, but they are not officially Google Idiot box devices. Lenovo in China is offer a is TV that recognizes voice commands and runs on a customized version of Android 4.0. At the Computex trade in show in Capital of Taiwan earlier this month, a number of companies showed off set-summit boxes and TVs supported bespoke Android 4.0 versions with a Google Boob tube-like interface.

Google at the I/O conference as wel declared the Nexus Q twist, which streams movies and music from the Google Play entrepot to Tv set sets and stereo systems. The $299 spherical device is a consumer merchandise, while Google TV is manageable toward device makers, the spokesman said. Users will be able to choose a Google TV device Beaver State Link Q to stream movies from the Google Play store on a Goggle bo.

Google is also hedging its stake on the second screen strategy for Google TV, where mobile devices like smartphones, tablets will cost able to interact with the Idiot box, some look-alike a remote. Users can browse for videos through a smartphone surgery tablet, which can then Be played second on Goggle bo. Google is offering the Google TV remote lotion through its Bring off store to gain this practical.

Google is also emotional tools for newfound developers to write out applications for Google TV, including APIs (application programing interfaces), libraries, and code, the company wrote in the web log first appearance.

Agam Shah covers PCs, tablets, servers, chips and semiconductors for IDG News Service. Follow Agam on Twitter at @agamsh. Agam's e-mail address is agam_shah@idg.com