Google TV

Google TV

Google TV is a smart TV platform developed by Google that integrates traditional television programming with internet services and applications. It provides an enhanced TV viewing experience by allowing users to search and access streaming media, web content, apps, and more using
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streaming web-content apps search

Google TV: Smart TV Platform

Google TV integrates traditional TV with internet services and applications for an enhanced TV viewing experience, including search and access to streaming media, web content, apps, and more.

What is Google TV?

Google TV is a smart TV platform developed by Google that integrates traditional television programming with internet services and applications. It was launched in 2010 but has since been discontinued in 2014.

Google TV aimed to provide an enhanced TV viewing experience by combining the traditional TV watching experience with the capabilities provided by internet services and apps. It allowed users to access streaming media, web content, apps, and more directly through their televisions using a special remote control or mobile app.

Some key features of Google TV included:

  • Ability to search live TV listings and streaming media libraries for movies and shows using text or voice search
  • Access to apps like YouTube, Netflix, Pandora music and more through the Google TV platform
  • Web browsing capabilities to access sites directly on the TV screen
  • Universal search to scan live TV listings, DVR content, video services, and apps to find the desired content

Google TV worked by integrating customized hardware designed to run the Google TV software platform. This software layered on top of existing smart TV operating systems like Android and Linux to provide the enhanced features.

While Google TV aimed to reinvent and enhance the traditional TV experience, it faced challenges like complicated interfaces and limited developer support. Many of its features have since been incorporated into other smart TV platforms by Google like Android TV and Google Cast.

Google TV Features

Features

  1. Integrates live TV with streaming media
  2. Unified search across live TV, DVR, streaming services, and web
  3. Access to Google Play apps and games
  4. Chrome web browser
  5. Voice search with Google Assistant

Pricing

  • Free
  • Subscription-Based (for some streaming services)

Pros

Seamless access to streaming and web content

Powerful unified search makes finding content easy

Large selection of apps and games

Chrome browser allows full web access on TV

Cons

Limited adoption by TV manufacturers and cable providers

Performance can be sluggish

Interface can be confusing with many options

Lacks some mainstream streaming apps


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