Google TV may be on the way

Google TV (so far officially unnamed) will operate on the Google Android operating system, and would add Internet applications such as web searches and other Internet content to video entertainment. The Google software for set-top boxes could give consumers an alternative to cable/satellite packages now available. Revenue would be raised from the web-based ads, which would reach a far wider audience than they do at present. If the concept is successful, it could change the face of TV, turning every set equipped with the software into an Internet terminal.

The first product to use Google TV is expected to be a set-top box running a version of Android called Dragonpoint, and using an Intel Atom processor and Logitech remote control. The device, connected to televisions and even Blu-ray DVD players, would essentially allow them to act as computers running Internet searches, YouTube, and other Internet applications. Sony may add Google TV to its next generation of Internet-ready TVs, and it could also be built into other devices with connections to the Internet.

There are also unconfirmed reports that Google and the Dish network are testing a system that allows viewers to search for content on the Internet and from the Dish network’s own programs.

The annual Google I/O conference will be held on May 19-20 in San Francisco, and will be attended by an estimated 3,000 developers. The conference is regularly used by Google to showcase new technologies for developers, and is widely expected to be the forum in which Google TV is introduced, although others warn Google may wait until the technology is more mature before launching the software.

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